9 Things You Need in Your Car: Summer Road Trip

I love road trips. If you’ve been following my blog for awhile now, then you may have read about it somewhere. I pride myself for being a self-proclaimed road trip expert. Haha. But seriously though, we’ve traveled the road from East Coast to Texas to West Coast and back several times that I’ve lost count. I love the experience road trip offers compared to traveling by air. Of course, it’s different when you have a time constraint. But if time wasn’t an object, I’d choose road trip any day.

Sure, road trips can be tiring, time-consuming, and anxiety-inducing when you can’t find the next gas station and you’re running low on fuel (but there’s a solution for that). For some, it can be daunting. But I promise you, it’s totally worth it. It allows you to see more of the world and enjoy amazing views. You get a feel of what different towns and cities are like. Plus, you’ll be able to stop at as many popular tourist spots, and unexpected and hidden gems you want along the way. Because you know what they say about traveling? Sometimes, it’s not about the destination but the journey.

Well that was a pretty long intro, I apologize. But I’m actually here to talk to you about summer road trips and what you need to bring with you in the car. While we fashion addicts think about which outfits to pack in our suitcases, we should also be thinking about what to bring with us in the car. So I compiled a list of things to pack for traveling on the road below. If you are planning a road trip soon, I hope this proves to be helpful.

9 Things You Need in Your Car: Summer Road Trip

1. Roadside Emergency Kit Basic Car Tools (if you or someone else going with you is mechanically inclined) – always bring an emergency kit for road trips. You can buy it at most retailers and comes with a reflective triangle, flares, jumper cable set, flash light, air compressor, first aid kit, etc.. Make sure the car’s spare tire and jack is in place. To prepare your car for a road trip, always look at these 3 things: tire pressure, radiator coolant level, and engine oil level. Use a tire pressure gauge to know your tire pressure. To find out the correct pressure for your car, check your car’s manual. This info is also usually by the side of the driver’s door. If you know nothing about cars, make sure you have your roadside assistance/auto insurance number handy.
2. Snacks, drinks, medicines, first aid kit – keep the driver and passengers awake and happy with their favorite snacks. Don’t forget to stay hydrated too. I always bring a water jug if it’s a long drive. Energy drinks are also a must during road trips. Read more about this in my 10 Road Trip Essentials article.
3. Gadgets – think of your favorite tech gadgets to keep you company, along with the necessary batteries and chargers. Find out my 8 must-have gadgets for travel in this post.
4. Toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizers, wipes, trash bags, towels – things can get pretty messy on the road. If you’ve got kids, you know how that goes. Be prepared and have paper towels and wipes to clean up messes, towels for even bigger messes. It will also come in handy if you happen to stop by a rest area without supplies. I also roll up grocery bags and insert them in the glove box and sides of the doors, so you can easily reach out for one if you need to.
5. Blankets and neck pillows (or any kind of pillows) – you’ll never know when you need a blanket as a window shade, ground cover, or just to warm you up. You can also use it as a changing pad if you’d like. While I personally bring these during fall/winter trips, you’ll never know when you get a chilly summer night. It will also keep warm the passengers who get easily cold.
6. Lip balm, lotion, sunblock, insect repellent – traveling can be dehydrating. Whether I travel by air or land, I know I get dehydrated a lot. My skin and lips get dry. So always keep lip balms and lotions in the car, aside from what you have in your bag. Sunblock and insect repellent come handy at rest stops and picnic areas.
7. Cash, coins (quarters) – on a day to day basis, I rarely have cash in my wallet… maybe a 20 dollar bill, that’s it. I rely on my cards because we maximize the rewards and perks from those. But for traveling? Make sure you have enough cash and coins for toll ways, parking, food stops (in case they only take cash), and have some extra in case of emergencies. Power outages also take out ATM machines.
8. Seasonal items – since we’re talking about summer road trips, battery-powered fan and hats may come in handy. It will be different for different seasons. Like if you’re traveling during winter time, it’s best to have a small shovel or ice/snow scraper, cat litter (this works like sand in case you are trapped in a snow/ice filled parking spot), and hand/foot warmers. When it’s rainy season, keep umbrellas and some rain ponchos in the car.
9. Survival kit – okay, so this is only for when you’re going somewhere remote. If you love the great outdoors and plan to go hiking or camping, then you may need a survival kit. For whatever reason, knock on wood, having a survival kit may be useful. I’d include a duct tape, multi-purpose knife, paracord/rope, light sticks, maps, flash lights, emergency radio, waterproof matches, and binoculars just to name a few.

*Note that I didn’t include here what you would have already packed in your suitcase like toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.), extra clothes, laundry bags, walking shoes, etc.

Now you’re probably wondering, where do I keep all of those things? It’s simple. For drinks, I take a small cooler with us on long drives and keep it within hand’s reach. I normally place it behind the center console. If you’re packed and have babies or kids in car seats, then the leg room in front of them would be an open spot perfect for a small cooler.

For snacks, I have a bag on the front passenger floor. That way, whoever is sitting shotgun can easily offer the driver snacks to keep the driver alert and awake. I also put packaged snacks in the compartments behind the seats or by the doors so everyone can grab what they want when they feel like it. Same goes for sanitizing items like hand gels, wipes, paper towels and trash bags. I keep them in compartments and doors next to packaged snacks so you can easily clean up after eating.

Now how to keep the rest in an organized way and without taking too much space in the trunk? I’ve been looking for a large utility tote that will solve that problem for quite some time now. It’s a mess in the trunk when we’re traveling. There’s just too many smaller bags of all sorts of things that make it hard to organize the trunk and make everything fit. This is especially true when you’re moving and you’ve got all sorts of small bags falling off when you pop open the trunk. So when I found out about Thirty One Gifts, I knew it was going to solve my road trip packing problems.

This large utility tote holds all of my roadside emergency kit, first aid kit, trash bags, blankets, towels, and even a neck pillow. And it still has plenty of room inside for other travel essentials. But I use it not just for road trips, it has also become a handy tote for grocery shopping at warehouse clubs where there aren’t any paper or plastic bags.

It can easily hold all of my veggies, fruits, meats and bread in there. See?

The size of the large utility tote is approximately 11.75″H x 21.5″W x 10″D.

But for traveling, it has definitely solved my road trip packing woes. I also love the top-a-tote lid to keep everything safe and secure from spilling out, and the clear lid makes it easy to spot things.

If you’re like me who loves to keep things neat and organized, even in their cars, I highly recommend the Thirty One Gifts large utility tote. It’s also a perfect gift for someone who has everything. You know those times when you have no idea what to give to a friend or family member? This one is perfect! It comes in 20 prints with plain ones for the guys too. You can even personalize it with some monogrammed initials, letter, or their name. Check out Thirty One Gifts’ website at www.thirtyonegifts.com to see more prints and more gift ideas.

Disclosure: I received this personalized Thirty One Gifts large utility tote with the top-a-tote lid for free. However, all opinions are my own.

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