This thread was provoked in part by the discussions on the use of GPS but please do not limit your thoughts to that aspect.
Here is the scenario. You are planning a longish trip - lets say from the south coast to Scotland, around three to four hours flying time. Departure is set for around 9 the next day and for whatever reason you only decide to make the trip the evening before. What planning do you do and when?
(Part of the reason for asking is I remember for even short trips the amount of time I would spend on planning left me exhausted and my passengers drinking more coffee in the airport lounge than was good for them - or me when they wanted countless stops en route
).
How long does it take you, what are the steps you take, and if you had to how quickly could you get airborne from when given the detail.