Over the years I have done many big road trips throughout the USA, Canada and Europe and they are one of my favourite ways to explore as they are the ultimate adventure and you can see so much that you would otherwise miss if you were just flying between cities. During this time I have also learnt so many things on each trip which has helped to make the next one we do even better. I now know what to do, what not to do, what to pack, what not to pack and also what you can do to help keep costs down whilst on the road.

My advice is simply based on what to bring with you when renting a car as I am not including any advice about camping or sleeping overnight in a car (I have never done either) as we will always book hotels for each night of any trip that we take as we like knowing that we have a large comfortable bed and a hot shower to look forward to at the end of each day as road trips can be tiring in the most wonderful way. The items that I have listed in this blog post and travel guide can make your life so much easier and enjoyable whilst spending long days on the road and some of the items are always advisable to have with you just in case rather than not have them and then wishing that you had.

Before leaving the rental car depot wherever we are, we completely check the car over to make sure everything works, look for any warning lights or messages and make sure that it has all the features that we need. We also only rent cars from large well known rental companies and take out full cover insurance through them (and we always have our own personal travel insurance as well) and we also look up where their other depots are on our route (usually at major airports) in case of any problems and needing to switch the car over which we have had to do once before.

So here is my essential road trip packing list and helpful tips for your upcoming trip:

Driving Licence and Passport

Carrying your driving licence is essential during any road trip and as a visitor to another country, I will always have my passport (as well as a scan of it stored online) with me. Before travelling to any country and driving, you should also find out if you need to apply in advance for an International Driving Permit which are required in some countries around the world.

Car Rental Documents

After leaving the depot, we keep our rental agreement safe along with any emergency contact telephone numbers that we might need. If you are planning to drive your rental car across an international border, also make sure to carry any documents that you need to show if they are required which can be provided by the rental company.

Cash

Despite rarely using any cash in my day to day life anymore, I always make sure to carry some cash with me on any road trip to not only pay for fuel but also for any tolls or parking where you are unable to pay online or via an app.

America the Beautiful National Parks Pass

The America the Beautiful pass costs $80 for a year which covers entrance fees to all of the US National Parks and federal recreation sites. It is simply one of the best items you can have with you on any road trip in the USA and can easily save you a lot of money – it did for us.

Anti-Bacterial Wipes

Even before the pandemic we have always travelled with a packet of anti-bacterial wipes to clean and sanitise any surfaces in our rental car before driving it as they are sometimes filthy dirty. Make sure to clean the steering wheel, handbrake, door handles, buttons and switches as well as any stowages where you will store any of your own items during the trip.

Rubbish Bags

Remember to bring some bags with you to collect any rubbish that you accumulate during the day (there is no need to buy a fancy travel trash can just for inside the car) before disposing of it when you arrive at your destination – your car is your home whilst on the road so try to keep it as clean and tidy as possible.

Water

When travelling long distances and to more remote destinations, you never know when water will come in handy. We always buy several gallon bottles of water from the supermarket after collecting our car (they are usually about a dollar each so not expensive) which we keep in the car for emergencies.

iPhone and iPad

We both have overseas data included on our mobile phone plans so we use our iPhones for driving directions using both the Google Maps and Waze apps. In case of driving through any remote areas without any mobile signal or data service, we also use Maps.me to download maps each day of our trip which we can access offline as they are always a good backup to have.

If you need to access mobile data whilst visiting the USA, you can purchase a travel E-Sim through Airalo. If you would like to use my referral code NIKKI8866 when signing up, you will receive £2.50 / US$3 off your first purchase.

Music Playlists and Podcasts

There is absolutely nothing worse than complete silence in the car whilst on a road trip so before travelling make sure to load up all of your devices with plenty of music of different genres to listen to – and make sure everyone in the car can tolerate each others music choices. On our last major road trip, we also listened to a lot of podcasts each day (which we downloaded ahead of time when we had wifi) and found that they made a long drive go by very quickly.

Phone Holder

Whilst many rental cars now come with Apple CarPlay which is fantastic on a road trip, one of the most important items that we still pack on every trip just in case is a phone holder which clips onto the air vents so if needed, the driver can see the directions on the phone screen that they need to take. This can also save any arguments or misunderstandings from any passenger giving the directions to the driver and a wrong turn being taken.

Camera

The whole point of doing an epic road trip is to see the incredible scenery and landscapes around you which are constantly changing so a good camera is essential along with spare batteries (and their charger) as well as extra memory cards. We always have a camera primed and ready as you never know what random sights you will see each day and I love being able to take photos of all the different state signs along the way.

Chargers and Cables

We also bring both a USB-A as well as a USB-C cable each on every trip we take as well as a USB charger as you never know what outlets you will get in your rental car when you collect it and you do not want to be caught out. Being able to charge your phone is essential on long days especially if you are using your phone for driving directions as well as music. You can also charge any camera batteries whilst driving if you are making lots of stops for photos each day.

Travel Pillow

As we have usually flown long haul before starting the majority of our road trips, we always have a small travel pillow each with us and they are invaluable on long driving days so the person in the passenger seat can take a nap in comfort when not taking their turn to drive.

Lightweight Shoes

On long driving days try to avoid heavy, closed toe or bulky shoes and make sure to wear lightweight and comfortable shoes that are quick and easy to take off and put back on. I have often found that when I am not driving and am the passenger in the car, I prefer to be able to take my shoes off and use this time to sit back and relax.

