they will travel anywhere from 10 feet to about 1 1/2 miles -
but the swarms that most people see , hanging on limbs, cars, walls, and fences etc... are just the resting swarm from the parent hive .... about 100-1000 feet
at this piont they check to see that they have the queen and enough workers to make the move - also at this point they are also sending out scout bees - this is where bait hives and boxes come in handy -
things i have found swarms on !!!!!
cars, farm tractor, porch light, tree limbs, the ground( someones clipped queen), large wooden spool of copper wire, fence posts, back side of the swarming hive, wood pile, mail box, and kids bicylce.
ive drove a lot a mile also to find that the swarm had left in the 10 minute drive time -
so i dont think you can make a mistake - its just a new learning expericance everytime you get a swarm