Lots of us are headed out on one more road trip before summer is over. After you make your car road trip ready, here are some ways to help you on your drive, whether it be to Disney or DC or Detroit or Danville.
- Zip lock bags. Whether you’re organizing your clothes by day, containing crayons, storing those shorts that your kid messed up, or saving that last half of a cookie, don’t leave home without an assortment of sizes of zip lock bags. The more you take, the more ways that you will find to use them. (Some things are in this list…)
- Sharpies. If you’ve saved one cookie for Jack and the other for Jill, you can label that zip lock bag with a Sharpie. Sharpies are also good for putting telephone numbers on umbrellas or labeling water bottles or cups. Put a number on each piece of your luggage so you’ll make sure you have it all in your car after a stay at the hotel.
- Napkins and bags of flatware. You know you have a stash of these somewhere in your kitchen. Your road trip is a great time to use them! (Put them in one of the zip lock bags and label it with a Sharpie…)
- Water bottle ice packs. If you’re packing a soft side cooler of snacks (that’s a bonus hack), keep them cool with a bottle of frozen water. Most hotel rooms have a freezer area so you can freeze the water overnight. If they don’t, fill up a zip lock bag with ice, and double bag it in case of leakage.
- A surprise every hour. If you have kids, gather a stash of surprises. Ideas include: an audio book, a regular book, Playdough (it’s not messy anymore), stickers, a travel game, a snack, a photo album, Dollar Tree toys, a conversation starter, a finger puppet…Set the timer on your phone, and every hour, pull out something new.
- Plastic cereal container trash can. Rubbermaid and Tupperware make 1.5 gallon cereal keepers that make perfect trash cans. Fill up the bottom with plastic grocery bags, and then use one at a time for your trash.
- Gas Buddy App. This app will save you time and money on gas, by showing you the nearest and the least dearest place to buy gasoline.
- Multi port charger. These handy things fit into your 12V charger and lets you charge all your devices at once.
- First aid kit. Fill it up with bandaids, pain killers, pepto, anti itch cream, Benadryl, sanitary napkin (you can use them to apply pressure to bleeding wounds) and Vitamin C. Your family may need more things in your kit.
- Plastic baskets. Use these to organize and contain each person’s drive-thru meal.
- Cleaning supplies. Take wipes and paper towels. An old toothbrush and a lint brush are great to brush off the seats and the console. Envelopes of cleaning gel will get rid of crumbs and dust. (If you’ve not used this, you’re missing out! It looks like snot, but it cleans like a charm.)
- Tissues. We use the disposable packs on noses, bathrooms without toilet paper, and the occasional flood of tears.
Road trips are designed to be fun, but there is always stress involved. Hopefully these hacks will help you stay organized, clean, and entertained, so you can cut down on the stress, and ramp up the fun for your next adventure.