Road Trip Essentials

Last summer I took a week long road trip from Michigan to South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, & Colorado. On our road trip we planned on car camping, aka sleeping in the car. So we needed to have everything from bed supplies, to food, to hiking supplies all packed up with us. This was my first time taking a road trip where we would be sleeping in the car. So we planned on having all of our supplies with us. I am taking a shorter road trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this weekend & have been packing up my car with all of the essentials which is why I decided to write this blog post for you. If you are headed off on a road trip & want to make sure you have everything you need I made a list of all the essentials! You can get my free printable road trip checklist HERE.

For a road trip you’ll want to first decide where you will be sleeping. Do you need to pack a tent? Will you be sleeping in the car? Or have you booked your stay at cabins, hotels, or airbnbs? This is the first step in determining how much you’ll need to pack, you may need a tent and sleeping bags. Then think about food, do you want to pack most of your food with you or do you plan on getting food most places you go? If you plan to pack your food you’ll want to bring things like a cooler, portable grill, cutlery, plates, and campfire supplies. Do you plan on hiking? You’ll want to bring a backpack, sunscreen, bug spray, water bottle, sunglasses, and a flash light. Finally, the supplies that everyone will need your phone, money, maps/gps, first aid, and your clothes. Some extra things that I typically like to bring include a polaroid camera, books, journals, and a tripod for taking photos!

Hope this helps you with packing for your road trip. The easiest way to make sure you’ve got everything you need is with my FREE printable checklist! [Click here to get yours.] Do you have any essentials that I missed? Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram or Pinterest, I’d love to hear from you!