I can count the dark sky trips I've done on one hand Troy, so no expert. I've been very happy what I can get from Bris suburbs with a light pollution filter, but the extra softness of detail and unmessed colour that comes through is unbeatable from dark sky sites.
I try to do a few unusual objects I usually can't see from home with short subs, then concentrate on a brighter DSO object that's visible that really fascinates me with as many 10 min subs as I can do. The beauty of having long subs running on auto is you can then wander off and chat and learn from others (or just stick your nose in their business....
)
I'm dreaming of M33 for Astrofest, and maybe some semi-serious tries at widefield......