Cross Country - Flying High

[Devil 49]

I hate XC

Traveling by air is best by airplane. Cross country just doesn't have a lot of real flying: takeoffs, departures, approaches and landings.
En route legs are autopilot stuff. It's all I can do to stay awake after the first hour. Although there is something to be said for the occasional view from short leg altitudes, that low altitude view almost always comes with some increased risk.

I would plan for, in this order:
friendliest territory for forced/precautionary landings (higher expands the available area with highway access and waiting for maintenance coffee geometrically);
shortest ETE;
least fuel flow;
smoothest ride.
With GPS, efficiency is easy, one has quick access to ground speed information. I set up 600 fpm climb max continuous and watch that number until it starts to fall, then fiddle with cruise altitude and power, if fuel is an issue. Flight time is way more expensive than fuel, so unless I'm stretching the margin above minimum, I cruise as quickly as possible.
Weather complicates the issue, especially vis. The increased visual range at altitude can make weather issues easier to deal with.

Helo pilots fly low because that's what we mostly do on 2 - 20 minute legs, when it's not logical to spend a lot of time in the vertical. Lots of rationalization of phobias in that "what if you're on fire/transmission seizing" talk.