At this point, I have not even begun planning this trip, so all the details are still up in the air, but I wanted to throw it out there and see what others thought.
The plan is to buy a new Outback (which I intend to do no matter what) and spend most of a year driving around the country in it. I live in Seattle, so that would be my starting point. I would leave in late August, travel east across the upper part of the states, then spend the first part of fall in New England. When it started getting cold, I would head for the south, and spend the winter travelling around there, then end up in the southwest that spring. I'd get back to Seattle around June. The idea is to experience as much of the country as possible, but I don't need to hit every state along the way. I will have the money saved for gas, food, and some extras, but I would still like to do it as cheaply as possible. I intend to have a mattress in the back, and sleep in the car most of the time, but I would also be open to spending a week or so working for room and board at certain points, just to get a better feel for an area (like a farm in Kansas, for example).
Thoughts, suggestions, advice?