Most overnight halts are in large towns, even cities (hotels capable of housing everyone involved in the rally are not easy to find) which means first thing in the morning, and against the clock, finding ones way through unfamiliar territory towards the next time control which is probably twenty or thirty kms away, somewhere in the country. I would suggest spending a useful half hour at a quiet time and instead of swopping stories in the bar, check the route out of the city. How many times road works, diversions or just heavy traffic have caused me panic. Seasoned navigators have their own maps of relevent towns and don't rely just on the organisers tulip road book. Early morning starts are when you find the car wont start, you forgot to buy fuel or you left something important at the hotel. Also, bet your life there is a long queue at the check out. So another tip is to always pay your bill the night before. Last thing. Breakfast is always a missed meal for one reason or another so sweep through and collect half a dozen bread rolls, a handful of ham and a couple of bottles of water. Nothing tastes better when your late and lost in the middle of Bulgaria than a couple of unexpected ham rolls. Bliss
