Road Trip Packing List: What to Pack For a Road Trip

Hitting the road and trying to figure out what to pack for a road trip? Putting together a road trip packing list can be a daunting task, I know. 

On one hand, you have the freedom to pack as much road trip gear into your car as you want. Car trips give you the luxury of trunk space and backseats to fill to your heart’s content. Plus, you don’t have to worry about TSA restrictions on how much shampoo you can carry nor do you have to pay extra fees for overweight suitcases.

On the other hand, you still want to pack light and pack smart. No one wants to spend precious travel time that could be used cruising the highway, admiring the world’s largest catsup bottle, or chowing down on fried chicken to instead sort through a messy trunk full of junk just to find their bathing suit.

Your road trip packing list should be thorough, yet concise. It should take into account how long you’ll be on the road, where you’ll be going, and what you’ll be doing on the way, all while balancing your ultimate needs for keeping safe and smart on the road.

Ready to pack your bags and hit the road? I’ve been taking American road trips for years, racking up tens of thousands of miles and perfecting the art of packing for a road trip along the way. So if you need help figuring out what to pack for a road trip, I’ve compiled this ultimate road trip packing list to get you organized and ready to travel. Let’s hit the gas and go…

Need more road trip packing inspiration? Check out these other articles about what to bring on a roadtrip:

• Fun Things to Pack for a Road Trip
• Fun Things to Bring on a Road Trip
• The best road trip luggage for car travel
• Four Essential Road Trip Bags (and what to put in them)
• Route 66 Packing List

Ultimate Road Trip Packing List: What to Pack For a Road Trip

Road Trip Packing List Essentials

These items are your road trip essentials: things you should never leave home without. You’ll always want to make sure you have the proper identification and your car’s registration along with access to enough money to get you where you’re going .

These are the physical road trip items that you absolutely need to pack, but it’s also a great idea to email yourself scanned copies of your passport and drivers license and have on hand relevant contact numbers for your insurance provider, doctor and pediatrician, roadside assistance.

Road Trip List of Essentials

Our Picks for Road Trip Packing Essentials

Fancy Mobility Car Sun Visor Organizer

Organize your important documents in a convenient wallet that clips to your car’s sun visor. Never misplace your car registration or important documents again.

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High Road Glove Box Organizer 

Keep all your registration and insurance documents in one place with a small folder that tucks into your glovebox for the ultimate in organization and convenience.

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Road Trip Electronics

Even if you’re taking a slow drive down a classic road, a modern road trip isn’t complete without a little technology. You’ll definitely want your phone to document your road trip on social media, stay connected, snap some photos, and access your GPS and music (not to mention make a call in case of emergency). And, if you’re like me, and love taking photos of landscapes, roadside attractions, and your food, you’ll probably want a separate camera like a DSLR or a mirrorless model, for better quality snapshots.

If you’re traveling with friends or family, they might want some road trip entertainment, or distraction, while your eyes are on the road. So, for your traveling companions, extra tablets, e-readers, or iPods are essential.

And, of course, you’re going to need to keep all of those electronics charged and in a convenient place. Don’t forget to bring your chargers and consider getting an extra car charger and/or external charger to make sure your battery power lasts. Be sure to also invest in a phone mount for your car, so it’s easily accessible and visible when you’re using it as a GPS.

Electronic Packing List

Our Picks for Electronics to Pack for a Road Trip

Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Camera

The Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Camera is a favorite road trip camera and an essential item in a road trip kit. This mirrorless camera is one of the most affordable full-frame models and offers sharp photos and 4K video in an easy-to-carry package. And the front-facing LCD makes taking road trip selfies a breeze! It’s perfect for capturing all the world’s largest things. Check out our full list of the best road trip cameras for more recommendations!

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Fire Tablet

Individual tablets allow car passengers to watch movies, listen to music, read, or play games on long car rides.

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Hands-Free Car Phone Mount

Having a car mount for your phone allows you to put it front and center on your car dashboard where you can easily see your turn-by-turn directions or take hands-free calls from the driver’s seat.

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Multi USB Car Charger

If you have multiple passengers and multiple devices, you’re going to have a lot of electronics to charge. Keep everyone happy with a multi-port USB car charger to charge up to six phones, tablets, cameras, and more at once.

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Road Trip Necessities for Navigation

You can’t get where you’re going unless you know how to get there. Maps, both electronic and paper, are essential items for your weekend trip or cross country road trip packing list. 

