Planning a cross country trip - questions

Some people prefer to make reservations months in advance. For cross country travel, I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants. In this day and age, the iPhone makes it pretty easy to find and get campsites the day you need them. If you cancel reservations, you will probably end up having to pay for the site anyway. When long distance travelling, things can and do go wrong. If you have any troubles, and you are delayed, you will end up paying for sites you never use. You would then have to decide if you want to skip all those destinations to get back on track with your remaining reservations. If you have never been where you are going, you might find something interesting you didn't know was there, and want to stay an extra day or two. Not having reservations gives you the flexibility to change plans at whim. We have logged 30 or 40k miles, and have never had an advanced reservation. Some prefer to have the entire trip booked ahead. Others, like me, like to be able to change plans if required. We have had blown tires, transmissions, electrical issues delay us days on several trips. Weather is another factor that can delay you. You don't want to have to drive in high winds or storms, just to keep a schedule. You can even book things a few days ahead when you are assured that the destination is manageable on the timeline. Things can and do happen. Good luck and safe travels.