Totally agree with Barnes. (There, I said it!) This is not a new problem, I've said the same at every WC I can remember, but this year the flaws in such an early draw have been exposed with the current top 4 in the world all in the same half of the draw.
No reason at all why the draw could not be done immediately after the November tests the year before. Would give those matches a bit more edge if seeding for the WC was at stake. That then gives all teams about 11 months to organise travel, which should be more than enough. They manage it with the FIFA WC. The draw for this year's tournament has not yet happened and it starts in November, and it is a much, much bigger event to organise in terms of number of competing teams, media and supporters. Would also do away with the inclusion of such teams as "Oceania 1" and "Repechage 2".