Road Trip Checklist

In the car: the emergency kit

Most of this fits in one small bag in the trunk, and you will probably never open it. That is the point.

• Jumper cables or a portable jump starter
• Flashlight with fresh batteries, or a headlamp
• Basic first aid kit with bandages, pain reliever, antihistamine, and any personal medication
• Phone charger, car charger, and a spare power bank
• Tire pressure gauge and a small air compressor
• Reflective triangles or flares
• Multi-tool, duct tape, and zip ties
• Gloves, a rag, and hand wipes
• Blanket, and warm layers in winter
• Extra water and non-perishable snacks
• Paper map or road atlas of the region, for dead zones

Documents and money

Keep these in one folder or pouch within reach, not buried in a suitcase. Take a photo of each as a backup and keep the pictures in a phone album.

Packing: clothes, comfort, and food

Pack one bag per person for the trip, plus one small overnight bag if you will stay in hotels for a night or two. That way you carry in only what you need for the evening and leave the big luggage in the car. Keep the heavy items low and the things you want during the drive within reach of the passenger.

• Clothes for the weather, plus one extra layer and a rain jacket
• Comfortable driving shoes and a second pair for walking
• Toiletries, sunscreen, and sunglasses
• Pillow and a light blanket for the passengers
• Reusable water bottles, and a cooler with ice packs for drinks and snacks
• Snacks that are easy to eat in a car: nuts, fruit, sandwiches, pretzels, jerky
• Trash bags, napkins, and wet wipes
• A small bag of coins or cash for tolls and parking meters
• Playlists or podcasts downloaded before you leave
• A small cooler bag for takeout leftovers or farm stand finds

Traveling with kids

A long drive with children is mostly a project in managing boredom and bathroom breaks. Plan the stops before you need them, and keep a bag of surprises ready.

• Plan a stop every two hours, and let kids pick the next one when they can.
• Pack a backpack for each child with books, a small notebook, crayons, and a toy or two.
• Wrap a few cheap new items, such as stickers or small puzzles, and hand them out in the second half of the day.
• Download shows, audiobooks, and music before you leave.
• Bring car seats installed and checked, and a change of clothes for each child in a reachable bag.
• Keep wipes, a spare shirt, plastic bags, and a roll of paper towels within arm's reach for motion sickness.
• Play car games: the license plate game, twenty questions, a road-sign scavenger hunt.
• Give each child a small notebook to draw or write something about each stop.

Traveling with pets

• Use a crash-tested carrier, a harness with a seat belt tether, or a secured crate. A loose pet is a danger to everyone in the car.
• Pack food, a water bowl, bottled water, treats, a leash, waste bags, and any medication.
• Bring vaccination records, and a recent photo of your pet in case it gets lost.
• Stop every two to three hours for water, a walk, and a bathroom break, and never leave a pet in a parked car.
• Confirm ahead that each hotel or rental allows pets, and ask about fees.
• Make sure the ID tag and microchip details are current.
• Bring a familiar blanket or toy, and a towel for muddy paws.

Phone, apps, and offline maps

Cell coverage is thinner than you think in national parks, mountain passes, and long stretches of desert. Download what you need before you lose the signal, not after.

1. Download offline maps of the whole region in your maps app, not only the starting city.
2. Save the hotel addresses, parking details, and key phone numbers to your phone and write them on paper.
3. Download playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks over Wi-Fi.
4. Install a gas-price or fuel-station app and a rest-stop finder.
5. Add an app for road closures, construction, and weather alerts for your route.
6. Share your live location with a family member at home, and tell them the route you plan to take.
7. Bring a car mount, so no one needs to hold a phone while driving.

Turn on the maps app's offline mode before you leave and test it with airplane mode on, so you find out about gaps at home.

The printable checklist

Copy this list into a note, or print the page and tick items off. Check each item the night before and again the morning you leave.

Keep a trip log as you go

A trip is gone faster than you expect. A few notes along the way turn it into something you can reread. Keep it light: a line or two at each stop, a photo, the odometer reading when you start and finish each day, and where you ate. At the end of the trip, those notes tell you the real mileage, which stops you loved, and what to skip next time.

• Write down the odometer when you leave and when you arrive each day.
• Note the place, the time, and one detail: what you ate, who you met, what the weather did.
• Take one photo at each stop, even a dull one. The dull ones become the funniest later.
• Let the passengers keep the log, so the driver can stay on the road.
• Record how each day felt, in a word. It makes the trip easier to remember than a list of towns.

Mile Marker is a logbook for exactly this. A one-handed composer is built for the passenger seat. Each entry can have text, a photo, a place, an odometer reading, and a rubber-stamp mood. Entries are grouped by day, plotted on a route map when they have a location, and totaled into days, entries, miles, and places. At the end, the whole trip becomes a printable zine you can share or put on a shelf.