My fiancé and I are planning a road trip out to see my parents in New Brunswick in the upcoming weeks so were starting to look into road trip packing tips! Packing for a road trip can be daunting as you may have limited space and depending on the length of the trip may need lots of items. Being wise with your space and utilizing packing tips and hacks is key to ensure everything will fit and you’ll be comfortable during the trip.
What is a road trip? It can be defined as traveling in a car for pleasure. In essence, you’re going on a journey in your car. A road trip can be several days or simply several hours to your next destination. It’s important when planning your road trip to ensure your vehicle is in good condition and has been maintained recently to ensure you have a safe travel, hopefully without any car trouble!
Road trips as a kid were always a fun kind of chaos. Typically, you and your siblings are packed into the car and about 20 minutes in you’re already bored and craving fun. As an adult, I’ve found road trips and long car rides to be very relaxing and a time to shut off from the world. I imagine one day I’ll take a road trip with my kids and then the cycle of it going back to chaos will happen.
Are you planning an upcoming road trip? What are some of your favourite summer activities and road trip destinations – let me know in the comments below. Check out this post that’s got lots of great information on road trip packing tips.
Empty your vehicle
The first step in getting ready for your road trip is completely emptying out your vehicle. Yes, this means everything! Emptying your vehicle is important so you’re able to maximize your space and know exactly how much space you have for your items.
By emptying your vehicle, you free up a lot of hidden spaces such as glove compartments, armrest storage, back-of-the-seat storage, and any other storage spaces you have in your car. You’ll likely realize that there’s quite a bit in there you might no longer need, so it might turn into a mini car clean out which is a great added benefit.
Once your vehicle is empty, I suggest giving it a clean, this is a great time to vacuum and really deep clean your car. You can do it yourself with a shop vac or take it to a car detailing business. We recently did this with my car and it was amazing to really get everything out and start fresh.
What do you need to bring?
Now this part can be tricky. For myself and most of my friends, we tend to think we’re going to pack light, and by the end of packing it’s a massive pile! Has this ever happened to you? Definitely has happened to me more than once. There gets to be a point in packing where you might start grabbing things and saying, “Just in case” and that is a slippery slope into a lot of items.
When packing for a road trip, you really don’t have an excess of space. You need to pack carefully and thoughtfully so you can be efficient with bringing items to and from the car, as well as to ensure you’re comfortable in your space while traveling. For myself having chronic illnesses I need to take special care when on holidays to ensure I’m comfortable with the arrangements and environment.
When packing consider what will be available at your destination. So, if you’re road-tripping for several days and staying in hotels each night you might not need to bring shampoo, conditioner, or soap as those are commonly available at most hotel locations.
So where to begin? Take a look at this packing list below for recommendations as to where to start. Based upon your unique trip and destinations alter as needed.
Packing List: Electronics
- Chargers
- Devices (phone, tablet, laptop)
- Cords
- Power Bank
- Headphones
- GPS
Packing List: Personal Items
- Medications (essential medication and needed medication)
- 1 set of fancy clothing, 1 set of comfy clothing
- 1 outfit per day (given what activities will be each day tailor it to that)
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Personal hygiene
- Hairbrush, makeup, hair products/accessories
- Razor/shaving items
- Shampoo, Conditioner
- Bar Soap
- Body/Baby Wipes
- Camping supplies
Packing List: Car Items
- First Aid Kit
- Garbage Bags/ Places to put garbage
- Hand Sanitizer, Chapstick & Hand lotion
- Tissues
- Blankets/Sleeping Bags/ Pillows if needed
- Water bottle/ Travel Mug
- Sunglasses, Bug spray & Sunscreen
- Snacks – portioned out for each day
Road Trip Packing Tips Continued
Storage Options
Now that you have all your items picked out and selected. Now it’s time to figure out the most effective ways to pack and store these items. Please start with using what you currently own, and only purchase new items if you do not have anything that will suit what you need to pack. You want to pack items tightly together whenever possible to maximize space.
Packing Cubes are super helpful in that they allow you to pack several small cubes with items. Once you’re at your location or home the cubes can all be bundled together to take little to no space up. Packing cubes are also helpful as they are made of cloth/fabric so they’re flexible around your items. Try to avoid bringing suitcases if you can and opt for duffels if needed. Having bags and storage options that are flexible can help you wedge items in smaller spaces and maximize your space.
It’s also important when looking into storage options to look into maximize your space around the car that is unique. What I mean by this is hanging things off the backs of seats and using hooks off vents!
How to Pack Your Car
Okay, so we’ve done all the above steps! Now it’s time to put it all in your car. Cue the nerves.
Start with the largest items that take up the most space, try to fill your trunk with these larger items. Ensure that items your putting in the trunk are not needed by you during the trip.
Depending on how many people you have and or any pets you have you may or may not have a back seat available. Plan accordingly for your individual trip. Below are suggestions for all parts of the car. Be mindful about the amount of weight your putting in your car and ensure it is safe with your car.
Trunk – Larger items that are not needed during the car ride. Camping/Hotel supplies for once the car is parked work well back here!
