Ian, I don't disagree, but I did say it works when you can travel to
your schedule, which is more or less what you are saying.
In practice, having 1100nm zero-fuel range means you can do trips up to 700-800nm, which gets you over the Alps or into Spain (I am assuming people do the normal thing and fly somewhere
warmer 
) which would otherwise mean a stop in say France or Switzerland etc and hanging around there until the weather improves or whatever.
Some people like stopping in lots of places on the way, which is attractive to those who have plenty of time to play with, but you need
even more time that way because every stop introduces a change of weather risk. And doing stops purely for fuel is a huge waste of time and one can get stuck somewhere for hours and then maybe needs to find a hotel.