As travel restrictions gradually ease up in many areas across the UK, families, and groups of friends are beginning to plan their long-delayed leisure activities that were halted by the COVID-19 crisis. These activities include socially-distanced get-togethers, leisure vacations, and road trips, which affected individuals hope will bring a sense of normalcy amid a highly volatile and uncertain time.
If you, your family, or friends are looking forward to your road trip and are now planning things out, there are travel essentials that you need to take with you to guarantee a safe and comfortable trip. Here are eight road trip items that you should never leave home without:
Standalone bags/organizers.
Keeping your things neat and accessible should be among your top priorities before heading out to your destinations. Many road trip veterans agree that it’s highly convenient and efficient to have several standalone bags and organizers for different road trip needs.
Among others, you should have separate bags for your toiletries, swimming/hiking attire, travel clothes, and the like. Having one backpack for a day trip and another for quick travel stops will make wise use of your time and energy since you’ll have the right bag for a definite purpose.
Power sources and accessories.
You should never allow yourself to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with your mobile devices out of juice. As such, be sure to have different power sources and accessories to power up your smartphones, tablets, navigation device, and other items that require some juice to run.
Invest in fast-charging power cords, a multi-USB car charger (that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket), an inverter (perfect for your portable cooler and other power-hungry travel items), and several power banks. With these items, there should be no reason for your devices to run out of power while you travel.
Medicines and first aid kit.
Accidents and injuries can happen at any given time during a road trip, which is why you must bring a first aid kit and medicines with you.
For example, you should have an eyedrop or cool compress for immediate allergic conjunctivitis treatment and relief should anyone suddenly developed a pink eye (a pretty common thing during road trips, apparently). Likewise, you should bring over-the-counter medicines for the common cold, diarrhea, flu, and other common illnesses. If you have a companion that needs maintenance meds, then be sure to have a few week’s worth of those medicines for good measure.
Finally, be sure to bring a first aid kit (which you can easily find in a drug store or supermarket), so you’ll have something to treat simple injuries.
Energy bars and meals ready to eat (MRE).
If your itineraries include remote locations, food should be a primary concern. You can easily avoid getting hungry in the middle of nowhere by packing some energy bars and meals ready to eat (MREs). These survival items will give you a quick energy source if you found yourself in an area where restaurants and convenience stores are hard to find or even non-existent.
Waterproof bag.
You’ll never know when you’ll find yourself in a watery situation like a sudden downpour. If you’ll be heading outdoors, then placing your devices and clothes in a waterproof bag is inevitable. Waterproof bags are pretty inexpensive and easily-sourced, so be sure to have one for each vehicle occupant or a single bag that could hold all your delicate items like credit cards and mobile devices.
Comfortable clothes and one pair of formal clothing.
You should always wear comfortable clothing while traveling, so you’ll enjoy the trip with relative ease. Also, you’ll never know when you’ll need to wear something formal to one of your destinations, so it would wise to anticipate it by packing one pair of formal wear. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it ready.
Navigation and entertainment devices.
If you’re quite new to the areas included in your itineraries, then you should bring a dedicated navigation device such as a GPS. While your smartphone most likely has a built-in GPS and you can easily download navigation apps such as Waze and Google Maps, a dedicated navigation device is still a great idea.
Meanwhile, you need to bring entertainment devices such as music players, Bluetooth speakers, and tablets to keep everyone entertained throughout the trip. This is particularly important if you have restless kids traveling with you, as well as adult companions who are easily bored.
A spare phone.
Another critical item that you must bring with you is a spare mobile phone, which would come in handy if your main phone suddenly went bust. Having another communication device would guarantee you contact with local responders and relatives should anything go south during your road trip.
With these essential items in tow, your trip should be memorable and uneventful: a perfect escape from the hardships brought by the pandemic.
