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I'll be the first to admit, I am not the greatest GM. Not for a lack of rules knowledge, but more of the general anxiety I have normally. Players doing things that are "outside the box" usually throw me off when running a module/adventure path. What are some best practices to prepare better for a game night? What are some example of what other folks do when getting ready for a game?
ideally, you should read the module/adventure from cover to cover. This should give you a better sense of where the adventure takes place and what the characters are likely to encounter if they go "off the beaten path". Many of them will even give you random encounter tables that will inform you what else is in the area.
You should also try to determine why the characters are going the "wrong way". Is it because they're avoiding the thing they're supposed to be headed toward or is it because they don't know they're going the wrong way. In the latter case you can move encounter points around so that they will be going the correct way. Just make sure that you note where a location got moved to so that information you give will be consistent.
If they are avoiding a location make the thing taunt the party in some way. Either by sending forth enemies to attack the party's base of operations or have the locals commiserate with the party that there's no shame in hiding from something so deadly. If the party still won't deal with it have the villagers form a caravan in order to abandon the "cursed" settlement. Thereby depriving the party of their "safe haven".
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There's no substitute for preparation. Read the module, re-read it, then re-read it again! Seriously, the better you know all the information, the better you'll be able to respond to the unexpected. I try to prepare about 150% of what I anticipate they'll actually accomplish, that way if they skip something or resolve it faster than expected, you're not floundering for material.
Also, there's a lot to be said for just rolling with it and letting actions have consequences. You can't anticipate everything, so accept that they may do something unusual and not stick to the script, and that's okay! It's their story, let them run with it!
As an example, in Curse of the Crimson Throne, the PCs were supposed to wipe out a bunch of rebellious wererats that were suspected of spreading a plague (they weren't). I had a big combat all planned out, including my preconfigured file for my Combat Manager app and an impressive battlemap of their lair printed out and mounted to foam board.
But, my players were determined to resolve things diplomatically, and through some excellent Diplomacy checks, including a natural 20, they were able to get the info they needed and convince the wererats to stand down. Instead of several combats and 2 hours of gameplay, the whole situation was resolved in about 15 minutes. But the players were so damned proud of themselves for not spilling blood unnecessarily, and now hope to use them as allies against the real enemy.
If you lay out enough info but the PCs insist on ignoring it or going in another direction, that's okay too! Just make sure they know how their decisions change things - it gives them agency and makes them feel more empowered, even if they screw up. I once had a group trying to save a city from an imminent explosion devolve into bickering over strategy as I periodically described the rapdily deteriorating situation. After giving them 30 minutes to argue, I started counting out loud from 10 down to zero. When I hit zero, I had the explosion go off and 1/3 of the residents were killed. They felt awful when they realized they could have saved everyone but didn't. Not what was supposed to happen, but again, actions have consequences.