DuckInTheLake,

It sounds like you have plenty of on the road experience.

One thing you did not mention is the quantity of stuff you plan to bring along. I have used minivans (Some of my best memories are from a 1980 road trip in a 1968 volkswagon van) and they are great but I currently use a hatchback and would recommend a small station wagon if you are not taking a lot of stuff.

I have been taking on and off road trips for over thirty years and the majority of the time I sleep in Interstate Rest Areas. This practice is not recommended on this forum for a number of good reasons. Although I can now afford to stay in motels/hotels, I still use rest areas because it is convenient and it is a tradition I don’t want to give up. I try to stay at campgrounds when it is practical. If car camping, you don't have to erect a tent of cook by campfire; just treat the campground space as a parking space. One of the benefits about campgrounds is the number of great people you will meet. I am not totally anti social but I will not generally start a conversation. Plenty of times the people in the nearby campground will notice that I am not setting up a tent or cooking (I am usually reading one of the travel guides I picked up, writing in a journal or filling out postcards) and come over to talk to me and offer to feed me.

You mentioned a few good ideas about privacy and security at rest areas. I use pieces of cardboard, painted black and cut out to fit the inside of the window as screens. Just like a tent, vehicles are very poor insulators against heat and cold. Research the equipment used by backpackers and look at closed-cell foam mattresses and sleeping bags rated for low temperature. Backpacking equipment is actually great for car camping as they are designed for light weight and space spacing.

I try not to stay at rest areas that are near cities, which is easy since most rest areas are not located near cities. I have only felt uncomfortable about three times and it was just a sixth sense feeling about another car/person in the rest area parking lot. In those cases, I recommend that you listen to your intuition and look for another place to stay. Most rest areas are paired with another stop across the Interstate for traffic going the opposite way. I would rather take the time to drive to the other rest stop then to tempt fate. You will encounter undeveloped rest areas along the highway. They might be as simple as a dirt pull out with a metal trash can or a paved area that is also a posted as scenic viewing area. I strongly recommend that you do not sleep at those types of rest areas.

Another option that is gaining popularity is couch surfing. There are internet sites where you can find people that will let you sleep on their couch and generally all they want is to hear tales of your adventure. I also suggest that you research internet and blog sites of bicyclists traveling cross country. They have lots interesting solutions to finding places to stay the night. One group was generally successful in small towns by asking around and getting permission to camp in churchyards and public parks.