Jesper, congrats.
You seem to have the right approach to planning, enough drive, and the right attitude to make your trip a truly memorable one, whichever choice you make. Plan well, but once here, don't get so wrapped up in all the details that you forget to enjoy yourself. The first chase trip I made to the plains was a bust as far as tornados go, but my siblings and I had such a blast on this glorified "road trip" that we were at once hooked and have returned yearly for the past four years with increasing success.
On that note, it might be wise to research many possible non-chase sites of interest, especially if you choose to go it alone. There will surely be at least a few days of little to no significant storm activity, and you could spend the day seeing something interesting instead of sitting around a hotel room, waiting for the next best shot or burning fuel senselessly. In our trips we have made stops in Dodge City, Kansas, Rosswell, New Mexico, Devil's Tower, Wyoming, the Black Hills & the Badlands of South Dakota, as well as a few random fishing adventures along the way.
You also should be prepared for lots of road construction, especially the roads you just happen to rely on in route to the cell you want to chase - happens all the time
Or more seriously, the roads you choose to rely on as your safety escape route, should you get caught in harms way. Be careful.
Also, you might be able to save significantly on hotels/motels by picking up coupon/travel circulars at truck stops and convenience stores. Many chains run coupon ads for specific towns at significant discounts to help fill empty rooms during slower months. We have often saved nearly 50% off the standard advertised rates. Just pick up coupon books at fuel/food stops and set them aside until you begin to wrap up the chase day. Then browse the books for the towns nearest your current position to try to locate a steal.
If you do decide to chase on your own, get the equipment as early as possible to work out the kinks and learn to use and customize the features. I would also recommend training your fellow travelers to use some of the equipment, so you can be free at least some of the time to observe the sky, road, sites, etc. Division of responsibility can prove not only freeing, but crucial when timing becomes an issue. I much prefer chasing with my siblings to chasing alone. The driver can focus on traffic and the road while other pairs of eyes stay focused on the skies, laptop, radio settings, cell phones, camcorders, etc. And for laptops, cameras, cell phones, Threatnet, etc. it is smart to install a power inverter to power equipment from the vehicle's battery and charge batteries for mobile use. I use two in my vehicle with power strip to run virtually everything.
I hope this is helpful and not too redundant of other replies. I wish you the very best of luck, safety, and enough success to make you return often to fuel the addiction.
