Lighting is a really big subject on its own. I use 2 Planet Bike Super Flash rear lights and a Dyno light on the front. Having lights on my bike really opened things up for me, I don't have to race the sun any more. A lot of people seem enamored with the Magicshine lights from Geoman. As far as higher quality lights, Dinotte is the gold standard for battery powered lights. Either way, you probably want to have a secondary backup light in the front, a lot of people I know use the Planet Bike Blaze for that. You also need to stress test your lights to some degree, it would be bad to ruin a long trip due to lights.
I've always thought that leaving at 4 AM or so is a good plan. At least you haven't messed up the first night's sleep.