What should i have in my car on a long trip?

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metzlaureate

A small/midsized cooler, w/about 2-3 water bottles per person. Save $$ by keeping 2 jugs of water in larger cooler in back of car or trunk, start out with 1 jug frozen & 1 cold. Refill personal bottles every time you stop so you'll always have a cold bottle at hand. Run out of water? Try to stop at local grocery store instead of convenience store, usually cheaper to buy the big jug of distilled or spring water there. A loaf of bread, p-nut butter (or bolognoa or other lunchmeats) & small jar of jelly. Light easy to eat while driving snacks, crackers, trail mix...Take a small storage container with a lid (like shoebox sized) to store anything you want to have at hand in the front for easy access so the stuff won't roll out of your reach while driving. Put anything you'll only use while stopped (like sandwich making stuff) in a paper grocery sack or another storage container in the back. Keep a few pieces of easy to eat fruit, apple, pear, etc... in smaller cooler at front. A large ziplock bag with some plastic utensils & other eating essentials, salt/pepper, ketchup packets, etc... A roll of paper towels, bottle of window cleaner,some plastic grocery sacks, a ziplock or cannister of baby wipes, for cleanups. If you have supplies like these at hand you can save yourself a lot of $$ especially with gas prices the way they are. A friend of mine & I did cross country from MI to CA once and we took all of above. We'd leave our hotel go to the local grocery store in the town we were staying at and get ice and anything we'd run out of before we hit the road again. Usually we'd eat lunch on the road at a rest stop, and then we could afford a decent meal in the evening when we stopped for the night. If the hotel water was decent tasting we'd even fill our jugs up there.
Keep an extra change of clothes in a small sack in case of spillage or weather changes for ease of changing so you don't have to unpack the entire car to get to your suitcases.
Emergency essentials: first aid kit (include items for nausea, headache, sinus stuff, bandaids, etc...), road maps, owners manual for your car in case of breakdown along with the numbers & info on your insurance, both car AND health. If traveling through desert conditions might be a good idea to include extra jug of water in trunk in case of overheating. (Best to have car thoroughly checked before leaving, oil, tune up if needed, tires, breaks, wipers & washer fluid (include a bottle of this too). Some way of contacting outside world in case of emergency either emergency radio or cell phone. Have a list handy of important numbers to your friends and family back home. Old blanket or sheet, good to spread out on ground or picnic table. & finally, if you're traveling with kids....well the best thing to have is your sense of humor. Have fun. ;-)

ironica7

Water, in case your car overheats.

Amber I

healthy snacks, paper towels, glass cleaner (to clean bugs from your windshield so you can see where your going), also kleenex and water bottles.

Tim

a driver...

Cassie

I've driven across the country a couple of time to move, so here's what I usually have with me.

*Music - cds, satellite radio. remember, you can't use ear buds or headphones while driving, so an ipod might be a little problematic
*Bottled water
*Snacks
*Garbage bags
*Road atlas
*A roll of paper towels - which can also double as toilet paper in a pinch
*Spare tire, car jack, lug nut wrench, jumper cables, flares - all very necessary!
*Flashlight w/ batteries
*Gas can - in case you run out of gas
*First aid kit
*Blanket &/or sleeping bag, with pillow - in case you need to pull over to the side of the road, or stop at a rest area, for a little nap
*Tent (optional) - camping can be cheaper than a hotel, if you're going somewhere in the summer
*Another person - to switch with driving every 4 hours and for company. or if you're by yourself, you should stop every 4 hours to walk around for a bit. it helps with driving fatigue.
*Sunglasses
*Cell phone w/ car charger & travel charger - good luck with coverage! the entire state of Nebraska was one long dead spot for me
*AAA or some kind of road side service, since you might need it
*Money, check card, or credit card - of course. cash/change is nice for the vending machines at some rest areas, as well as toll money. you might want to check your route for toll roads, bridges, etc. bringing along a roll of quarters can't hurt.

Plus whatever clothes and necessities you'll need to get where you're going. Enjoy, and good luck!

Joy M

*water
*tissues
*gas
*CDs or iPod
*another person

Maria32183

Lots and Lots of MUSIC!

erik c

roll of duct tape
water that could be drank or used in radiator
extra quarts of oil
basic tool kit
basic first aid kit
cell phone with charger
jumper cables
fuses that your car requires
small shovel and axe
road flares or some sort of equivalent signaling device
umbrella
emergency blankets or tarp
spare tire and jack
book on how to repair your car ( can be gotten in almost any parts store)
power steering fluid
break fluid
maybe spare belts for fan, air conditioning etc etc
flashlight with extra batteries
portable batter charger that plugs into lighter

Seems like a lot of stuff but that's what I carry in my car on a daily basis. Allows you to make small repairs yourself and to perhaps get out of emergency situation. Has come in handy on more than one occasion.

thaKing

gas

vickeymcgee

How about: water, some food, blankets, something to read. Some tools. A first aid kit. A little bit of this & that. Anything you might need just in case....oh, don't forget a flashlight with fresh batteries.

cozjeanda

first aid kit , blanket, flashlight, maps, bottled water to drink, and jug of water if car overheats, jumper cables, matches, snack foods, spare tire is good shape, cds or tapes, kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, air freshener, cooler for ice, gas, all car fluids full,

kelly_belly_21

lots of money for gas and food, your cell phone, and a small bag for your garbage.

jdm

You should have in your car--and almost always, not just for short trips--

A first aid kit
A flash-light
A tire-iron, spare and small jack
Water for you and your car (just in case)
A blanket
A small pillow
Socks, underwear and a t-shirt (you never know)
A box of tissues
A Repair manual for your car
Flares
A cell phone
CDs
A small plastic bag for trash
A road atlas

peter p

Ear muffs! That is, if you have a companion who loves to talk.

Jenney C

non perishable food, water(for you and the car, oil, transmission fluid, a jack, check you spare, a blanket a gas can and a map off mapquest with your route marked exactly and print an extra copy of the map to a friend or family member with an estimated time of arrival so if you have trouble along the way someone knows where to look. probably bot neccessary but err on the side of caution. also take a hat so if you and up having to walk for help because of xar trouble or something you can shield yourself in the heat, good luck and be safe

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