17 Road Trip Tips: Essentials to Pack No Matter How Far

Here are travel tips from my road trip with the essentials to pack in your car and bags. #roadtrips #traveltipsandtricks

Here are my road trip essentials:

Chapters
00:00 Road trip tips for essentials to pack
00:19 Pack bluetooth speaker
00:25 Pack hat
1:17 Pack some essentials inside the car
2:04 Pack medical kit
3:03 Travel hack for road trip
4:36 Road trip hacks
5:10 Tote bag essentials
6:15 What to wear during road trip
7:27 Pack trash bags
8:20 Things to pack for car
12:54 Road trip must-haves

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Instagram: @TravelTipsByLaurie (My former channel name was LauriePOP Ideas That POP, but now I produce travel tip videos only)

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[TravelTipsbyLaurie]

Tap here for the mentioned road trip essentials:

[mummers]

We use an emptied dishwasher detergent pod container, lined with a plastic bag for garbage. It has a flap opening that snaps closed. Free container!

[lisalu]

I'm a Road Warrior veteran, having taken some seriously long road trips of 1000-1200+ miles (from Georgia to Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Canada, Utah, California, etc.) You've found some great organizer gadgets for the car, which I love! But also, the thing to remember is that there is always a Walmart if you need something. And you'll regularly be stopping at gas stations where you can grab water, snacks, OTC meds, magazines or whatever. You don't need to stress over remembering every little thing on a road trip, and you don't have to worry about maximizing space and weight like with air travel. My personal Number One tip is to pack a separate small overnight bag and place it where you can easily get it out of the car (not under everything else) so when you stop at a hotel for the night - exhausted after a 12 hour day on the road - you can grab just what you need, and not lug in your big suitcase. And I have another bag with all the electronics - laptop, ipad, chargers, etc - ready to grab, because I'll want to take that in the hotel as well.

[ladyr]

We do a lot of road trips and always take a black twin-sized sheet in the car. At hotels we take our overnight luggage and electronics in the room with us, and whatever gets left in the car gets covered with the sheet. I feel better knowing that peering eyes can’t see anything in there.

On road trips in the winter with the heat on for hours, the air gets so dry and we usually end up with sore throats and stuffy noses. What was really helpful was a small portable travel humidifier that fits in the cup holder and uses a USB charging cord.

[erinsheppard]

I do a lot of solo road trips, and one thing I started doing is using a three-compartment kitchen organizer in the front passenger seat for various items I need for the trip. I’ll bring a giant bottle of hand sanitizer in one of the compartments, a water bottle in another, and usually my cell phone chills in the third. I also have a small $10 Coleman cooler which hangs out on the floor which I pack with turkey sandwiches so I don’t have to worry about finding restaurants along the road, and usually just stop at the rest stops along the freeway when I need a break.

[verlenelewis]

I always make sure to put a couple gallons of water in the trunk for emergencies. I live in the Southwest USA deserts so it is a necessity, especially if you break down.

[katiannb.]

Just a reminder to be aware of your neighbors when using your speakers. Someone next door may not appreciate the noise pollution.

[mikaem]

Not necessarily a packing tip but one thing I have found extremely helpful is creating a couple different types of road trip playlist. One that would be your normal road trip music and at least one more that has something calming (but not sleep inducing). It can be really helpful when driving in an unfamiliar area when you happen to run into bad weather or have to drive on that narrow curvy road up a hill.

[mayragarcia]

We just came back from Big Bend National Park.
Saving little condiments (ketchup, mustard, Mayo, pepper, etc) in a ziploc bag and bringing them to the road trip was actually great. We to be able to cook at the rental house without having to bring full size condiments.

[seankayoden]

When we are starting early in morning, we boil eggs the day before, peel them and add salt if wanted. Then we put them in snack sized zip lock bag and put in small cooler with cold drinks. So easy for breakfast on the road.

