You’ve booked your weekend cabin, the vehicle has fresh oil, and you ran it through the carwash. But have you thought about how to get the inside of your vehicle and everything else road trip ready? That’s okay if you haven’t because I have. I’ve got the best road trip hacks for road trippers from me and some of my best friends! Read on.
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Road Trip Hacks For Road Trippers
Prepare your vehicle now for easy, organized, and clean driving. A well-prepared car for a road trip will help your trip flow more smoothly and stress-free. Isn’t’ that what we all want?
Have you ever stepped foot inside a filthy car, whether it’s yours or someone else’s? Do you remember how you felt? Back in the day, when I stepped foot in my friend’s car, I remember feeling somewhat uneasy. Her vehicle was disgusting – I couldn’t even think straight. Is that weird of me?
An organized car is a clutter-free, stress-free road trip.
Below are road trip hacks from me and several of my friends.
Road Safety
Alice says a car emergency kit is essential with everyday things like jump leads, but don’t forget the smaller items like a blanket, non-perishable snacks, an atlas, solar phone charger. These will make any potential breakdown or pauses much more comfortable. See her full article Safety Tips for Staying on the Road.
This road trip hack is a good one and one I had never thought about doing. James says to keep a jerrycan (yep, I had to look that word up too) of fuel in the trunk because you may be on unfamiliar roads, and the next gas station can be further away from what you expect cell will not always have coverage.
Related: 8 Hacks to Make Your Favorite Food Healthy
Road Trip Snack Hacks
Liberty says a neck pillow is a must for road trippers. She also made a nifty “snack string” that’s a must if you’re traveling with kids. It’s reachable for the kids, so it will not bother her while she’s resting on her neck pillow. It’s a must-see Simple Snack Idea While Traveling.
Make-ahead meals for your road trip is such a great idea, says Gavin, from Gav’s Kitchen. Here, he gives plenty of ideas on meals to make for your road trip so you won’t be tempted to stop at a fast-food chain. What a great idea >>>> Make-Ahead Meals for Road Trips
Organize and Cleaning Hacks
Using car organizers and accessories are timesavers to the road tripper, not to mention, you won’t have to pull over on the side of the road to find something – that’s time wasted – wouldn’t you agree? When you have everything in one place, you’ll know where to reach or tell the kids where something is stored.
Lynne suggests putting cupcake holders inside your car’s cup holders to keep them clean. All you have to do is take out the cupcake holder and throw it away—a very inexpensive way to keep your car clean for sure. See more of her road trip hacks, such as how to clean bug guts (ick), what to use as a trash can, and more ideas. Read all her road trip hacks every road tripper needs to know before heading out – Car Cleaning Hacks.
I can’t say enough about my organized car. My son and I are ready for our Labor Day Road Trip to another Getaway Tiny Cabin with my High Road car organizers – this time near Houston, TX. If you ever want to check out these cabins, enter the promo code GREENMOM to save $25.
Car Organizers For Road Trips:
Trunk and Cargo Bin – great to hold groceries in, or pack food for road trips, extra stuff, and really anything that you don’t want to roll around.
SwingAway Car Seat Organizer – I hang mine on the passenger seat to get to things easily. When on road trips, I’ll flip it around so my son can easily get to things in here and without my help.
Ultra DriverPocket Phone Organizer – this organizer can hook into the air vent with its hook and can store your phone as well as sunglasses, Kleenex, and whatever else you need close by you.
CarHop Seat Caddy and Cooler – this caddy is cool – I put it in the backseat and will hold our waters, cup, food, etc.
Being well-organized and clean is key to a stress-free lifestyle, and that goes for your car too. I keep a small head of a broom in my car at all times, so I can sweep it out when it needs it. And, it needs it all the time, so I stash it in one of my car organizers.
Navigation Hacks for Road Trips
Use the “Explore” function on your Google Maps app to drop pins at restaurants and worthwhile stops along your route. This function is ideal for those who prefer to plan out their road trips ahead of time. Perfect.
If you’re driving where cell service is iffy, and your car doesn’t have navigation, download a mobile map app that requires no WiFi or cell service before the trip, so you’ll never get lost!, says Jennifer with her Travel Organization Tips.
Just thinking about preparing for road trips can be stressful, so why not take some load off your shoulders and let the family in on the prepping part? Here are a few ways to do that: Travel Hacks for Packing.
Do you have any hacks for road trippers?