How do you plan your interplanetary transfers?

[Arrowstar]

As the author of the KSP Trajectory Optimization Tool, clearly I use my own code for everything. Why just yesterday I was flying to Duna to set up a colony and was using the porkchop plotter and Mission Architect quite extensively.

[Pwnstarr]

It's far from optimal I guess but my MO lately has been to launch whenever, break Kerbin orbit, match planes at a AN or DN, then find a Hohmann transfer point. This means that my Kerbals can spend a long time orbiting the sun but it works. After 1 year 111 days in space my first Eeloo mission is finally burning to intercept where it falls inside Jool's orbit.

[Victus]

I stay in Kerbin SOI and then wait for a proper time window I use time warp by using my time keeper on the ground or a flag, although I've only done 3 manned missions thus far, all to Duna.

[Jesrad]

I just launch vertically on local evening for inner planets and right before dawn for outer planets, until I reach Kerbin escape velocity. Then along the Kerbol orbit I fickle with a maneuver node until I get an intercept, sliding the node around until I get a reasonably low deltaV cost. Same for returns just the other way around.

Combining this with Kerbal Alarm Clock I can get quite a few missions going at the same time and never bother with launch windows or planning.

[Edit]

Yes I know it's quite wasteful. I overengineer my rockets a lot anyway.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Jesrad

[nobbers12345]

I burn and place my periapsis on a level of the target planet

I orbit around a couple of years until I get a close distance points after some plane corrections.

I then adjust my orbit to encounter when the nodes are close.

[Tortoise]

I use kerbal alarm clock, then launch as soon as my transfer window has opened.