Let people know (where you're going)

[Phil_z]

This is a good thread. Sorry for jumping it as a newbie, but I wanted to add something:

We leave our itinerary with a couple people and an easy to find copy in the car. We always include worst-case scenarios for bailouts, route deviations, cross-country, or foreseeable delays. We also use the absolute drop-dead date for calls to be made, and that number to call if it comes to that. I don't care if my GF or anyone else can decipher a word of it, I write it for SAR to understand, and I leave specific instructions to do nothing more than recite it, verbatum.