The Ultimate Road Trip Checklist: What to Prep, Pack and Know Before You Hit the Highway

Road trips are a rite of passage for families. The scenes! The snacks! The backseat bickering! It’s the stuff of which family memories are made. But the key to ultimate success is a plan, from the pre-trip vehicle checks to the in-trip snacks and the post-trip memories, here’s what to pack and how to plan for the Best. Road. Trip. Ever.

• Pre-Trip Prep: Critical steps to tackle before departure to keep your home safe, your car in good running condition and your pets ready to travel.
• Zone-by-Zone Packing: How to pack the car so essentials are within the driver’s reach and the backseat snacks and entertainment are properly organized.
• Roadside Know-How: The safety tips and emergency gear you need to ensure a crisis-free road trip.

As a veteran of many, many, many road trips – with kids, without kids, with dogs, with a husband or parents, cross-country and back and forth to Florida – I have a system for getting a road trip right. Here I share my full pre-, during and post-trip plans for making the most of a road trip.

Let us inspire your travels! Sign up for our newsletter now.

Part 1: Before You Leave

Long before we pull out of the driveway, I spend time ensuring I won’t have to worry about my house while we’re gone or the car while we’re on the road.

That includes:

1. Securing the House

I always:

• Request a mail hold from the US Post Office.
• Program my smart plugs so lights turn on and off as though someone is home.
• Toss any perishables from the fridge and put a penny in the freezer.
• Check the battery in my Ring doorbell.
• Set up a home monitoring system so I know the house will be watched 24/7.

If it’s a wintertime trip, I also arrange for someone to shovel the walks and plow the driveway if it snows. Nothing says, “No one’s home,” like snow that remains unspoiled for days.

2. Prepping the Pup

Our dog, Millie, ALWAYS goes with us on our road trips. She’s a master traveler and would be bewildered and hurt if we left her at home.

Not all dogs are master travelers, however. If yours isn’t, consider a little pre-trip training to ensure your pup knows how to behave in the car. It’s unpleasant and downright dangerous to have a dog out of control in a car.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Consider buying a dog seat cover to protect the car.

3. Having the Car Serviced

I have my mechanic give the whole vehicle a once-over, from tire pressure to the windshield washer fluid. It doesn’t guarantee nothing will go wrong, but it gives me some peace of mind knowing that I am starting the trip with a dependable car.

Part 2: What to Pack in the Car (Zone by Zone)

While I am the Queen of Packing Light when it comes to carry-ons for airplane travel, I can get quite lazy when it comes to packing for a road trip. After all, there’s an ENTIRE TRUNK JUST WAITING TO BE FILLED!

But then comes the reality: Whatever goes into the car has to come out.

So I have learned to minimize in the car, too. Here’s how to efficiently pack the car by zone so the passengers all have what they need and only the necessary items make it into the trunk.

Zone 1: What to Keep in the Front Seat (Within Driver’s Reach)

Everything you need to navigate, pay and stay alert should stay well within reach so you never have to take your eyes off the highway.

That includes:

• Wallet: You might need your driver’s license, credit cards, auto insurance card and cash for toll booths. Keep your wallet close.
• Sunglasses: It seems like the sun is always popping in and out from behind the clouds, so I am constantly taking off my sunglasses or putting them back on. I keep them handy in the center console of my Tesla.
• Passports: This is critical if you plan to cross the border, like my husband and I will this fall when we drive from Detroit to Connecticut via Canada.
• Phone Mount: I use the GPS on the big screen in the Tesla, but not all vehicles have that. A phone mount keeps the directions at eye level.
• Charging Cables: If your car doesn’t have a charging pad, pack fast chargers and keep your phone plugged in. You don’t want to find yourself stranded with a dead car ANDa dead phone.
• YETI Travel Mug: This is hubby’s must-have. He never drives a mile without a cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand.
• Refillable Water Bottle: This is my must-have. I look for bottles that can open with one hand so they’re still workable when I’m driving.
• Snacks: Adults need snacks, too, not just the kids. We aim for healthier options like protein bars, nuts and snackable fruit like grapes that are easy to eat one-handed.

Zone 2: The Back Seat (Kids, Entertainment and Snacks)

If the back seat isn’t happy, nobody is happy. I feel like I spent almost every road trip with kids riding backwards as I leaned over the front seat to feed, soothe and entertain the kids – just like my mom did before me.

Here’s what to pack in the backseat to make the kids as independent as possible:

• Electronics: This is no time to be stingy about tablets. If you want peace in the backseat, load up the iPad with movies and shows. Just remember to pack the headphones!
• Toys and Activity Kits: After hours in the car, even kids get tired of watching screens. That’s when it’s time to break out the toys and activity kits. Buy a stash of mess-free water coloring books, travel tangrams and reusable sticker pads and pass them out every few hours as needed.
• Refillable Water Bottles : One per kid. Keep a gallon jug in the trunk or a cooler so you can refill the water bottles.
• Easy-to-Eat Snacks: Anything you don’t mind the kids overeating. Generally, that means letting them have fruit, celery and carrot sticks, and protein-packed snacks, but not chips.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Portion the snacks into individual, reclosable serving bags to limit the mess and the arguing over whose turn it is to hold the bag.

