It’s that time of year, the time for planning your next vacation whenever and wherever you get the opportunity, with your spouse, family or friends. While I am fortunate to live within an hour and a half of all of my family, others aren’t so lucky. If you are doing any traveling in the near future, here are 6 road trip essentials you need and why you need them.
Good Music
No road trip can be fun without a good playlist, especially if you are traveling out of state. One thing that I hate about traveling through other states is trying to find other radio stations to listen to. To solve this problem, always create a road trip playlist. Besides a cd, you can create a playlist on Spotify to download and play offline. That way you don’t waste your data. It’s the best!
Car Care
Not only should you have this in your car all the time, but especially when you are traveling. Keep a duffle bag in your car that has jumper cables, flashlight, whistle, pocket knife, fire extinguisher, tow rope, reflectable gear, ice scraper, sand/salt/non-clump liter, etc. These are all great things to keep in your car in case you were to ever get in a snowstorm and need emergency items.
First Aid Kit + Medicine
Whenever you travel, the first thing you should make sure you have is any medication that you take regularly. As someone who suffers from headaches quite regularly, making sure I have a good pain reliever/headache reliever is an absolute must. In addition to your medications, a first aid kit should be in your car. You can pick one up at any drugstore. Also, make sure you have wet wipes and tissues because you never know when you’ll need them.
Entertainment
When you are road tripping for a longer amount of time, think about packing entertainment. Not only will it help make the trip go longer, but it’s a great way to stay alert to help your driver stay awake. Some ideas would include a movie/TV show, book, or magazine. Some other options are trivia cards. Playing games will keep everyone alert.
Beverages + Snacks
No road trip is complete without beverages and snacks. My favorites are coffee in an insulated travel mug so it stays hot longer, water to prevent feeling dehydrated, and travel size snacks such as trail mix, nuts, snack-mix. Whenever I’m feeling bored, having snacks help take my mind off the long drive.
Technology
Things like phone chargers, additional GPS, headphones, and maybe even a camera (such as a DSLR) should be packed as well. Having a dead phone is the absolute worst because you never know when an emergency will arise and you need to use your phone. A separate GPS is also great to have so that you aren’t killing your phone, your data, and can keep things separate. I know my husband prefers a separate GPS rather than using our phones.