Back Seat – If you have a back seat that is accessible putting items that may be needed and are small/medium in size works well here. If you have a pet, then they’re likely to go here so keep that in mind with planning your space.
Front Seat – Items you need constant access to such as GPS, water, snacks, phone, sunglasses..etc.
Best wishes for packing your car for your next road trip!
Talk Soon!
Good tips! These are the things I do too every time I’m going on a road trip. Thank you for sharing.
Great tips! Also remember that a full car can be attractive to a thief, so don’t leave things that might encourage a break-in visible. Even if they don’t take anything valuable, you’re now having to do a repair on your trip.
Great packing tips! Thanks for sharing them. Now I really want to go on a road trip! 😊
Have a great time in New Brunswick!
Such great tips — definitely takes the hassle and stress out of planning a road trip to be nice and organized. Thanks for sharing!
Wow what a long list,cthouvhtfully done if the road trip is long and takes a few days. Really needed. The emptying and especially cleaning was literally the best thought. I need to check what these packing cubes are haven’t heard that. And yes suitcase do take size and duffel are better. Great thought I like it. Xx
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This couldn’t come at a better time. Because we’re not able to go abroad, we’ve been planning on a road trip for the better part of the year! Some excellent tips for anyone planning on doing the same.
I’ve always wanted to take a road trip! It sounds like a perfect way to see multiple areas. Your packing tips are perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks – awesome to hear this is what you do to prepare for road trips!
Thanks – that’s a great tip as well! Thanks for sharing that!
Thanks – I hope you can plan a road trip soon! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear – it’s so important to be organized as it really takes the stress away during the trip! Thanks for reading 🙂
I hope you can take one soon! It’s a great way to do exploring even just campsites and places around you! Thanks
Awesome – yes it’s definitely a great way to travel nowadays! Wishing you well on your road trip 🙂
Thanks – clearing out your car is so essential in my books! Packing cubes are awesome, definitely look into them they’re super handy and easy to travel with.
I love a road trip, you can’t beat the adventure!! These are some really good tips xx
These are all great tips! Road trips are definitely chaotic for us as we have 3 kids! It’s always great to make sure the kids have plenty to do and that there are plenty of snacks to munch on so we don’t have to stop so often. 🙂
Alex, these are some useful tips to consider! Packing always gives me anxiety, be it a road trip or when traveling haha. You’re so right about packing thoughtfully and making a list of important items. Thanks for sharing this! Hope you enjoy yourself in New Brunswick x
Man, I love Road Trips so much! You get to see so much more. One tip I’ve picked up is Garbage Bags! OMG, why do I always forget them lol??? We have heaps of snacks on the way there, and I’m always scrabbling for a bag or a place to put them. I’ll definitely remember this next time 🙂 Great post!
Just got back from a one week/1200 km long road trip this weekend, so it was nice to read your tips, there are some great ideas I’m going to try next time (eg. The cubes). During our road trip I was thinking the same as you! “This is going to be so much more fun when we’ll have kids.”
It’s going to be harder for sure, but as a kid, I took like 2 road trips and that was all, so I can’t wait to go with my future kids. Thank you for sharing!
These seem like great tips for a road trip! I hope you have a great time xx
I seriously LOVE packing lists (or cleaning and organization lists) and get way to excited about reading them. I am also planning a Canada wide road trip hopefully next summer so I love the tips of how to successfully pack up the care
When I was younger I went on a few road trips. Its always good to plan ahead and make sure that your vehicle is clean and packed correctly. Great tips.
Right! It’s so great and there’s so much to explore wherever you go! I’m glad you enjoyed the post – thanks.
Thanks – that does sound like it would be chaotic, but also loads of fun!
Thank you Vanelle, making lists is so helpful especially at reducing anxiety. Thank you for my trip ahead 🙂
YES! Garbage bags really are key – I’m glad this post gave some ideas on places to put items and a reminder about garbage bags! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Wow that sounds amazing – I’m glad this gave you some ideas for your next trip! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
Thanks – it’s going to be so much fun!
That’s awesome – I’m very similar the idea of organization excites me! I hope you enjoy planning and going on your Canada wide road trip next year!
Wonderful – yes those are so important and I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Road Trips are so fun, I hope you’re able to take another soon!
I loved road trips and we used to take them every summer with my family. My mum was the queen of packing the car and always asked myself how she managed to fit everything! Really want to invest in some packing cubes for quite a long time, they would be very useful x
Love this! We’re going on a family road trip at the end of August and I’m so excited! I’m slowly packing our camp stuff first then our personal belongings! It’s so much work and it helps to be organized! My family applauds my packing skills hahaha they are amazed at how much I fit into small bags! A lovely and informative read, Alex! xx
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Same – my dad was very similar with being able to pack things into all kinds of spaces I never even thought of! Packing cubes are super super handy – thanks for reading!
That’s so exciting, best wishes for as you prepare for the family road trip! I’m glad this was a helpful read, and best wishes with your packing!
Great tips, Alex! I liked these lists a lot. Very useful and handy. Thanks for sharing them with us! I hope you have a nice trip and you enjoy quality time with your parents. Safe travels!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these lists and I hope they help next time you’re headed out on a road trip! Thanks 🙂