When going on a road trip, it’s essential that you pack the right stuff. If you don’t plan ahead, you could find yourself having some difficulties while on the road or wishing you had brought something along. To make the most of your trip, here are 6 things that you’ll want to consider bringing before you hit the road.
Plenty to Eat and Drink
To start, you’ll want to make sure you have enough food and drinks stowed away in your vehicle. While it’s sometimes nice to get off the highway and find a place for lunch, many times you just want to keep on driving. So, before you leave, buy some of your favorite snacks and drinks, and put them into a cooler. That way if you get hungry or thirsty as you’re driving along, you can just reach into the backseat without having to pull over, and complete a few more miles of your trip.
Emergency Supplies
The next thing you should think about is what you’ll need in case of an emergency. There are two types of situations you’ll want to think about – emergencies for yourself (or anyone else in the car), and emergencies with your car. Starting with personal emergencies, you’ll want things like a first aid kit within your car. Pack stuff like bandages, some pain relievers, scissors, disinfecting ointment, etc. You never know what might happen on the road, so you’ll want to ensure you’re ready for whatever might happen to you.
The same goes for your car. Make sure you have a spare tire ready to go, or at least a tire patching kit. You should also have a jack and tire iron to remove the flat. Some other good emergency supplies to pack away are a flashlight, some duct tape, a knife, and extra water in case your car overheats. If you have jumper cables, or a portable jump starter, you’ll also want this tucked away as well. Hopefully you won’t need any of this stuff, but if the time comes that you do, you’ll be glad you brought it.
A Great Playlist
What’s a road trip without a good playlist? All those hours on the road are going to get boring if you don’t have something good to listen to. Take some time before you leave to load up your favorite songs onto your phone apps and create some great playlists. Now’s a good time to also explore some new music, or perhaps listen to something you haven’t listen to in a while. Bring plenty of options, because you never know what you might be in the mood for on the road.
But don’t think you’re limited to only music. Road trips are a great time to listen to your favorite podcasts or download a great audio book. Those hours on the road will go by a lot faster if you have an interesting story to listen along to, rather than the same songs you’ve heard a hundred times or someone just talking on the radio. Here is a list of some great podcasts if you need a place to get started.
A Place to Sleep
Often times when you take a road trip you’re forced to stay at some less then ideal hotels or motels along the way. This means you need to not only spend money, but you need to pull off the highway – sometimes far out of the way – and unpack your stuff each time you stop. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could just sleep in your car, but also remain comfortable?
With something like Roofnest Tents, you can do just that. These tents store on top of your car, then pop up easily when you’re ready for bed. Now you can sleep just about anywhere, and all your belongings are right there with you. So, the next time you want to avoid a 1-star motel, instead sleep out in the fresh air from the comfort of the roof of your car.
A Camera
Along the way, you never know what you might encounter – that’s part of the fun of a road trip. When these random unique moments pop up, you’ll want to capture them. Bringing along a decent camera is a great addition to any road trip. By having a camera that is separate from your phone, you don’t have to worry about running out of storage space on your phone, or killing the battery, and you can take some nicer pictures. Find a camera that starts up quickly, has a long battery life, and is easy to carry around. When you’re able to look back on your pictures, you’ll be happy you brought it along.
A Sense of Adventure
Finally, bring your sense of adventure. Don’t look at your road trip as something you need to slog through to reach your destination. The trip can be just as fun as where you’re going, if you approach it with the right attitude. The items above will help you to make the most of it, but if you don’t go into your trip with the right frame of mind, it won’t matter much. So approach your road trip as an adventure, bring the right stuff along with you, and you’re sure to make memories that will last a lifetime.
