We’ve done a lot of road trips, and I mean A LOT! In my opinion, it is the best way to see anything while your traveling, to get the full experience of your trip. While jumping into a car may seem like a good idea, it does bring some challenges – (storage space, comfort…). Here is a little peek into our car while traveling! If you have already read our article, Packed in a Mustang for 5 Weeks, some of this may be repetitive, but I wanted to elaborate on the subject.
As you already know, our long road trips are typically in my Mustang. We choose to take my car because it already has high mileage, not as new as his Jeep, and it is also better on gas surprisingly! With this comes many space restraints. You have to pack very conscientiously no matter what vehicle you may take, we just have to do it a little more than others.
Shopping for groceries and non-perishables ahead of time will save you loads of money!
We fill the backseat with a cooler and a banana box full of food and water so we don’t have to spend money on expensive snacks at the gas station. The cooler is used just in case we want a cold bottle of water and we also like to have materials to make sandwiches or fruit and the cooler prevents it from going bad. At our hotel stops, we make sure to unload everything from the cooler as well as the ice packs into the mini fridge and freezer to get it cold overnight. We then repack it in the morning and we are good to go! In the banana box, we kept snacks, bread, fruits, toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. Cleaning supplies come in very handy, especially disinfectants and sanitizers. In the backseat we also like to have a blanket and pillow for the passenger to take a nap if needed. I have a whole binder of CD’s from when I was a teenager for those long, boring stretches on the road. Something other than groceries and supplies I like to carry along with me is my travel journal. I keep all my ticket stubs and random things in that journal as well as write down where we go each day. I bought it at Target, but you can easily make your own from a simple notebook.
In case of emergencies:
In the trunk, we have a small suitcase of clothes, sleeping bags and small tent if needed, as well as an emergency road side kit. Be sure to have a spare tire and jack handy, we certainly have had to use it a lot! Having a small tool box and jumper cables is handy as well when your car gives you issues. I like to straighten my hair everyday, so having an adapter that I can use in a cigarette lighter was definitely worth the money! If you don’t think one is needed, at least have a USB car charger handy for your phones and/or cameras. For the sketchy places we would stop at late at night, I like to have a taser in my purse and/or glove compartment. It’s better to be safe! And for the tolls, make sure to carry spare change and small bills.
What I wish we had…
Even though I am telling you how prepared we are sometimes, there are still a few things I would like to make sure we have for our next road trip. Maybe you will want these things, too.
A binder clip for the phone or GPS to go on the dashboard. This way you don’t have to hold your phone or be distracted trying to see where to go. A plastic cereal container would be the perfect trash can! We just use my side door compartments for the time being, which work well for now. For his Jeep, or if you have an SUV, you may be able to see inside your trunk area. Having a trunk cover up would be really nice so you don’t have to worry about your stuff being on display for the world to see!
Enjoy the open road.
If you have these essentials, you should be prepared for your trip on the open road. Don’t get stressed, just have fun and enjoy the sights and wonders the world has to offer to you. Have a wonderful and safe journey. ✌
