The 11 essential items you need to pack for a road trip

So, you’re going on a road trip. Maybe it’s just a few hours down the road, or maybe it’s a multi-day extravaganza with endless stretches behind the wheel.

Regardless, if you’re jumping in the car for your next holiday, there are certain items you are most definitely going to want to pack. Make sure you don’t pull out of the driveway without these essentials.

Snacks and other food

You can’t do a road trip without snacks. This is your opportunity for a few guilt-free sugar hits, with all the Snakes Alive and Haribo gummies you can fit into a glove compartment. It’s also worth taking along a few savoury treats, and if you’re in for the long-haul through places with questionable roadside food offerings, it’s also worthwhile packing some more substantial lunch options. And of course, you’ll want an Esky or other cooler box to keep everything in.

Games and entertainment

This is particularly important if you’re travelling with kids – you need entertainment. Get an iPad or similar tablet and load it up with games and TV shows and movies. Get a splitter for the headphone jack – allowing two people to listen through headphones to the one tablet – if your kids are sharing the screen. And, of course, pack the headphones. If you’re going tech-free, consider a few old-school road games to keep people entertained.

The scenic coastal drive along Sea Cliff Bridge, Clifton.Credit: Destination NSW

Charging cables and a phone holder

Your phone is an invaluable resource on a road trip, particularly if you’re hiring a car and aren’t sure if it has an onboard navigation system. Google Maps is your friend. In that case, ensure you pack a charging cable that can connect to a normal USB outlet (rather than USB-C, which newer Apple charging cables usually have). It’s also a good idea to bring along a mount for your phone (which should fit either onto an air-conditioning vent, or onto the windscreen by suction cup) so you can use it for navigation.

Playlists

If you’re travelling anywhere long distance there’s a good chance you will at some point find yourself in a radio dead-zone, where there’s nothing but static coming out of your car speakers. This is where you need a good playlist cued up and ready to go. Just … try to choose music everyone in the car will enjoy.

Comfortable clothes

An eight-hour road trip is not the occasion for formal attire, obviously. For any road trip you want to go for clothing that’s as loose and comfortable as possible. Just ensure you wear layers in case it gets unexpectedly hotter or colder, and you’re all set.

Great Ocean Road, Victoria.Credit: Alamy

Essential paperwork

This is boring, but necessary. Before you set off, ensure you have your driver’s licence (and international licence if that’s necessary wherever you’re doing your driving), your registration and insurance papers, and any information and documentation necessary for roadside assistance.

Water

Again, not the most exciting part of your packing list, but if you’re driving in Australia, or places like inland USA, it’s a really good idea to have plenty of drinking water with you, as you never know where you might find yourself stranded – or for how long.

Cold weather kit

The flipside to needing water for hot climates? Needing a proper kit if you’re going to be driving in particularly cold climates. That means an ice scraper, a small shovel, snow chains, extra warm clothing, and even a first aid kit is a good idea.

Toiletries

Here are a few more simple but handy additions to your car boot. Bring along a roll of toilet paper (never know when you’ll be caught short), some hand sanitiser, a packet of wet wipes, and a pack of tissues. All will be useful at some point.

Pillows

If you’re travelling from home – that is, you don’t have to fly somewhere first to pick up your car – then you can feel free to get super-comfy with a few pillows. Kids in the back will be particularly grateful, and they might even do you the service of falling asleep for a while.

A plan

This is not exactly something to physically pack, but certainly something to have with you: a plan. Know where you’re going each day, and how you hope to get there. These plans will inevitably change, but it’s vital for in-car harmony and general success to know what you’re trying to achieve.