I have 2 ways to make long trips like this better:

1. Pick a destination and every day, choose a close poi listed on gec that is in the direction of your destination

2. Go to https://www.edsm.net/en/expeditions and look for an expedition that hasn’t started yet (most of these will need you to join a discord) or join the PTN discord (of booze cruise fame) as they do smaller expeditions occasionally