The useful stuff, the emergency stuff, and the things you don't realize you need until you're 200 miles from home.
I love a road trip because you can bring too much shit.
There. I said it.
No weighing the suitcase. No tiny plastic bag of liquids. No standing at the gate wearing three sweaters because your carry-on is apparently an act of aviation aggression.
You have a car.
Fill her up.
Within reason.
Because the flip side of all that glorious cargo space is that, by Day Four, the backseat can look like a small civilization collapsed there.
After enough long drives, I've figured out that there are things worth giving up precious car real estate for, and things that will spend seven days being driven around the country for absolutely no reason.
Here's what actually makes my list.
1. A SMALL BAG THAT NEVER LEAVES MY SIDE
This is basically the road-trip version of my European train rule.
Wallet. ID. Medication. Phone. Chargers. Sunglasses. Lip balm. Anything I'd be screwed without.
Keep it together.
Then when you stop for lunch, you aren't standing in a parking lot digging through a duffel bag trying to remember where you put your wallet.
2. OFFLINE MAPS
Yes, your phone knows where you're going.
Until it doesn't.
Before driving somewhere remote, download the relevant area in Google Maps so navigation continues even when your signal disappears.
I also like knowing roughly where I'm going rather than blindly obeying the little blue line.
And if you're heading properly off-grid, throw a paper map in the car.
Paper never loses signal.
It does, however, require remembering how maps work.
Consider it enrichment.
3. AN ACTUAL CAR EMERGENCY KIT
This is the deeply unsexy part of the packing list that matters considerably more than which shoes you bring.
Keep some version of this in the car:
jumper cables or a portable jump starter
tire-pressure gauge
flashlight
reflective warning triangles or other roadside visibility gear
basic first-aid supplies
a multi-tool thing-y
work gloves
duct tape
And before leaving, make sure you know where the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench are.
Also make sure you actually have a spare tire.
Some newer cars don't.
Finding that out on the shoulder of an interstate is poor timing.
4. WATER
Not one adorable little reusable bottle.
Water.
I keep a larger refillable container in the car and smaller bottles for drinking.
Especially if you're driving through hot or remote areas, this isn't merely about avoiding an overpriced bottle of water at a gas station.
If the car breaks down, you have water.
That matters.
5. THE ROAD-TRIP PICNIC
This was my mother’s specialty. I thought she was being sweet…really she just thought fast-food was too expensive. But, I learned that one of the great pleasures of driving is stopping somewhere beautiful and realizing you have food.
Bring a cooler.
Then stock it with things you actually want to eat.
Fruit. Cheese. Sandwiches. Hummus. Chocolate. Sparkling water. Whatever your particular road-trip personality requires.
This doesn't mean you should avoid roadside food.
Absolutely not.
If a sign advertises the WORLD'S BEST PIE, I am investigating.
The cooler simply means you aren't forced to eat something depressing because the next exit contains exactly one gas station and a Subway.
6. A BLANKET
This sounds strangely domestic until you need it.
Picnic blanket. Extra warmth. Rolled-up pillow. Emergency layer. Something to sit on beside a lake. Something to throw over whatever questionable surface you've decided to eat lunch on. Something to put over the milkshake your daughter spilled.
Get one that folds small and can survive getting dirty.
7. CLOTHES THAT CAN HANDLE A PLOT TWIST
Road trips are terrible for fantasy packing.
You imagine yourself wearing the perfect outfit at the perfect roadside motel.
Reality gives you rain, a 30-degree temperature swing, an unexpected hike, and dinner somewhere nicer than anticipated.
I pack layers rather than outfits.
Comfortable base pieces. Sweater or hoodie. Light waterproof jacket. Comfortable boots. (I wear boots all year round, so feel free to insert “comfortable walking shoes” instead.) Something I can wear to dinner without looking like I've been living in a 2004 lifted Lexus.
And one thing I feel really fucking good in.
You never know.
8. A POWER BANK + TOO MANY CHARGERS
Your phone is now your map, camera, reservation confirmation, music system, restaurant finder, emergency device and occasional means of discovering what the giant object beside the highway actually is.
Keep it alive.
Bring a car charger. Bring a power bank. Bring the correct cables.
Then bring one more cable because somebody will lose one.
It may be you.
9. SUNGLASSES + SUNSCREEN
Driving for hours with the sun blasting through the window is its own particular form of torture.
Good sunglasses live within arm's reach. Sunscreen does too.
Especially if you're going to be hopping in and out of the car all day rather than doing one long highway stretch.
Your left arm does not need to return from vacation three shades darker than your right.
10. THE GLAMOROUS BAG OF BORING THINGS
Wet wipes. Hand sanitizer. Tissues. Paper towels. Trash bags. A roll of toilet paper.
Yes.
Toilet paper.
Road trips occasionally involve bathrooms that make you question several things about humanity.
Be prepared.
11. CASH
You probably won't need it.
Until you find the tiny roadside fruit stand, old parking meter, campground, toll situation, or weird little place that doesn't take your card.
Keep some small bills tucked somewhere safe.
Twenty dollars can solve a surprising number of road-trip problems.
12. SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO
This is not filler.
The soundtrack becomes part of the trip.
Make the playlist before you leave. Download podcasts if you listen to them. Download an audiobook you've actually been wanting to hear.
And download them rather than assuming you'll have service.
I also strongly recommend allowing at least one stretch of road to have no entertainment whatsoever.
No podcast. No audiobook. No phone call.
Just drive.
See what your brain does when nobody is feeding it anything.
AND THEN: DON'T PACK THE CAR COMPLETELY FULL
This is the trick I didn't understand when I was younger.
Leave room.
For groceries. For the ridiculous roadside antique. For the sweater you buy. For the stack of books you absolutely did not need. For moving things around without performing luggage Tetris every morning.
For whatever the trip acquires along the way.
A road trip is allowed to change shape.
Your packing should leave room for that.
BEFORE YOU PULL OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, OR PARKING GARAGE, OR WHEREVER YOUR CAR LIVES
One last thing.
Check the tires. Check the oil. Fill the tank. Download the maps. Tell somebody roughly where you're going if you're traveling alone.
Then stop preparing.
There is a point where preparation becomes another way of trying to control what hasn't happened yet.
Put the music on.
Pick a direction.
Go.