[suzannegabrielle]

On our road trips, I pack our windbreakers, rain ponchos, and sweatshirts, baseball caps in a large packing cube.(Ours is hot pink so you can't miss it!) I also toss in sunscreen, bug spray, mini medical kit. We don't put it in a suitcase or tote, but keep it on its own at the top of the trunk where it's easily accessible. That way if the weather changes when we make a stop or we want to hike, etc. whatever we need is right there and we don't have to go digging in a bag for what we need.

[martha]

Laurie you can get DOUBLE usb charger that plugs into cigarette lighter to charge both your phones, Apple Watch or whatever.
We bought extra to pack when we fly and rent a car so it’s always available and don’t have to take out of my car.

[betsydoc]

Regarding your pillowcase, I take my own pillow brightly colored or patterned case, so I don’t accidentally leave it behind in a hotel, and housekeeping doesn’t change it out as one of theirs.

[dc]

For a road trip I always take a cooler and lots of baggies. I pack water and snacks when I leave home. I can save leftovers of a road-trip meal for later and/or buy pastries or chocolates to bring home. Plus be ready for an impromptu picnic at a scenic spot. Love your tips and used tonight’s video as a checklist for my upcoming road trip. ✅✅

[shellykzookzoo]

Couple things I do for road trips. I pack 2 camp chairs in my car’s trunk because you never know when you might need a comfy chair to sit in. In a hotel room those chairs are great for watching TV or a movie. If you stop on the side of the road, you have a chair you can sit in. Amazon has this neat car accessory, it attaches to the two front seats and is like having a counter to place a purse or other things you want out of the way but in reach. My Kleenex box is stored there. I keep a small cooler in the back seat which I keep pop (some call it soda…) and a few snacks. If I pick up any treats to bring home, I put them in the cooler. Love a good road trip! Also a styrofoam cooler is a great place to hide anything valuable in your car if you stop for food.

[lisaatp]

I use a Kindle for reading so it has a dimmable light (great for reading if your partner is sleeping!) … also great for travel because you can bring as many books as you want without taking up much space. BUT I DO have one of those reading lights I use for knitting when I’m somewhere without good lighting!

[Rye_Toast]

One thing I like to pack for road trips is a UPF50 wrap and some binder clips because I can drape them across the side window if I'm unlucky enough to be on the sunny side of the car, between the binder clips and the windows I can wedge the thin wrap to cover the window and give me some relief. I only do this for highway driving and if the road isn't too crowded and if I'm the passenger, obviously. UPF50 clothing, hats, and gear in general are what I always have on hand! My partner was so impressed with how I didn't burn (or complain about burning) during an all day boat trip that he went out and got a few lightweight UPF hoodies that he now takes out on the boat.

[kenbrown]

some of my road trip hacks: my wife's car has a door pocket that works well for holding two 20 ounce bottles, down by my legs, so when she is hogging the cupholders; I can still have a drink if I buy it in a 20 ounce bottle. as a guy with 42 different keys in daily use, I have my keys separated into categories on individual rings, so on a road trip, I can easily separate out the bulk of the keys to leave at home. if you schedule lunch stops by location, it tends to result in you making a lunch stop at noon, and another lunch stop when you hit the scheduled lunch stop location. (whichever order you hit those two benchmarks) if you do have an itinerary of stops to make, you can put them in your phone calendar with the address, and that makes it easy to get the location to put into your satnag system. if your wife is arguing with the satnag and you end up changing out of your turn lane and then having to push back in, point at the passenger seat. other male drivers will understand. and when your wife is napping between stops, the satnag gives you someone to talk to you while you drive. also, when your wife is doing strange things during the dogs' feeding time, consider running away to a monastery, because NOTHING you do will be right.

[lisamerriman]

We overpack for road trips too… because we CAN! There’s room in the car. Loved this addition to your usual flying related videos!

[lamieannacosta]

I have a Masters in overpacking!!
Summer and winter themed road trips. It drives my husband crazy! Instant satisfaction to be prepared!