As a traveling mommy and a motorist, when the road trips come about there needs to checks done not only is our vehicle is prepared for a long drive, but we also have the right equipment for the perfect family road trip. There are definitely essentials that we need to consider in relation to both general safety and making the journey comfortable for everyone.
Photo by Paula May on Unsplash
These items are a must whether you’re driving your car or a rental. Taking yourself and your family on long journeys will need to be planned out, and don’t leave without having these road trip car essentials.
Table of Contents
General Car Items
- Driver’s License
- International Driver’s License
- Car Registration and Insurance Information
- Extra Car Key that is not on the same key ring
- The account information to your Roadside Assistance
- A Spare Tire or tire refill and tools needed to change a flat
- Other safety equipment such as a flashlight, water, and first aid kit
- Get the car serviced
With the car covered, what else is needed to ensure that the whole family can travel in complete comfort? A lot will depend on the destination and activities you all will enjoy, but here we will discuss some of the essential items that are generally needed.
Ideal Packing List For Families
Times have certainly changed when it comes to what we now need to consider packing for a simple family road trip. No longer can we pick up our boots and map and set. This doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, though. It merely means that we have a few more considerations to make when it comes to what to pack.
Mums and dads should start with the most important things first, such as the essential of having a comfortable car seat for kids, especially suited for their age, such as the seat in this Graco 4ever DLX review. Not only does it put your mind at rest, having a comfortable and safe seat for your children, but it is also a legal requirement. If you’re a mummy planning on going overseas and renting a car, it’s also worth researching the availability and pre-booking car seats for any vehicles you hire. A decent car seat organizer should also be considered vital as they are particularly handy if you travel a lot and often. They allow your children to store all their stuff in one place and will save you lots of frustrations and pestering on longer journeys.
- Other Top Priorities That Are Good To Take
- First Aid kit
- Ice spray and cold packs
- Band-aids
- Disinfectant, which is also antiseptic for wound treatment
- Painkiller medicine (for kids and adults)
- Mosquito and other bug repellents
- Sunscreen lotion depends on skin type, it’s always worth checking ingredients in case of allergies
- A Mobile device such as a smartphone and charger
- Most modern smartphones come with GPS. Get the updated maps of the area where you will be road-tripping
- Again, most modern smartphones have top-camera gear
- Spare batteries or a charger bank for the car
- Duffel Bag per member
- Rain jackets and a change of clothes
- Quick-drying microfiber towels
- Personal items
- Day Backpack With Rain Cover
- Basic Survival Kit
- Swiss army knife
- Flashlight
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Entertainment
For any long family road trip, it’s essential to have an entertainment plan in place. What you decide to include is going to depend on each family and factors such as age and interests may influence the items you pack. Here are a few to consider:
- A Creational Box
- Books and coloring books with crayons, pencils, and pens.
- Road-trip games and books,
- Travel Checklist on the road, eye spy, and others
- Magnetic board games.
- There are many available, and you can get versions of chess, scrabble, and even mini-snakes and ladders.
- Baby Bag
- Nappies, Wipes, Creams, Prepared Milk/Expressed Milk, Pacifier. It’s best to make sure you have everything you would need for at least one day, and you can stock at each night stay over.
- Sickness bags and an easy-to-access clean pack of clothes for the little ones.
- It’s also useful to have items such as sickness bands and ginger biscuits to help with travel sickness.
- Ball or a frisbee.
- If you have some space in the car, it’s worth including items like these. On long road trips, you tend to make regular stopovers, so having an activity to help stretch your legs comes in handy.
Eating And Drinking
Obviously, space is limited to a degree when it comes to packing food and drink, but you want to make sure that you at least pack essential food for inside the car and then ideally, pack a cooler for when you stop over. It’s a good idea to make sure you have a heavy-duty, leak-proof, and tested cooler; you can then restock this along your way at the local grocery store. You should consider packing items such as:
- Drinks
- Some for inside the car and some packed away in the cooler to keep them fresh. Make sure you have water as an essential if you’re packing sugary drinks too.
- Snacks
- You can pack snacks such as crisps, healthy nuts, seeds, and energy bars within the car and then keep fruits and chopped veggies in the cooler.
- Sandwiches
- It’s always a good idea to pack some sandwiches for any pitstops you make, services can often be costly, and you’re probably not going to want to dine in a restaurant at every stop. These can also be restocked for the next day’s trip.
- Reusable water bottles.
- It’s a good idea to get into the practice of packing a reusable water bottle per family member. In most places in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and even Europe you can easily refill water bottles with tap water. The best bit is it’s completely free.
As you can see, there is a fair bit to consider when it comes to packing the car ready for a family road trip; however, it is most definitely worth it. Every family is going to have different items they want and need to take and varied itineraries to follow. Hopefully, this essential list will help you on the right track for what to consider.
Is there anything that should be on this list that isn’t? Please share any hints and tips of your own in the comments section below.
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