image from flickr by cameron parkins

What to take in the car……..  Hopefully it won’t look like the one above!!!!  I try to have a checklist of things I want to take in the car whenever we go on one of our road trips.

1.  Emergency kit.  The one shown has jumper cables, first aid kit, flashlight, pliers, philips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, exacto knife, hammer to break window, flares, tire inflater that runs off car battery, fix a flat aerosole, WD -40, duct tape,  a rag to clean hands, and bungee cords.

2.  Bottled water

3.  GPS system

4.  guide books, maps, hotel/motel books

5.  little pillow and blanket

6.  snacks- I like almonds, dried fruit, and oh yeah, m&m peanuts

7.  membership cards (hotels, AAA, etc.)

8.  wet naps

9.  books on tape

10.  ipod with little speaker (the one shown works really well)

11.  spare tire and jack

12.  travel games

13.  travel computer

 14.  camera

15.  little trash bags

16.  kleenex

I always make sure that the passenger seat can recline as much as possible for those important naps!  We also pack an overnight case for those one night hotel stops so that we don’t have to lug all our luggage in to a hotel.