AD | “Get your motor runnin’, Head out on the highway, Looking for adventure, In whatever comes our way…” If a 5 star experience in a luxury villa, a cosy getaway in a B&B, or an at-one-with-nature camping trip isn’t for you, have you ever considered a road trip? Every holiday requires a degree of planning, but if the lure of the open road and an ever changing view beckons, then here’s a handy road trip checklist with 45 of the most popular essentials to help you make the most of your next adventure.
The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist – What Not To Forget
What are road trip essentials? It’s worth defining this because it’s not only about what to pack for a road trip. It’s also about getting your vehicle of choice fit and ready too. Whether you opt for a car, motorcycle, or caravan, you need to make sure it’s roadworthy and equipped for secure cargo storage on the move.
10 Road Trip Essentials for Your Car, Motorcycle, RV
Get your vehicle serviced. Or if you do it yourself, check your oil, battery, washer fluid, air con, brakes, lights, and tyres before you set off. If you can’t carry a spare tyre (or spare tire for my American readers) then consider buying a puncture repair kit*.
You should also carry your driver’s licence, vehicle manual, and a copy of your car, caravan or bike insurance documents with you.
Packing For A Road Trip – 3 Food and Drink Items
It’s not just your vehicle that needs fuel for your road trips, you do too. But rather than buying high sugar snack bars, why not have a go at making your own road trip food? Think energy bars made with oats, liberally coated in nuts and seeds. Accompanied by your favourite vegetable crudites with some hummus, followed by a healthy fruit salad.
And of course, it’s really important to stay hydrated when you’re travelling, so a sturdy, reusable water bottle is a must on your road trip checklist.
Lastly, while we’re looking at food and drink, remember to bring some plastic bags for your food (such as zip lock freezer bags) and some plastic bags to tidy away any rubbish.
5 Road Trip Packing List Essentials – Clothes
Whether you’re taking a Summer road trip or a Winter road trip, you’re going to need some spare clothes. If you’re going in a car or RV then you’ll have more room, whereas when you’re travelling by motorcycle, you need to be very clear on what you really need. Top road trip tip: rolling your clothes instead of folding them takes up less space and prevents your clothes from wrinkling.
Here are some things to bring on a road trip: lightweight layers, spare underwear, comfortable walking shoes, a good all-weather jacket, and some sunglasses for the ultimate carefree holiday vibe (and to protect your eyes too, of course).
Packing List For A Road Trip – 7 Useful Toiletries
Again, this road trip checklist will very much depend on what vehicle you’re travelling in and how much room you have but I’d strongly recommend including at least some of these toiletries. Bug spray* (unless you like getting bitten). Toilet roll and wet wipes. Sunscreen, because even in Winter you need sun protection. Toothpaste and deodorant for freshening up. A microfibre towel*, which not only takes up less space but is super quick to dry.
20 Road Trip Necessities That Aren’t Clothes, Food, or Toiletries
This last category lumps together lots of different must-have road trip accessories. First up, it’s important to plan ahead and create your road trip itineraries. Relying on Google Maps is all very well but (speaking from experience) one of my best travel tips is to print out paper maps as well.
Next up on your road trip packing list is a travel First Aid Kit*, which ought to contain the basics such as bandages, pain relief, allergy medication, and any prescriptions you might need.
If you don’t have a paid roadside assistance membership, think about creating an emergency kit for your car/RV/bike. Jump leads being the most essential item, along with that puncture repair kit I referred to earlier, and some waterproof duct tape*, which is just BOUND to come in useful. Lastly, two travel necessities I swear by, a Swiss army knife*, and a torch (or use your phone’s built-in torch).
I mentioned not relying on Google Maps because you may not always be in an area with good WiFi. So consider investing in a portable WiFi router*, and don’t forget your phone charger either – you don’t want to miss taking that perfect holiday photo or video because you’ve run out of battery. Or be unable to make an emergency call in a crisis.
No family road trip checklist would be complete without including some entertainment for the kids – travel games and books are always good options. And a notebook and pen for them to note down their favourite experiences as they’ll have plenty of free time. Pack some chewing gum for easy breath freshening, and a blanket for them to snuggle up under when they get tired too.
COVID-19 may have made us much more reliant on cards but it’s still a good idea to take a little cash as well, just in case. And a fold-up shopping bag for your groceries, souvenirs, and anything else you might have to carry.
Last but not least, the most important item on your road trip checklist, a copy of your travel insurance* documents. Because whether you’re travelling abroad or at home, it’s simply a false economy to holiday without travel insurance, don’t you think?
So, there you have it, 45 popular essentials on any checklist for a road trip. Do you agree with what I’ve suggested packing for your next road trip, and what to bring in order to make the most out of your time on the open roads? What would you put on your road trip checklist before setting out? If you’re looking for any further encouragement and inspiration for your own adventure, do check out these fabulous road trip quotes. And finally, a big thank you to Steppenwolf because, to date, no-one has expressed the freedom and road trip vibe better.
