How important is it to make reservations at hotels and camping grounds when traveling across country by car?|173024

My best friend and I don_t want to make and keep to a major schedule on our trip. We want to run across gemstones and things and not have to worry about meeting a reservation. So if it is important to make reservations, is there any way to do both?

Wife and I traveled old route 66 from chicago to California. We did not not make a single reservation in advance (ended up in vegas where we did have reservations). We stayed in motels (non-chain) that were reminiscent of the old days. All were clean and comfortable at low price-all less that 40 a night! Meals in the same vein. Good food and plenty of it for less than 7.00 each per meal. Except Oklahoma City they were all in small town USA.

This is the only way to travel and get the true flavor of Americana by meeting the common people who make this country great and at the same time keeping the money away from the cookie cutter motels and fast food joints and putting it in the hands of those who really need.

I can give you more info if you just ask!

It could be a good idea to have reservations so you will know you have a place to sleep.
However, if you have a list of places to stay you can always call them during the day or the day before your stay to make sure they have room for you.
I have been left out in the cold before because I did not plan ahead but waited until bedtime to look for a room.
If you have a general idea as to your route and schedule you could make a reservation for the first night at each stop and then look for another place.

well its always a good idea to have reservations, when I travel across the u.s. with my bff we had reservations no were and we slept in the car most of the time...we ran into the problem of small towns with booked rooms (in summer) or a town with any major event going on...
So yeah reservations are great, make a list of the places you will be going or driving through and look up on google ---name of place hotels/camping grounds---- write there numbers down call and as what they expect business to be like around the day you might show up there....and take the numbers along with you and call them when you are close to them or know that your going to be their on a certain day, make reservations.....Remember you can make reservations and cancel them, ask what there cancellation policy is......
-----if worst comes to worst, sleep in the car, in a rest-stop parking lot, and make sure you lock the doors (lol) and you can put up sheets in the windows (for curtains sun rising at 4am sucks) just put the top of the sheet in the window (with it rolled down) then roll it back up and the sheet is stuck in window (learned this from many days sleeping in the car)

Good luck...try to plan a little bit ahead....google _trip planning_ they have forms and stuff that you can print out that will help

It_s not .
I_ve traveled all over America during the past almost 40 years and I almost never make reservations.The only exception would be if I have zero flexibility regarding when and where I have to be somewhere ....like if I_m going to an out of state wedding
In addition to the local non-chain motels that another poster mentioned there are all of those nice chain motels that you can negotiate prices with after midnight.
I carry on board my vehicle the AAA guidebooks for the areas I_m visiting along with the individual hard copy national guides for every chain motel in America
One thing :If you want to find all of those Mom _ Pop motels you_re gonna have to seek them out on the routes [mostly US highways ] that were used before the Interstate Highway System came into existence
Needless to say ;thoroughly examine all hotel/motel rooms first before you pay for them
Safe trip