I spent eight hours driving with a colleague today.  We decided to tackle a important competitive issue while in the car.  Each of us had some insight and after about an hour, a pretty comprehensive outline was developed.  The process was aided by a lack of interruptions.  After all, we were in the car, on the way to a meeting.  We had nowhere else to go during the drive. 

As we cruised along the highway, we threw ideas out, put them down and discussed the issue thoroughly.  At one point, we even called a client for some details on which we were unsure.  He added some thoughts to the discussion.

I've had some very productive and memorable discussions during long road trips.  Today's drive gave me an good idea for corporate planning sessions.  Get the team in a car or van and hit the highway with an agenda of topics to be tackled.  The road trip format seems to foster informal and open discussion.  Someone - preferably not the driver - should be designated as scribe to capture all ideas during the trip. 

Little setup is required.  The cost is minimal since a meeting room need not be reserved and snacks could picked up at a roadside gas station.  Phones could be collected and turned off to avoid interruptions.  I'm willing to bet that the exercise would yield impressive results.