Sure, your smartphone or car probably has built-in GPS functionality so be sure you have a charged phone with an app like Google Maps installed (pro tip: Google Maps lets you download offline maps so you can still access them if you can’t get a data or wifi signal).

If you don’t have a smart phone, know your kids will be hogging yours the whole way, or have an older car, you might want to get a separate car GPS navigator to give you turn-by-turn directions and alerts for your drive.

Of course, even if you’re relying on a phone or GPS to guide you on your way, it’s always a good idea to keep a paper map on hand. I always keep an American road atlas in my car that shows all the highways and byways of the country.  That way if your phone dies or is lost or breaks, you’re not flying (or driving) blind.

Packing List for Road Trip Navigation:

Our Picks for Navigation Essentials

Garmin GPS Navigator 

Even if your phone has GPS capabilities, it’s a good idea to invest in a separate GPS navigator. That was you have that extra insurance in case your phone dies, loses contact, or is in use by a backseat passenger.

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Rand McNally Road Atlas

If technology fails you, always have a backup. Explore the roads in all 50 U.S. states and over 350 cites and national parks. A road atlas is always on my list of road trip must haves.

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Road Trip Clothes Packing List

When deciding what to wear on a road trip, the number one thing to keep in mind is comfort. You’ll be spending most of your travel time in the car and you don’t want to be dealing with too-tight jeans or a too-hot coat.

When dressing for a road trip, I like to throw on a short cotton dress, some slip ons, and a hoodie and call it a day, but it’s important to pack variety of road trip clothing when dealing with different locations and different climates.

What you pack to wear is entirely dependent on what you normally wear and where you’re going. If you never wear dresses, don’t pack them, there’s no need to dress drastically different for a road trip than you would back home. And unless you’re road tripping to a wedding, you probably don’t need to pack a suit.

That said, you might want to be prepared for different situations. Maybe bring a sports coat or dress just in case you want to treat yourself to a nice night out. Bring a bathing suit even if you’re not going to the beach – you might stay at a hotel that has a pool. And always be prepared for temperature changes just in case, bringing some warmer-weather clothes like t-shirts and shorts to colder destinations and a sweater and pants to warmer places.

I always keep a warm hoodie on hand just in case a restaurant is too cold for my liking. And, if I am planning on going hiking or to a beach, I like to keep those clothes in a separate, easy-to-reach bag and change once I get there. Wearing a bathing suit for five hours in the car isn’t exactly the most comfortable wardrobe choice.

And please don’t forget all the other road trip wardrobe essentials: bras, underwear, socks, and a variety of shoes.

Best Road Trip Clothes Ideas for Her

Best Road Trip Clothes Ideas for Him

Road Trip Clothes for Kids

Our Picks for What Clothes to Pack for a Road Trip

Sherpa-Lined Full-Zip Hooded Fleece Sweatshirt

No matter what the weather is like, when I’m road tripping I always keep a fleece hoodie close by. You never know when you’re going to enter a too-cold car, restaurant, or hotel room and that extra layer can go a long way.

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Road Trippin T-Shirt

Wear your love of road tripping on your sleeve…or on your chest. Road-trip themed t-shirts like this vintage distressed shirt are always a fun addition to your road trip clothing wardrobe.

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Polarized Sunglasses

Polarized sun glasses are a must-pack item for any road trip. Protect your eyes from harmful rays, fight glare while driving, and look cool on the beach with a good-quality pair of shades

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Road Trip Toiletries

One of the best reasons to choose car travel over plane travel is the ability to pack full-sized toiletries and as many of them as you like. There are no 3-ounce rules in your car. Still, you don’t want to go overboard or your trunk could easily be half-full of shampoo bottles.

How many bath and body products you bring really depends on how long you’re traveling and where you’re staying. For a quick weekend trip, some travel-sized toiletries may be all you need. For a longer vacation, you might want to add more to your list of what to bring on road trip.

Keep in mind that most hotels offer free travel-sized bathroom goodies. Also, if you’re traveling as a family, try to share wherever you can!

Don’t forget to bring any medications you need and some extra medicine for any foreseeable problems. You don’t want a headache or an upset stomach ruining your road trip.

Road Trip Supplies and Toiletries List

Our Picks for Road Trip Toiletries

Convenience Kits Men’s Premium Travel Kit

This 20-piece travel toiletry kit compiles everything you need in one package. Get shaving cream, shampoo, deodorant, lip balm and more in a compact package great for on the go travelers.