• Pillows and blankets: My kids ALWAYS fell asleep on long car rides. I would tuck a pillow under their head, toss a light blanket over their laps and settle in for a stretch of quiet peacefulness.
• Static Cling Window Sunshades: These are lifesavers for taking the edge off that searing afternoon sun.
• Portable Travel Potty: If you’re traveling with kids of potty-training age, don’t forget a folding travel potty with disposable absorbent liners. It’s an absolute lifesaver.
• Motion Sickness Kit: If, like me, you have a kid who tends to get car sick, bring ginger lollipops for them to suck on and keep some plastic bags on hand for the inevitable. Pack a large Ziploc bag with disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and a roll of paper towels to clean up the mess.

SheBuysTravel Tip: If you have a kid who gets carsick, pack a spare outfit in a Ziploc bag and keep it in the car with you for quick changes when necessary.

Zone 3: The Trunk: Suitcases and Essentials

If the road trip will last more than one day, pack a small carry-on bag with the essentials the whole family will need for the night in a hotel – pajamas, toothbrushes, a change of underwear, etc. That way, you’ll only have to bring in one small bag, not unpack the entire trunk, only to repack it the next morning.

The rest of the suitcases can stay in the trunk until you get to your final destination.

Here are few things to keep in the trunk, but NOT in a suitcase:

• Extra Layers: Tuck a sweatshirt, sweater or rain jacket for each person into the trunk, along with a couple of umbrellas so you’re prepared for any weather.
• Toiletry Bag: Pack it with toothbrushes, toothpaste, face wipes, travel shampoo and other necessary grooming items. That makes it easy to grab the bag and freshen up along the way.
• Wearable / Cordless Pumps: If you are nursing or pumping on the road, modern cordless, hands-free pumps are so much easier to manage than bulky plug-in pumps. Don’t forget breast milk storage bags and a dedicated cooler pack.
• Meds: Keep allergy medications, fever reducers and motion sickness remedies in an easy-to-reach day bag.

Zone 4: The Trunk & Vehicle Safety Gear

You can never count on everything going right on a road trip. So it’s important to be prepared for any emergency, whether you’re cruising in a family sedan or hitting the highway in a spacious RV.

• Compact Lithium Jump Starter: A handheld, portable lithium jump pack lets you jump your own battery in two minutes flat, no stranger with jumper cables needed.
• Tire Maintenance Tools: Confirm your spare tire is properly inflated, and check that your jack, lug wrench and wheel lock key are inside the vehicle. Keep a digital tire pressure gauge and emergency tire sealant handy.
• Multitool and Work Gloves: A solid multitool with pliers and a knife comes in handy for everything from stubborn bottle caps to loose trim clips. Keep work gloves in the trunk so you don’t scorch or freeze your hands checking engine fluids.
• Well-Stocked First Aid Kit: You can create your own stocked with bandages, sterile gauze, burn relief, antiseptic wipes, blister pads, splinter tweezers and children’s pain relievers. Or make it easy on yourself and buy one that has everything you need.
• Rechargeable Headlamp: Sure, you have a flashlight on your phone. But it won’t be worth much if you need two hands to change a tire on the side of the road at night. Bring a headlamp and keep it charged up.
• Winter Weather Necessities: If cold weather or mountain passes are on your route, pack a sturdy brass-blade ice scraper, long-handled snow brush, windshield de-icer spray, microfiber towels, a small folding shovel and tire traction mats. And if you’re going somewhere really cold and icy, consider having your tires fitted with tire chains.

Part 3: What to Know on the Road

Even with the best preparation, things can go wrong. Here’s how to roll with the punches as you’re rolling along.

1. Roadside Breakdowns

Don’t panic:

• Pull Far Off the Road: Steer as far onto the right shoulder as possible, turn your wheels away from traffic and flip on your hazard lights.
• Call for Help: Whether that means using your insurance provider, motor club or vehicle warranty, you can get 24/7 roadside assistance and digital tow dispatch. Download your provider’s app so you can request help and track your tow truck in real time.
• Stay Inside the Vehicle: If you are stopped on the shoulder of a busy highway, it is almost always safer to stay inside the vehicle while you wait for help. If you simply must get out of the car, stay far off the road.

2. If There’s a Collision

Accidents happen. Here’s what to do.

• Document Everything: Check for injuries first, call emergency services and take wide-angle photos of the vehicle positions, road conditions, license plates and lane markings before you move any of the vehicles involved.
• Know Your Rights: If an accident or injury occurs on interstate corridors far from home, navigating out-of-state insurance companies can get overwhelming fast. Call in legal backup if you need it.

FAQs

Read More

• Iconic American Road Trips that Should Be on Your Bucket List
• Great Texas Road Trips for Families
• Unforgettable Northeast Road Trips to Take with Kids
• Hit the Road: Epic Midwest Road Trips You’ve Gotta Try