So, you’re thinking of heading out on your first-ever road trip? Congrats! Hitting the road for an epic adventure isn’t just exciting, it’s a game-changing way to travel. But if you’ve never spent an extended amount of time on the tarmac, you might be wondering what items to take to keep things running smoothly.
Having experienced a fair few of my own road trips, there are certain items I pack every time and things I wish I had known to pack beforehand.
1) It’s all about tech
Gone are the days of throwing a backpack over your shoulders, jumping in your car and venturing out onto the open road with only a paper map and a pipe dream in hand. While that sounds great in practice, the modern-day road-tripper tends to travel with slightly more precision. After all, with road closures, coma-inducing traffic jams, and spur-of-the-moment itinerary changes, having all the essentials on hand means you can embark on your trip of a lifetime without a hitch.
Downloadable maps
We recently travelled to La Réunion and had a 8-day adventure driving across the island and we did so without an ‘online map’. While it was a new challenge navigating the old-fashioned way, I don’t know why we didn’t remove the stress of getting lost and use an offline map app.
Both Google Maps and Maps.Me allow you to download maps and use them offline. This is something I will 100% be doing on our next adventure and I would recommend you do too.
Power banks
If you’re using your phone for navigation, there’s a good chance you’re going to run out of juice fairly fast. While some cars have in-built charging, leaving your fate in the hands of this is something I’d reserve for the brave. Having come up against a fair few faulty car chargers, I always travel with a nifty power bank. I bought a super cheap one from Amazon and it’s still going strong three years later and is always the first thing I pack, no matter where we’re going.
Spotify downloads
However many playlists you think you’ll need, triple it. Seriously. I cannot express the abject horror of hearing a song for the 50th time and not having enough data or service to do anything about it. If you’re a fellow Brit, don’t count on your data roaming in Europe as very few carriers now include data roaming as part of a standard contract. So save yourself the misery and get your playlists in order before you set off.
Don’t forget your Kindle
If you’re a passenger princess like me, having an abundance of books at your fingertips is a must. As much as I love the authenticity of a paperback, if you’re a fast reader with six hours of driving time to contend with, a Kindle is your best option. We’ve all experienced the heartbreak of running out of books on holiday too, something you never need to worry about with a Kindle. As long as you have internet, that is…
2) Stay fresh on the road with these essential toiletries
There’s nothing quite like sitting in an unconditioned car for several hours, stopping for a quick coffee break and realising that weird smell is coming from you. While there’s no real way to stay 100% fresh while you road trip, you can keep a few handy things close by to help keep the stank at bay.
I always carry hand gel, baby wipes, spray deodorant and a fragrance with me. It doesn’t hurt to have a toothbrush and toothpaste spare, either.
Keep your skin safe with SPF
If you’re travelling somewhere warm, you need suncream. ‘But we’re inside a car!’ I hear you exclaim. Trust me, the number one mistake you can make on a road trip is thinking your car offers you safety from the sun. And there’s nothing worse than hitting the road for hundreds of miles with red-raw skin.
It might be a little OTT but I always start the day putting on suncream as if I’m about to head to the beach. I’ve never had sunburn from a road trip yet, but my husband who scoffs at the notion has. I’ll leave that one with you.
3) Keep the hanger at bay with snacks
Our biggest mistake on a road trip, and one we repeat all too often, is not packing enough snacks. While one appeal of a road trip is stopping at random places and eating a weird array of food that’s incredibly bad for you, what happens if there’s nothing you can actually eat? Or you’re on day four of your itinerary and can’t bear the thought of another burger?
We’ve travelled through Europe and been able to stop along the way quite easily in cute villages with a variety of options. But not all trips are made equally and we’ve also experienced the trials and tribulations of being vegetarians trying to find anything edible driving through New York State. Now we always pack a bag full of tasty treats and fresh fruit, wherever possible.
It’s also a good idea to have lots of extra bottled water. You never know when the next stop is and if you break down, an unfortunate hazard of a road trip, you’ll be thankful that at the very least you know you’ve got plenty of water to keep you going.
4) Learn to roll with the tides
Road trips never go according to plan; it’s part and parcel of the experience. One day you’ll stumble on a cool event or beautiful village you’d not factored into your plans and it ends up being a defining moment of your adventure. Other times, you’ll not be so lucky and a puncture or road closure will waylay your trip and have a knock on effect for the rest of your trip.
It is what it is.
Learning to roll with the punches is essential to enjoying your road trip adventure. As long as you set off with an open mind and understand that, at points, you’ll have to relinquish control, there’s no way you won’t fall in love with this style of travel.
What are your road trip essentials?
Leave a Reply