Big Johnno,
Once you get going you will surprise yourself at how quickly your flight planning time required goes from hours to minutes. I spent a few years on maps before moving to GPS & the best advice I could offer to you would be to plan your flight along the required route, but make sure you are aware of the terrain & significant points either side of your intended track. It is very easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the line on the map & not lift your head, look around & enjoy the view. For example while looking around you may notice an odd shaped mountain in the distance. If you were to become "unsure of your position" & you came across this mountain while blundering around trying to get home you would have a bit of an idea where you were & hence which way to go.
I have had 3 GPS failures to date, all in the middle of nowhere, & it is merely an inconvenience if you know generally where you are at the time. I use 3 golden rules -
- Always know where you are.
- Always cross check that you are where you think you are.
- Always, always know where you are.
If you follow those rules & still get lost, then you should have followed your GPS instead of listening to me!!