Unreal,
There's more than one answer to your question, of course. I don't use kneeboards unless I'm in a cockpit where both hands are tied up most of the time and things are likely to be flying around. Then I do use a kneeboard with a small three ring attachment and jepp sheet protectors to hold checklists, charts, etc.
Nothing wrong with a kneeboard if you can find one that works for you. Be sure it won't bind the controls when you're sitting down...a common problem in a lot of aircraft.
Otherwise, a clipboard works well; something you can balance across both knees. A yoke clip for charts is a plus; something to put the chart closer to your field of view when you're flying an approach or a proceedure. If you're in a side by side seating arrangement, you can place your things in the adjacent seat and grab what you need when you need it.
Even when traveling long distances VFR, I've always been an advocate of carrying IFR charts, both for extra information and for flexibility. For the VFR-only pilot, it also provides sector ATC information and MEA's. The sector frequencies are handy in the event of a forced landing, for contacting traffic overhead. In this case, you said you'll be going VFR, so I'll add the opposite advice. Especially when you'll be making the trip at lower light airplane altitudes, take a set of VFR charts along. For a longer trip, they can be WAC's, but sectionals are always nice. Your instructor probably never told you this, but a road atlas can be a godsend, too. Especially for crossing mountainous terrain, as the main highways usually follow the lowest terrain and some of the better routing to transit the high terrain.
Bind the enroutes, VFR WACs, and Sectionals in alphabetic order, with rubber bands. Pull out only the charts you need at any given time. Keep your terminal proceedures together and only pull out the ones you need at any given time. Get them out well in advance and look them over; you've got lots of time during the enroute portions. When you're done with charts, put them away. Don't let them build up or get mixed up, or soon enough charts start disappearing. Nothing like finding your proceedures after you're on the ground.
A really handy cross country planner is fltplan.com. Give it a whirl; you can print everything you need at each stop, or beforehand, including flight logs with the winds appended, wind matrix charts, and other handy dandy high speed products in one packet to go on your clipboard. Makes organization even easier. If you carry a little backpack of other small bag, belt it into the seat next to you, put everything in there, and pull things out as you need them.
Whenever traveling in a light airplane, I've found that a Flght Guide is a very handy device. There are three of them, East, Central, and Western. They're about thirty bucks each, and have what the AFD has, but with more diagrams, hotel information, etc. In the summer when I'm buzzing around and my hands are tied up, I keep them on the knee board on the plastic pages, all the airports I'm likely to use, for a quick reference, along with tac frequency tables, etc. Saves a lot of work.
Another three things you ought to have for a long trip (aside from an E6B...which I still frequently drag around, even in the jet): a water bottle (and some spares in case you have to set down where there isn't any), snacks, and a relief bottle. In your travel bag, especially if you're heading west, a signal mirror, a warm jacket, fire starting materials, some good gloves, a reflective blanket, and a tube tent are a good idea. These can be stored in a small shaving pouch or magazine pouch, but may become very important to you if you need them.
Fly safe.
