I have been thinking a lot about what I would pack in my road trip survival kit. What are my top road trip necessities that I absolutely could not live without? Well, this post is all about that topic. Below I am going to go through my top 8 road trip necessities and why I absolutely can not live without them when I am on the road. If you have any questions, make sure you drop them below.
Road Trip Necessities
What do I mean by a road trip necessity? I want this to be a short post about things that I would not hit the road without. These aren’t luxuries. These really are road trip necessities that keep me safe, clean, and healthy, while being on the road. These may not be for everyone but they are always in my Mazda when I head out.
Water
I know, it seems super simple but I always have water when I hit the read. I will always have a few water bottles in my trunk, and also a reusable water bottle that I can take along to reduce my plastic use. I’m always trying to be conscience about my footprint on the environment. In every case that I can, I try to use my reusable water bottle, that I will fill up at my hotel or at a water fountain that I come across.
Even when I was traveling abroad, I would make sure that I always had water on me. The reason that I always have water is mostly for health reasons. When you are traveling on the road, it is super easy for you to get dehydrated. Becoming dehydrated on the road is a serious risk and can greatly affect your decision making and health.
Cash
This is another one of my go to recommendations that I talk about in every post. When I am on the road, I will always have cash on me. Depending on where I am going and how many tolls that I can expect to hit, I will have $100-200 bucks in cash with me.
There are a couple of different purposes that having cash will serve. One of them is for unexpected tolls that I may end up going through. For anyone who has traveled up the east coast or through states like Texas, you know that the toll struggle is real. People should also know that if they don’t have cash to pay the toll, then you can end up getting a ticket.
I am also aware that at times, I have stopped to get gas and when I go inside for a drink, things are super sketch. in these moments it is helpful to have cash. In these cases, I don’t want to risk swiping my card. I don’t want to swipe in the middle of Nebraska and find out that I have no money by the time I get back home.
Flashlight
It is always one of my goals not to drive at night. I don’t think that there are many good things for a solo female traveler that happen at night. This is especially the case if you are on the road at super late hours. When I am traveling, I like to leave early. Traveling in the dark at 6am has always felt safer than in the dark at 11pm.
I try to make sure that I have a flashlight with me. I’m lucky enough to have a flashlight that is shaped like a bat, so it doubles as a weapon. I don’t want to end up on the road and not be able to find something in my car. There are a few other times that I have found a flashlight to be useful.
Ruby, my dog, has often traveled with me and when I take her out for a walk before bed, I like to have a flashlight. When I head out to my car at night because I forgot something, I will always take my flashlight. It also is helpful to have a flashlight in case of emergency and you have to flag someone down or call for emergency help. This may help someone find you.
Paper Maps
It’s super old school but I always have paper maps with me. Whenever I hit a new state, I will stop at a visitor center and pick up one of those free paper maps. This proved to be a good idea when I was traveling through Wyoming and my phone stopped working. I was able to use my paper map to navigate until I could get back to cellphone service.
Spare Tire
This seems like a no brainer but I can’t tell you the amount of people who will hit the road with a spare tire that is flat. If you have a flat tire, what is another flat tire going to do for you? I assure you, it is nothing. Make sure that when you hit the road that you have a spare time that will actually work for you.
You can’t dictate every state that you go through. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of surprise construction sites that I have gone through. It is super easy to end up getting a flat tire. You don’t want to end up finding out that your spare tire is of not use just in the moment that you need it.
Oil Change/ Car Service
If you are driving your own car then you need to make sure that your car is fully serviced. I always make sure that I have an oil change, tire rotation, and a good vacuum before I hit the road. This way I know that my car is in top notch shape before I leave for my trip. I think of this as a part of my road trip expenses.
Sometimes this can end up being $100 bucks of more. The upside is that if there is anything wrong with the car or something that I need to be concerned about, then I known about it before it becomes a full blown issue. I would rather pay the money upfront then drop a butt load of money on the back end.
First Aid Kit
There are a lot of little scratches that will happen on a road trip. Maybe I am super susceptible to little injuries but I always pack a first aid kit. The things that I include in my first aid kit include:
- band-aids
- sunscreen
- headache or pain relief
- something for allergies
- an ace bandage
Copies of Your Important Documents
There are so many unexpected things that I have faced while out on the road. Once of my biggest fears is to end up losing my license or passport and having no idea where they are. So, I always make sure that I have a copy of my important documents. This is one of my most important road trip necessities. Most of the time, I will take the copy with me to check into a hotel or whatever I need to do. If they require the hard copy, then I know that I will have it in my car.
Okay friends, those are my top 8 road trip necessities. I really hope that this was a post that helped you. If you need some more tips, then you can check out some of my other road trip posts including how to plan a road trip, a complete guide to road trip essentials, and gas tips for your solo female road trip. Travel safe friends!