* This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links – please see my Disclaimer.
I would love to go on a road trip! Hoping to go on one around Scotland in a wee van in the not too distant future! This list is so helpful – having a portable wifi router is such a good idea, that I don’t think I would have thought of!
Thank you, Emily – and good luck with your road trip around Scotland, such stunning scenery on both coasts!
Thanks for sharing, these road trip tips, also don’t forget to take any medication that you take!
Absolutely, taking your prescriptions is key for a happy holiday!
These are great ideas, I think parents would need the assistance membership. I didn’t think about printing a map. But thinking about it, we might lose the internet and that would be very helpful. Thank you for sharing <3
Losing WiFi has happened to me so that’s why I always print out a paper map as well – once bitten and all that!
I love road trips and this checklist is helpful.
Thank you, Jamie, that’s good to hear.
These are some really important things to have on a road trip. Having snacks and drinks is always important, as me and my partner got caught in a huge traffic jam after a broken down vehicle and we were there for ages with no drink or food, it was not nice! These are other good suggestions. Thank you for sharing Lisa.
Lauren x
Oh no, so sorry to hear that, Lauren! I guess having Flora (who is always hungry) has taught me not to leave home without snacks and a drink, haha! x
These are good tips to plan a road trip. You need to finalise things to bring at least two weeks in advance. That’s what I believe.
Thank you, Fadima, and yes, I agree, planning in advance makes travelling far less stressful.
Your list is great you covered everything! My ex and I bought a truck bed camper that we were fixing up last summer and we got a lot don’t buy then we broke up because he moved to Georgia. I could not live without portable Wi-Fi hah.
Oh no, sorry to hear about the break up! I hope you got to keep the truck bed camper though, for future road trips!
Great post! I am glad you included links to give me some ideas on what I could get!
Thank you, I’m very glad it was helpful 🙂
Great tips! I’ve only done one road trip and it was a “quick” two and a half day adventure. We drove 14 hours to an amusement park and then drove back lol It was very sporadic and not much planning involved. If we ever do another we’ll definitely need to pack a lot better!
14 hours drive without any pre-planning? Wow, you are far more intrepid than I will ever be, haha!
I think I’ve just been tempted to take a road trip! What a fantastic checklist. Without it, I definitely would not have thought about insurance documents. It’s essentials like paperwork that could save so much hassle – and make the trip hassle-free.
Oh my goodness, that’s wonderful to hear,thank you, Belinda! I only hope I haven’t forgotten anything that would spoil your first road trip!
I’ve only done a road trip once or twice and I must admit, I realised I had a few things back at home. I had no idea what to pack, also I packed at the last minute. I should probably take these down so I don’t forget or just come back here when I go to another road trip. The wifi and toiletries, very important!
I think packing for a road trip is very different from a normal holiday when you tend to stay in one place. Glad this list was helpful though!
I’ve never been on a real roadtrip, and I really wanna take my kids on one, some day. So I’m definitely gonna checkout all your links to get an idea about how to do it 🙂
Amazing, I’m so pleased the list is helpful – good luck on your first road trip!
You’ve shared some really great checklist items! I wouldn’t have thought of half of these so this really will come in handy when I next go on a road trip. Thank you so much for sharing todays post with us lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Thank you, Elle, that’s really good to hear, I’m very pleased it’s been helpful 🙂
Amazing list! I’d love to go on a road trip, I’ve never done one before. Carl and I would love to do the NC500 in his sports car!
Oh wow, that sounds like a road trip of a lifetime, Jenny!
Cash is vital as it seems we always need a few coins for parking. It would be absurd to pay for parking in a village with the card and, even more, it might not be an option.
You gave lots of very good ideas.
Thank you, Anca, and yes, you’re right about the parking – we found that when we were in Cornwall, for example.
It’s time to plan a road trip! They are so much fun and best enjoyed when well planned. Thanks for giving me the idea 🙂
You’re welcome, Jenni, I will look forward to hearing ALL about it, with photos too!
A really helpful checklist. Food is always top of ours when getting in the car with my son!
It must be a kids thing, it’s top of Flora’s list too 🙂
I would to go on a proper road trip around the country, these are definitely essential items to bring with you! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you, Lucy, I’m glad this was helpful! x
Amazing suggestions! I’ve never been on a road trip before but I’d love to at some point in the near future so this was really handy. I love the idea of making your own food for it and in all honesty I never would’ve thought to print out paper maps – I guess we’ve all become so reliant on our phones but like you said it’s important to remember we won’t always have signal! Thank you so much for sharing x
Thank you, Ceri, I’m so glad this was helpful – and yes, printing hard copies is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way! Never again! x
Such a good idea to have an emergency kit with you! That’s one I haven’t thought of but it makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing this!
It beats waiting for roadside assistance on a busy weekend, I have to admit 🙂