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Convenience Kits Women’s Premium Travel Kit

Get everything you need in one convenient package. This 20-piece toiletry kit contains shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, disposable razor, and more.

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Entertainment Options

While for some, the thrill of driving and seeing the country is all the entertainment they need, for others, a few extra entertainment choices can go a long way. 

If your car is packed with passengers be sure to have plenty of entertainment options packed, like road trip games, DVDs, and toys. Be sure to load up your iPhone with music, audio books, and podcasts before your journey and give everyone in the car a turn at picking what you listen to.

Things to Bring on a Road Trip for Entertainment

• iPhone Loaded with Music
• iPod
• Headphones
• Waterproof Cameras
• Puzzle Books like Suduko
• Road Trip Games
• Road Trip Journals, Pens, and Crayons
• Books and Magazines
• Electronic Games.
• DVDs and Portable DVD Player
• Toys
• Binoculars

Our Picks for What to Bring on a Road Trip for Entertainment

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation. The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book features fun and engaging journal prompts. plus 100 activities and games to play in the car, at your hotel, or at stops along your route.

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Portable Dual DVD Players

A duel car DVD player that clips to your headrests can provide hours of entertainment for road trip passengers. This one plays DVDs or digital files stored on a USB or card reader.

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Road Trip Journal

Record your road trip adventure with a road trip journal, complete with prompts to help you document where you went, what you saw, and what you ate!

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Nintendo Switch

Play all your favorite games on the go. Keep your family entertained and never hear, “are we there yet?” again. The portable design of the Nintendo Switch makes it the perfect gaming system for road trips and back seat play.

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Snacks to Take on a Road Trip

Whether you’re traveling near or far, it’s always good to have some road trip snacks on hand. I like to pack snacks ahead of time because it’s cheaper to buy larger quantities at the grocery store than it is buying one-off candy bars and Cokes at gas station shops.

What snacks to bring on a road trip is entirely up to you and your passengers’ tastes. Do you like salty or sweet? Healthy or meat? It’s good to have a mix of sinful snacks like candy and chips along with some healthier options like nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

I always try to avoid anything that is too messy: keep in mind that chips can get crushed and greasy and chocolate can melt. I always had a rule of no “orange” food, like Cheetos or Doritos, in my car because I didn’t want orange dust all over!

Be sure to also pack a cooler with ice packs for drinks and bring along a portable water bottle and coffee cup to fill up at hotels.

Road Trip Food List

If you’re planning on picnicking or camping, or just want to save money on dining, you might want to pack some extra food such as:

And don’t forget to pack some extras to keep your food fresh, safe, and accessible: and your car (and passengers) clean:

Our Picks for Snack Things to Take on a Road Trip

Waterproof Soft-Sided Cooler Bag

If you’re packing snacks, a cooler is a must-have item on your USA road trip packing list. Stock up on drinks and keep them cold so you don’t have to buy a soda every time you stop for gas or load it up on sandwich fixings and hot dogs for a camping adventure. A high-quality soft sided cooler like this RTIC model is the way to go: it’s more flexible design allows it to squeeze into valuable trunk space and will keep your food chilled for days at a time.

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Reusable Travel Mug

Reusable travel mugs keep cold beverages cold and hot beverages hot for hours. You’ll save money and time (and the environment) on road trips by filling it up at hotels so you always have refreshing water or pick-me-up coffee on hand.

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Snack Chest Care Package

Can’t decide what snacks to pack for a road trip? Get a variety pack! You can get a big box of road trip snacks delivered to your door packed with your favorite treats. If you’re looking to snack lighter on your road trip go for a healthy snack pack filled with veggie straws, fruit snacks, granola bars, and trail mix.

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Waterproof Picnic Backpack

If you’re planning on packing your own food, camping, or picnicking on your road trip, consider getting a picnic backpack complete with plates, glasses, and utensils. It’s better for the environment than using disposable plastic plates and forks, and will have every thing you need to eat your meals on the go.

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Road Trip with Kids Packing List

If you’re a family road tripping with kids, you have a whole new list of packing needs (in fact, you might want to pack an extra car). I don’t have kids myself, so you’d make the better call as to what should go on your family road trip packing list. But ,when thinking about what to pack for a roadtrip with kids, here are some essentials.

