Whether you’re seeking to explore different states or take a staycation in a park or mountain, a road trip is an ultimate means of wringing the most out of your adventure. However, remember that you will be miles away from your home. This is why you must carry the following essentials to render your trip fun, manageable, and, more importantly, safe.
First Aid Kit
Accessing medical care during a road trip could prove challenging, especially when touring remote parts f the country. This implies that you will need to play doctor at some point in case you or your travel companions sustain injuries or fall ill, which implies that you must be prepared for anything. To this end, ensure to carry an appropriate first aid kit filled with all the essentials.
Besides the necessary items found in a well-equipped first aid kit, you should add the following:
- Band-Aid
- Crepe bandage
- Specific medicines for your fellow travelers
- Motion sickness medicines
- Gloves
- Anti-allergens
- Antacids
- ORS
- Gauze
- Antiseptic drugs
- Appropriate medicines for fever and vomit
- Painkillers
It would also be in your best interest to check out first aid tutorials online, which will help you learn how to handle minor injuries. Also, don’t forget prescriptions for any pre-existing health conditions.
Tip: Ensure to pack enough essentials in your first aid kit for you and your companions.
Car Emergency Kit
Cars can experience mishaps unforeseeably, which makes it critical to carry an emergency kit. While most highways have small repair shops, the garages might be far apart. This means you might have to walk many miles to access a repair shop or even be forced to sleep in your car if the vehicle develops issues at night.
As such, ensure that you have an emergency kit filled with all the necessary tools, including the following:
- Duct tape
- Extra car fluids, including washer, engine oil, transmission oil, and brake fluid
- Booster cables
- Toolbag with such items as vise grips, 3/8th drive socket set, a set of crescent or combination wrenches, multiple tip screwdriver
- Roadside signal flares or reflective cones
- Spare belts such as the alternator, fan, and air conditioner belts
- Flashlight
- Knife
- Whistle
The above tools, coupled with a little consultation with your mechanic, could make a huge difference between getting back on the road and sleeping in your car all night.
Portable Dehumidifier
Moisture is an essential element in the environment as it stabilizes the climate and contributes to your health, comfort, and wellbeing. However, excess humidity, especially in enclosed spaces like in your car or RV, could adversely affect your comfort and health in the following ways:
- Causes an increase in temperature
- Hinders your body’s ability to cool off
- Lead to mold growth, which translates to musty odors and respiratory issues, especially to people with allergies
To prevent these issues, you may want to carry a portable well-rated dehumidifier. This device extracts the excess humidity from your indoor environment, including the inside of RVs and tents, to make them more habitable, which renders it an absolute necessity when traveling. A dehumidifier in a car is especially vital when looking to have a vacation near a lake or when traveling during summer when humidity levels in the air are typically high.
Some dehumidifiers are designed for cars, especially the desiccant type. Others are designed to extract moisture in large spaces like large RVs and buildings. It would help if you carried both types to ensure that you relish a comfortable road trip and stay once you get to your destination.
Spare Tires
Every driver has, at some point in their lives, experienced a flat tire. A flat tire is, at the very least, inconveniencing; it can also be downright dangerous and potentially jeopardize your safety and that of your companions. This is especially true if it occurs at night in the middle of nowhere or during bad weather days.
Therefore, it would be in your best interest to carry one or two spare tires alongside a car jack, roadside flares, reflective emergency triangles, a wheel wedge, flashlight, solar lamp, and a flat tire repair kit. It would also be a point plus if you watched tutorials regarding how to change a tire beforehand.
Maps, Smartphone, or GPS Locator
The last thing you want is to get lost while traveling or hiking; it can lead to bad memories or prove to be downright dangerous, especially when your destination has bad weather or wild animals. As such, it would be best if you carried a map, GPS locator, or smartphone. If possible, pack all three of these items as they have unique strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, GPRS or smartphones with a GPS app aren’t merely suitable for providing directions. They can also indicate which roads have less traffic or pinpoint important establishments like car repair shops, camping stations, and supply stores, which you cannot find on a paper map. A smartphone will also allow you to check weather forecasts and subsequently utilize that information to stay safe.
On the other hand, smartphones and GPRS devices are only usable with strong internet, which might not be available in remote areas. These devices also rely on batteries to remain operational, which is where a map will come in handy.
A Large Reusable Water Bottle
Staying hydrated during your travel is extremely important, which means you need to have sufficient water access. Since it might not be possible to get water at every stop, you will want to carry a large bottle. Ensure to refill the bottle whenever you encounter a clean water source. Besides, the water might come in handy when you need to refill your washer fluid.
Weather Protective gear
Traveling over long distances will potentially expose you to different climatic conditions. As such, it would help if you carry light clothes, umbrellas, blankets, as well as protective attires like raincoats, jackets, and boots.
Trash Bags or Cans
Keep the world clean by refraining from tossing trash off your RV’s window or leaving garbage everywhere you go. For this purpose, ensure to carry a trash bag or can and empty or dispose of it whenever you come across a dustbin. For instance, if the waste is organic food remnants or peels from fruits, dispose of it in soil and vegetation areas. Such waste will degrade with time and become a source of nutrients for the surrounding vegetation.
The Bottom Line
Imagine your favorite songs playing on the car stereo, feeling the wind in your hair, and passing through picturesque sceneries; all of these are within reach if you grab your keys and hit the road. Road trips are the best ways of exploring the countryside and discovering hidden gems in your country. While the expedition will give sweet memories and a chance to bond with your loved ones, the experience could easily be ruined by your failure to pack the essentials of a successful road trip. As such, make a list consisting of the above items and tick everything before hitting the road, which will allow you to have boundless fun.
