Advice for a cross country trip

Reservations for any popular tourist spots (national parks, Disney, etc.) we plan to visit, and I'd also recommend reservations for CGs near major metro areas over weekends. Otherwise we wing it - but I usually check out ahead of time 2 or 3 options for places we're likely to overnight, and aim for those. That way we have fewer unpleasant surprises. :) Your plan of driving 3 days and stopping for 2 is a good one, as long as you don't have a time limit. We do something similar, using the layover days as a time to do laundry, get groceries & other supplies, see local sites of interest, and just relax. Sounds like a great trip!