Road Trip Packing List

Packing the car for a road trip.

A Road Trip Packing List that includes all the essentials for travel by car.

Road Trip Essentials for the Journey by Automobile.

We've got tons of car trip tips whether you're going to Grandmas house or cross country. Here, you'll find all those packing for a road trip ideas that turn a car trip into happy memories.

Every vacation begins with a list of personal essentials. Click here to go to our all inclusive packing list.

Get Organized - Here's a list of all the things that need to be done when you'll be leaving on a road trip. Preparing your residence trip planning, vehicle maintenance, making appointments, securing travel documents.
Here you'll find tips and lists for every step.

I always feel a little thrum of excitement when everything on our road trip packing list is checked off and we're about to embark on the journey.

Pillows and blankets stowed on the back seat, the cooler within easy reach and our favourite traveling tunes making the trip with us.

There's no denying that air travel is faster but it's hard to smell the flowers or dangle your feet in crystal pools of branch water from 30,000 feet in the air. When we travel by car it's about the journey as much as the destination.

Once you've got your personal gear Check the vehicle and pack any of the following emergency items that aren't already on board.

Road Trip Packing List ~ Vehicle Emergency Kit

• Flashlight, roadside signal flares or reflective cones/warning signs
• First aid kit.
• Booster cables, vise grips, 3/8ths drive socket set, set of combination wrenches, crescent wrench, multiple tip screwdriver.
• Gallon jug of water.
• Extra washer fluid, oil, transmission oil, brake fluid.
• Rags, workshop towels, old blanket.
• Gloves, coveralls.
• Spare belts (alternator, fan and air conditioner belts)
• Folding shovel.
• Candle, warm clothes, heavy blanket (for winter travel).
• Non perishable food and drinking water.

On lengthy trips it's nice to have a cooler of easy to eat snacks and cold drinks (or thermoses of hot tea, cocoa or soup)

Here are some suggestions for packing a cooler. Add or subtract items according to what you and your companions like.

Road Trip Packing List ~ Cooler

• juice boxes, soft drinks, water
• cheese
• grapes, watermelon, oranges, pineapple (cut up and ready to eat)
• sliced meat
• hard boiled eggs (make some into egg salad)
• butter, marg, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc.
• carrot sticks, celery, cucumber
• olives, pickles, etc.

We like to keep fruit and vegetables in zip lock bags cut up and ready to eat. Toothpicks make handy tools for eating chunky stuff.

Zip lock bags fit nicely into a cooler and shrink as the food is consumed. That leaves more room for cold drinks and fresh snacks you purchase along the way.

You might also want to pack some non cooler food items

No road trip packing list is complete without Big Green Garbage Bags. Keep a few in your vehicle (safely stowed away from children) for ~ trash bags, rain gear, treasure holders, ties and slings for first aid, wet or soiled clothing...

• smoked oysters
• french bread
• crackers
• nuts, chips, pretzels, cheezies, etc.

Throw in a butter knife, sharp knife, corkscrew, (a swiss army knife incorporates several necessary items) napkins, toothpicks, small cutting board, paper plates and bowls and maybe a go cup for each traveler and you're set.

Bring your favourite music cd's, ipod or a satellite radio for times when radio signals are out of range.

If it will take more than one day to reach your destination, pack a separate overnight bag with travel outfits, bathing suit, night clothes, medications and toiletries. It'll keep things neater if you don't have to root through your carefully packed luggage for a one night stop.

Visitors to our Road Trip Packing List page may also be interested in the following pages

RV Packing List
Vacation Packing Checklists