Road Trips Part 2- your go bag
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The great thing about driving vs. flying is that you have a traveling “home base,” your car. It’s a great idea to keep a “go bag” in the back of the car with a few basic items that can be very useful during a trip. You never know when it will come in handy! To make things even easier for you, I have added links to some items on Amazon that you can order to stock your car.
1) Bag: You will need a bag. Duh. Most of us have ALL the bags, but if you want to get a dedicated go bag, I recommend this one. It folds into nothing when you’re done with it but it’s really useful on the go.
2) Basic first-aid kit: We don’t think anything too crazy is going to happen, but JUST in case, it is good to have a basic first aid kit in the car. You can put one together on your own (and maybe I’ll write more about that in the future) or you can buy a premade one. This kit is basic, but you can get some really intense ones. It all depends on what you plan to do on your trip!
3) Case of water: Just get a case, put it in the trunk, and be done. You won’t need to stop and buy water all over, you always have it close by, and it’s much cheaper than getting it at rest stops. Save the cash for the good snacks!
4)Reusable resealable plastic bags: You never know when you might need a little baggie. You might have some leftover chips, or pick up some rocks for your collection at home. Whatever it is, you’ll need to store it somewhere. I recommend the reusable bags, because they’re strong and can be used for anything and cleaned super easily in any sink.
5) Garbage bags: Listen, the car can get messy. All the fun snacks tend to leave a trail, and no one likes to sit in a pile of trash. At every pit stop, do a quick garbage collection. Get these smaller bags so you can collect everything and get rid of it before you take off again. It will feel good to get all that stuff out of the car, and you will be rejuvenated for the next leg of the trip!
6) Disinfecting wipes: The world is gross. There, I said it. There is just gross stuff all around. Sometimes during travel, whatever your mode of transportation, you start to feel grimy! You can reduce this by keeping a pack of disinfecting wipes handy for whatever may come your way. This also will help with spills or other mishaps that happen in the car.
7) Paper towels: Same rationale as the wipes. You just want to be able to deal with whatever comes your way.
8) Chargers: Bring. Extra. Chargers. I cannot stress this enough! Bring the right chargers for the right devices and keep one or two extra in the go bag. I’m telling you, you will thank me later.
9) Scissors: There is just stuff to open and often it’s hard to open! Save yourself the stress and just have scissors.
10) Tissues: I am the worst at having tissues in my car. My kids are always like “EVERYONE ELSE has tissues!!!” I’m not sure if that’s true, but I do understand the stress it causes when you really need one and can’t find any. Since my car has 1000 cup holders, we got these cup holder tissues. Now we can be like EVERYONE else!
I know most of this list is talking about ways to deal with some of the more unattractive aspects
of a road trip. You might be thinking, “ummm ok so WHY am I doing this? Apparently the world is gross!” Road trips are only difficult if you’re not prepared, and find yourself using your shirt to clean a soda spill in the back seat. The things that could ruin a day won’t even be blips on the radar if you’re well prepared and have the right stuff sitting in the trunk. If you have everything you need, you can have so much fun adventuring on the road. What other items do you think are must-haves for a smooth ride?