How To Pack A Car Ready For A Road Trip

Road trips offer a great way to embrace the sights and scenery of wherever the wind (or wheels) takes you, all whilst spending quality time with friends or family. To really make the most of your time away on the road, the travel and car hire experts at Autoclick have provided some tips to make packing your car for your trip away as efficient and stress-free as possible.

What Will You Need Along The Way?

Firstly, think about what you might make use of straight away, before you reach your first stop. It’s a good idea to create a list of all the necessities to make sure they come in the car with you, and don’t get lost in the boot amongst all the bags and boxes.

A lot of road trippers like to take these items in the car with them:

• • Food & drink – to see you through to lunch or your first stop
  • In-car chargers – for phones, sat navs, etc.
  • Wet wipes & tissues
  • Money
  • Books & Magazines
  • A rubbish bag – a clean & tidy space makes the road trip more enjoyable
  • Audiobooks
  • Blankets & pillows
  • Sickness bags – you never know, you might need them
  • Travel games
  • Sat Nav and Maps
  • First aid kit
  • Spare keys – keep them in an everyday bag, so that you don’t leave them behind in the car
  • Cameras – there’s plenty to see and create memories of throughout road trips

Of course, these are just a few examples, so be sure to create a personalised list of your own in-car needs, and tick them off as you get them ready.

Make The Most Of Your Boot

If you can, try to use bags and soft suitcases rather than storage boxes, when possible. This will allow more room for additional add-ins at the end. Roll up your clothes rather than folding – you’ll have even more room for extra items in your case!

Space bags and packing cubes provide brilliant space-saving packing solutions. Larger carriers should go into the boot first, with the heaviest towards the back. Although smaller items should be packed towards the top of the pile, try to make sure that they are secure, so they won’t fly into the front of the car during any sharp braking.

Will you be making a quick overnight stop before your first destination? Pack some overnight bags and make sure they sit on the top of everything else. That way, you won’t have to waste  time searching for those essential items you need that evening. Similarly, think about what you will be using the most during the road trip and try to keep them on top. Don’t forget to keep your spare tyre easily accessible.

Plenty Of Space Outside The Boot

There are plenty of additional spaces in the car, that can be used as extra storage stows. Try keeping any additional shoes underneath passenger seats. An extra bag can probably also fit by the passenger’s feet.

Safety Tips

It’s important that you don’t overload the car to avoid breakdowns. Along the way, always keep an eye on your temperature gauge – a car that’s too heavy can overheat.

When adding luggage to your boot, bear in mind that you will need to leave some space towards the top of the car, so that you can see out of the back window.

There’s no doubt that you will have a fantastic time during your road trip, but packing your car in the best way and keeping the space clean and tidy can only make your time away even more relaxing.