It’s undeniable: road trips are fun. We’ve all imagined driving with our friends and going from one cool site to another before sharing a meal in our favorite restaurant and retiring for the night in a hotel room. Few things are as exciting or fun, but you must prepare before the fun begins and make sure you pack everything you’ll need.
Photo by Matan Levanon on UnsplashYou’ll find some of the most important road trip essentials below, from clothing to tools, as well as reasons why you should pack each one. This will hopefully keep you prepared so you’re not panicking even if you find yourself navigating a slip-and-fall NV accident claim.
Clothing
You need to pack extra clothes even if you only plan on taking a short trip. A good rule of thumb is to pack at least one outfit over what you plan to use. For example, if you’re staying somewhere for three days, pack four days worth of clothes.
While it may seem pointless and like a waste of space these extra clothes act as a buffer between you and the unexpected. If you end up somewhere for longer than expected or have an accident, you’ll have the clothes you need without needing to buy more or wear an unwashed outfit.
If you want to be extra prepared, pack at least one extra set of underwear on top of the extra outfit. This way you’ll have something clean to wear even if you have to put on an unwashed pair of shorts and shirt.
Charging Cables
Including the charger for every electronic device you bring will provide you with a lot more flexibility. You won’t have to worry about being on your phone or computer too much, which is important because if you end up in an emergency you may need every device you have to get the help you need, whether that be emergency services or learning how to treat a sting or bite.
Packing your charging cables also gives you more freedom to use your devices how you want. You could use the GPS function on your phone to find alternate routes to avoid traffic or construction work more often.
Listening to music or a podcast can make the dull moments on the highway much more interesting, and you wouldn’t have to limit yourself if you could charge your phone whenever you needed to.
You’d even be able to use your laptop to pull up the menus of local restaurants while you decide where to eat or book a hotel for the night without worrying too much about the “low battery” prompt. Packing your charging cables provides a lot of flexibility to any trip, even short ones.
Headphones/Earbuds
You may not have considered packing your headphones or earbuds for your trip. After all, if you’re traveling alone, you can just use the speakers of your devices. Consider this, though: you stay the night in a hotel or even in your car–an unfamiliar experience.
You can hear other hotel guests talking to each other as they walk through the halls and find their rooms. The sounds of cars on the road zooming past sound like irregular but ever-present wind gusts stirring you every time you start to relax. You’ve been driving all day and are exhausted; you’ve probably been looking forward to this hotel bed for hours, but the constant noise won’t let you sleep.
Out of frustration, you put your headphones on and you instantly relax. They are blocking a lot of the annoying noise. The rest gets drowned out as you turn on some calm music and gently drift off to sleep.
Pillows and Blankets
You’ll thank yourself if you decide to pack a blanket and pillow for your trip. Driving is more exhausting than you realize so being able to take a nap every now and then is vital for long trips, and a blanket will make that much more comfortable. It will also make sleeping in the car a much more pleasant experience.
A pillow and blanket can be used for much more than just sleeping though. When you reach a beautiful spot, you can lay it on the grass and enjoy a scenic picnic lunch before exploring the area or continuing on with the trip. Probably the biggest benefit of packing a blanket is its usefulness in emergencies.
It can be used as an emergency towel or wound wrap until someone can grab their first aid kit or towels. Even if naps aren’t on the itinerary, there are plenty of reasons to pack a blanket for your road trip.
First Aid Kit
Accidents happen all of the time. Sometimes, they’ll be minor, such as you dropping your snack or tripping on a tree root. Other times you’ll cut yourself and start bleeding or get stung by a bee. This is why you should always pack a first aid kit for any trip and you may honestly want to keep one in your car at all times, just in case.
First aid kits usually include over-the-counter medicines to assist in healing, prevent infection and ease pain, bandages, gauze and instructions on how to perform basic first aid. If the wound is minor, this may be all you need but is especially important for major wounds as the emergency treatment may help slow or even stop bleeding and allow you to make it to the nearest hospital.
While preventing accidents at all is ideal, keep a first aid kit nearby just in case they do happen despite your best efforts.
Small Toolbox
The consequences for failing to pack a tool box or emergency car kit can be devastating even if your vehicle has never given you trouble before. Even a flat tire could waylay your plans and potentially leave you stranded somewhere if you’re unprepared.
To avoid this, always bring a spare tire, jumper cables and a tool box alongside some emergency snack and a flashlight. Thai way you’ll be ready to handle any problem your vehicle has, from a flat tire to engine troubles.