Sunglasses, Glasses and Contact Lenses

Road trips can be very tiring so I always make sure I have my glasses with me as I do not want to be wearing contact lenses for the long days on the road and have my eyes become irritated when I start to feel tired. I also always bring two pairs of sunglasses with me in case I lose a set or one breaks as there is nothing worse then having the sun shining directly into your eyes whilst driving – and a glasses cloth is always a good idea to clean any dirty fingerprints or smudges off the lenses.

Snacks

We do not like to rely on fast food when on a road trip which can often make you feel worse in the long run so having snacks in the car is essential to keep our energy levels up. We always have a mixture of both salty and sweet treats to keep us going such as granola bars, crackers, cheese, carrot sticks and hummus as well as a bag of M&M’s or other sweets nearby for a quick sugar fix when needed. We usually try to stop and eat a proper lunch or dinner when we can but on long driving days when we know there are limited places to stop, we buy wraps and salad kits that we can assemble as and when we are ready. We also have a small salt and pepper set that we can use to give any food we have some seasoning if needed.

Reusable Water Bottle

Buying endless plastic bottles of drinking water is not only bad for the environment but also costs money which you do not need to spend. Every morning of the trip we each fill up our reusable water bottles at the hotel before we leave so we have a drink for the car and we can also refill them at rest stops and visitor centres throughout the day if needed. We also bring small bottles of concentrated orange cordial with us from home to mix with the water to give it some flavour.

Travel Kettle, Tea Bags and Insulated Travel Mug

Our collapsible travel kettle was and still is one of our best investments that we have ever made as it takes up no room in our bag and it means we have access to boiling water to make tea at the hotel each morning as hotel room coffee makers are just horrible and useless – unless you want to drink your tea lukewarm and with an aftertaste of stale coffee. We always make a cup of tea for the drive and having an insulated mug helps to keep the drink hot for hours. We also cannot travel anywhere without bringing our own tea bags with us from home as tea in some other countries is just not good and tastes of nothing. Making our own hot drinks also saves us a lot of money as the costs really do add up very quickly if you are visiting Starbucks several times every day.

Collapsible Cool Bag

We also bring a small collapsible cool bag with us that is very easy to fold down and pack in our luggage. We use it to store bottles of milk for our tea as well as some of our snacks that need to stay cold. We keep it chilled using several small ice packs that we put into the hotel room fridge/freezer at the end of each day.

Reusable Cutlery and a Food Container

I hate using disposable cutlery with a passion so we both invested in a set of reusable travel cutlery each that can be used as a knife, fork, spoon as well as chopsticks. We sometimes book hotel rooms with kitchens on our road trips and cook our own meals when we can and if we have any leftovers from dinner, we use a food container so that we have something to eat for lunch the next day whilst driving. The containers are also good for making instant oatmeal in the mornings so you can have breakfast on the go if you have an early start.

Tissues, Wet Wipes and Paper Towels

Always carry plenty of tissues in case of getting a runny nose and a packet of wet wipes as well as a roll of paper towels to clean up any mess in the car or to clean your hands before and after eating. We also bring a small spray bottle of glass cleaner with us and use the paper towels to clean the car windscreen each morning so we can take photos without any dirty marks in the way on the windows.

Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitiser

Toilet paper is the one thing that you never want to be without on a long road trip as some rest stops in the middle of nowhere might not have any and you never know the moment when you might need it. Also always keep hand sanitiser with you in the car at all times in case there is no soap available to wash your hands.

First Aid Kit

I always carry a small bag of medication with me on every trip containing painkillers, indigestion tablets, anti-diarrheals, rehydration sachets, cold medicine, insect repellent wipes and plasters amongst many other items. It is always better to have these with you to hand rather than not have anything and not be anywhere near a pharmacy when you need one the most.

Clothes and Laundry Supplies

On a road trip it is best to pack as light as possible as you really do not need that many clothes as lifting a heavy suitcase in and out the car every day is not fun and will start to get annoying very quickly – stick with one small bag each and you cannot go wrong. Bring comfortable clothes with you for long driving days and for other days bring clothing appropriate to where you are travelling and remember layers are key. Packing light is made even easier by being able to wash and wear your clothes every few days and we always bring a small bag of laundry detergent pods and some dryer sheets with us.

Reusable Tote Bag

A tote bag can be so useful for carrying any food shopping or buying essentials or even for taking with you to carry anything (such as a picnic) when you leave the car and go exploring – it also takes up no room in your luggage like a larger bag would do.

Little Bag of Essentials

My last item is a small pouch of what I call handy things to have with you in the car including a hairbrush, spare hairband, lip balm, hand cream (your skin can feel extremely dry in places at high altitude), a nail file, tweezers, eye drops (in case of tired eyes), mints, chewing gum, a laundry pen in case of any spills on clothing as well as sachets of vitamin supplements if you start to feel run down during the trip.

Patience

Finally the most essential thing that you need to have with you on a road trip is patience and lots of it! There will be traffic jams, roadworks and bad weather which you have no control over and you will miss exits and take wrong turns along the way – it happens, it’s not the end of the world and you just have to roll with it and keep smiling!

Have fun on your next road trip!

Since this blog post was written back in 2020, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

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