Research Trips -- When?

[rj_anderson]

So let's say that you are writing a book set in some faraway and unfamiliar location, and you are seriously considering taking a trip over to said exotic locale for the purposes of research. You have approximately twelve months before the book is due in to your editor. (You also have three young children and a husband whose work has intensely busy seasons in April-May and September-October, but we'll try not to overcomplicate things.) At what point in the writing process would it be best to plan said trip? I put it to you in the form of a poll:

[Poll #1158658]
I would especially value the input of fellow authors who have recently done this kind of thing -- did you wish you'd gone earlier in the process? Later? Any other words of wisdom to impart about research trips and what to do or not do when embarking on one?

X-posted from fangs_fur_fey.

ETA: dichroic asked where this faraway, exotic location might be -- for my purposes I'd be looking at parts of Kent, London, and the Cardigan Bay area of Wales.

Comments

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Hm. The most exotic, faraway place I've ever gone for research is the local tavern. :) But even from that I can say one thing: it depends. Mostly on whether the locations are just for color, or are going to have an impact on the plot. If there's a chance that you'll learn things that affect the plot, and you don't want to have to ditch large chunks of draft and rewrite, go earlier. If you're just after colorful details, you can go later. Which may mean that the less familiar the place is, the earlier you should go, since you may not know whether the things you'll learn will affect the plot.

Thus I think the answer is that it varies, not only from author to author, but from story to story. Do as much preliminary research as you can, and that will give you a better idea of not only when is the best time to go, but what you need to pay attention to once you get there.