Road Trip Essentials

Last year I took a road trip from Edinburgh through the Scottish Highlands and up to Loch Ness. It was my first road trip without my parents and a great experience. I think I saw a lot more of the country than I would have by train or plane.

I learnt a lot on that trip from what to bring, to road safety and how to prevent arguments with your passengers! So today I wanted to share my essentials for a great road trip as part of my staycation series.

Road Trip Essentials

Service and MOT
It’s important your car is in good working order before any road trip so this is the perfect time to schedule a service with your garage, or a MOT if it’s due.

Before my road trip I asked my garage to check my tyres, tracking and oil – better safe than sorry. I also topped up my washer fluid before heading off.

Emergency car kit
I wrote about having an emergency car kit and a first aid kit last month, but wanted to touch on it briefly again. Things to consider packing include jump leads, spare tyre and jack, tyre pressure gauge, ice scraper, washer fluid, torch etc.

Vehicle paperwork

Make sure to bring along your driving licence and a copy of your insurance details just in case.

It’s also a good idea to make a note of your road cover assistance details and to keep a pen and paper handy.

Hard copy maps

Technology can fail us and you may lose GPS signal along your route so paper maps are great back up to have. I also print off a copy of my route plan which I download from Google maps.

Hard copies of your itinerary

Once I went to London by coach on my own and my phone died on me – I didn’t have a hard copy of my ticket or my booking confirmation! Thankfully the driver let me charge my phone on the coach enough to show him the ticket but now I keep hard copies of everything from travel tickets to booking confirmations for hotels, campsites or attractions.

Snacks

Think of snacks that have a long shelf life when planning your road trip such as breakfast bars, crisps, nuts, biscuits, sweets and mints. Along with some lunch options like sandwiches or pasta which can be stored in a cool box or cool bag. Don’t forget to pack ice blocks!

It’s important to stay hydrated during your trip so I pack a reusable water bottle and flask. Not only is it more environmentally friendly than using plastic bottles you’re also saving money at service stations.

Picnic blanket

For sitting on while you’re stopped for lunch or to use on the beach.

Camera

To document all those memories.

Playlist

For music think classic rock songs, cheesy songs or anything you can have a sing-a-long too. My favourite is Disney. 😉

You could also listen to audio books or podcasts while you’re driving.

How do you prepare for a road trip? What essentials would you bring with you? Let me know in the comments. x