So, I am looking to take a trip form Antioch Il, to Los Angeles California. The trip is a long slow trip with no real set times at all. I am looking to be takeing around a month for the trip and obviously driving. As of this moment I have some camping supplies and bags. Not even a vehicle. I was wondering if any of you had a thing for planning road trips or have taken enough that you could give me so good tips and pointers. I am going with one other person who lived in LA and has many friends where we can crash at, so room and board won’t be too much of a problem. Along the way we will also probably stop off at Walmarts and weigh stations to rest during the trip.

Here are my biggest concerns,

First off money, we are both young currently they ae not working so much but get money from family so are saving a lot aside and I work full time around 350 a week while also paying off loans and some bills. How much should we have for a trip like this? At this point I am thinking it is almost a cross between a road trip and a vagabond and will probably cross post this to r/Vagabond for some good tips on staying frugal.

Gas is Expensive I assume it honestly might be more expensive than buying the vehicle itself is it worth signing up for a gas rewards card system and does that apply for the Citgo gift cards I’ve gotten every year since I was 15?

Buying a vehicle, am I better off buying a car that looks like it might make it there and back or maybe a van? Is renting a vehicle with unlimited miles for a round trip a good idea.

Food. I was thinking of picking up a 100 dollar or so MREs kit just in case or if we are lazy. I know sandwich supplies, veggies, and fruit. Probably a box of something like Power Bars for mornings. I do plan on bring a green tank camp stove and have a mess kit myself and will probably pick one up for my friend unless it would be better to bring along actual cooking pots (Just a pot/Skillet/and kettle) just in case. Not trying to save too much on weight as we will have a vehicle, but depending on if we buy a van, truck, or a car really depends on how much space we will have.

Sleeping, I mentioned a bit about this already that we could sleep at weigh stations, truck stops, and Walmart. I was also curious if anyone had any information on dispersed camping and with the trip from Northern IL to LA if that would be a viable option. I have a full hammock setup and a tent I can bring. Sleeping bags and pads will be brought as well. Does anyone have any information they could give me about dispersed camping? I’d happily buy a national park pass as I hope to stop off at many parks along the way. Or is there a better pass for stopping at all types of parks?

Finally, if anyone has taken a trip on a similar route I would love any help in planning out the trip. Things that I would like to see are cool abandoned buildings, I love exploring and photographing them, ghost towns, the weird tourist trap things (biggest ball of yarn, largest six pack of beer, creepy concrete sculpture park of famous people someone made in their back yards, just weird tourist stuff people normally wouldn’t want to go to) I love asking as many weird questions as I can about those things because they are ridiculous. Of course, I also hope to go to as many national parks and do dispersed camping as well during this trip.

Thank you to anyone that responds to answer my many questions or offers to help plan this trip. It is my first trip on my own (well with a friend) without my parents going with and I just want it to be nice so that I have a good grasp on what I can do better in the future. I am addicted to reddit, so I’ll try to respond to any questions you reply to any suggestions you give. I honestly have no idea where to start. The only road trips I’ve done were to Yellowstone a few times, but that was with my family, a lot higher budget, and we already had a van that fit all of us.