Packing List for Road Trip with Kids

Our Picks for Road Trip Necessities for Kids

Kids Travel Tray for Toddler Car Seat

This foldable, compact travel tray gives your child the freedom to keep his or her things at arm’s length and a surface to play on short or long car trips.

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National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas

Entertain your kids with this educational book featuring maps, games, activities, and more.

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Road Trip Items for Your Car

For the best long car trip experience, make sure you always have these road trip essentials on hand. These are little things that can make a big difference in the comfort of you and your passengers and keep your road trip running smooth. From organizers to keep you organized to baby wipes to keep you clean to an umbrella just in case it rains, you won’t want to shift into drive without these items on hand.

What to Pack in the Car for a Road Trip

Our Picks for Your Car Trip Packing List

Backseat Car Organizer

Keep everything neat and organized on your next road trip with a car organizer that slips over the back of the front seats and has room for tablets, toys, games, snacks, and all the other road trip essentials you need on hand.

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Car Trunk Organizer

With three spacious compartments and some extra side pockets, a car trunk organizer like this one will help keep your snacks, supplies, and emergency items in one convenient place.

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Spill-Proof Car Trash Can

Keep your car clear of candy wrappers, messy napkins, and fast food receipts with a compact garbage can that attaches to the headrest, console, or side door.

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Road Trip Safety Essentials

When planning your what to pack for a road trip checklist, you can’t forget the safety essentials. These are things to have on hand just in case, to protect you, your car, and your passengers, if something goes wrong.

You should definitely have a roadside emergency kit in your car. This will help you whether you run out of gas, pop a tire, or have a dead battery. You should also have a first aid kit on hand to treat any minor medical mishaps that might otherwise dampen your vacation.

It’s always best to be prepared, so don’t leave on a road trip without having these items packed in your car.

Safety Essentials Road Trip List

For winter road trips or snowy locations you should also bring:

Our Picks For Safety Things to Pack for a Road Trip

Auto Emergency Kit

You can never be too prepared when packing for a road trip. Keeping a car emergency kit in your trunk is a must for road trips both short and long. This one has an air compressor, reflective warning triangle, tow rope, hammer, jumper cables, and more to give you peace of mind that you’re prepared for any emergency on the road.

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Small First Aid Kit

Be prepared for anything by storing a first aid kit in your car. Choose a waterproof model like this one packed with everything you expect and need: antiseptic wipes, adhesive bandages, an emergency blanket, splinter probes, and more.

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3-Piece Snow Survival Kit

If you’re taking a winter road trip, you have to be prepared for the elements. You don’t want snow to ruin your drive. At the very least equip your car with a windshield ice scraper, a mini hand car windshield snow scraper, and an aluminum car safety shovel before you take off.

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Road Trip Bags and Luggage

With all those items to pack for your road trip, you’re going to need a place to store them. Choose a duffel bag, suitcase, or backpack for your clothes, a toiletry bag for your bathroom needs, and a smaller road trip backpack and/or purse for use during the day. You might also want to bring along a laundry bag to separate your used clothes from your clean clothes and a couple of extra bags to organize your sweatshirts, snacks, and anything else you want to keep on close to hand in the car.

Looking for the best road trip luggage and bags? Check out these additional articles:

• Four Essential Road Trip Bags (and what to put in them)
• The best road trip luggage for car travel

Luggage to Bring on a Road Trip

Our Picks for Road Trip Bag and Luggage

Canvas Duffle Bag for Travel

Duffle bags make for great road trip luggage. The soft exterior make them flexible when storing in the trunk, the straps and handles make them easy to carry up to a hotel room, and the multiple compartments make organizing your bag a breeze.

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Osprey Packs Daylite Daypack

On a road trip, you always want to bring a small, empty backpack to use as a daypack. Use it to take only the essentials to the beach, hiking, or theme parks so you don’t have to lug around your luggage or go without.

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Road Trip Purse

When choosing a road trip purse you should pick something that is bulky enough to hold all your essentials (wallet, phone, car keys, sunscreen, etc.) but not so big that you might as well exchange it for a backpack. I like a nylon crossbody bag that is easy to carry and has plenty of space without the extra weight.

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Road Trip Packing List Printable Download

Download our free road trip packing list printable with all the essential ideas for what to bring on a road trip. Print it off while you’re packing your bags and cross out the items you go.

Download Road Trip Packing List PDF

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Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash