Essential Stuff to carry on a long journey by car/van

Hello IL'ites,

Sure all of us would have made long trips by car and this applies to everyone irrespective of where we reside.

Even in India, when we go out for making temple trips, sightseeing trips to cover more than one place..we take the car- either we own them or rent them for the journey.

Especially when we hire a driver for the duration, we can enjoy our car ride and some pressure is reduced.

On the other hand, when we are living abroad, most of the time, we are behind the wheels for car driving since hiring a driver will be a costly affair !

But to make the long drive more safe and entertaining, we will need to carry some essential items.

Many of us will already have our

Car registration & Insurance information (with copies) in our car dash board.

Of course, if we are driving, the driving license is another vital stuff needed.

Let us brainstorm together and compile a list as to what are the most important things needed during our long drives by car...

Some things right off the top of my head are: Essentials

(1) As mentioned above - Car Registration documents, Car Insurance, Driving License

(2) Torch light with extra batteries

(3) Camera ( even one time use cameras are ok)

(4) Pens/Pencils

(5) Scribbling pad

(6) Atleast a box of paper tissues/wet wipes

(7) Cell phones fully charged

(8 ) First-aid kit ( with medicines included)

Now for the entertaining part

(9) Lots of CD's with our favorite songs- This makes the trip more peppy & groovy - sure not to the extent of getting distracted !

(10) If DVD player is installed, then good Dvd's for kids

(11) Portable game players like gameboy/nintendo ds for kids again

(12) Good books for reading ( although personally I feel it makes us dizzy when we read during car drive)

Food & Drinks...extremely essential...

(13) Definitely, we need to carry lots of water bottles & juices

(14) Picnic food neatly packed- the items that can withstand the long journey like idlis, chapathis, rice items etc. Or some may prefer to make stops for food..


But it is good to have atleast some snack items, incase we don't plan to stop for quite a while.

When we have babies/toddlers, we need to have food,drinks, wipes and change of diapers & dresses ready for them too. Some toys/diversions for them, in case they become restless or start crying.


(15) Plastic bags/trash bags/newspapers etc


(16) Have lots of change, in case we need to pay money for tolls.

IMPORTANT : Familiarise with/ Know the route or be well equipped with maps, GPS /other navigators etc. This is very essential.

We should also be prepared for delays due to traffic/accidents and start early to avoid these.


Have I missed out anything? Please contribute your ideas to this list...

What do you all carry when you go on long drives by car?


Cheers
Krithika

16 views & 0 replies? !

Sorry Krithika Just saw this;
Very nice list.. you seem to have covered all.
We also take tamarind rice, lemon rice and curd rice among those things u mentioned.. my family will not go long distance without these food items.. needless to say pakoda is another favorite too

Hi Krithika,

Just saw this thread. You have covered almost everything I take on our trips.
I might add a few.
We like to take a flask of tea- it has become a must.
If it is summer that we are traveling, instead I carry a few packets of Emergenc in different flavors that we can add to water and feel energized.
I also carry a few towels.
Advil
Sunblock lotion,chapstick,hand lotion,foot lotion
Good walking shoes in case of hikes

Cheers

Hi Krithika and sundarUsha

Thanks for the useful tips. you have covered everything.

hi....

i think we mjust carry address and contact number of our friends and relatives living in that area or who are well known to us...and we must keep the few details of that area, like which will be the nearest hospital, police station, these are not required we dont think such thing before planning an outing but one must be ready with these too address of good restaurant, guest house...we may need them in case of emergency.

hi krithika,
your list is quite comprehensive...i could only think of few more things...
- eye masks (if someone wants to sleep)
- alcohol gel hand sanitiser for quick cleaning hands...
- neck pillows
- box of wet tissues
- chewing gum/polo mint
- goggles/sun hats
- in case travelling with baby/toddler some disposable plastic table cloths to avoid messing up car upholstery...

and also the items mentioned in other FBs

Dear krithika,

Good job.Now i can make complete a list.
I hate car travel (due to vomit sensation).But my dh prefers it and he loves to drive the car.
i will give my list too.
1.Avomine(we never travel without this) for me and my dd. and headache medicine. and all other medicines.
2.lemon pieces
3.plastic covers
4.paper plates
5.paper tumblers
6.knife,spoons
7.apple(i give only apples to my dd during travel)
8.a big packet of chocolates,mint,polos,mittais and kadalai urundais(for my dh)(A definite fight bet my dd and dh for the chocolates )
9 pillows
10 water bottles
11.cassettes and ipod too.
12.Address book, pen,paper
13. digicam
14.originals of rc.(sometimes when we cross the state border, police people ask for the originals)
15.change(10 rs notes and 1 re coins)

Dear AC,

Thanks for stepping in and giving your inputs !

You are right, we definitely need lots of good food, especially all the rice items you have mentioned. If you notice no.(14) I have mentioned rice items.....and yes...Pakoda is a great idea too !

Cheers
Krithika

Originally Posted by anandchitra

Sorry Krithika Just saw this;
Very nice list.. you seem to have covered all.
We also take tamarind rice, lemon rice and curd rice among those things u mentioned.. my family will not go long distance without these food items.. needless to say pakoda is another favorite too

Hi Sundarusha,

Fantastic ! You have added more essentials to this list..thanks a lot !
Yes, we can carry these medicines inside the first aid kit & ofcourse some energy bars/drinks as you have rightly mentioned .

And yes, we do carry "Neer mor" in the cooler along with water & other juices.

Agree with you totally about all the lotions & shoes.

Thanks for your inputs !

Cheers
Krithika

Originally Posted by sundarusha

Hi Krithika,

Just saw this thread. You have covered almost everything I take on our trips.
I might add a few.
We like to take a flask of tea- it has become a must.
If it is summer that we are traveling, instead I carry a few packets of Emergenc in different flavors that we can add to water and feel energized.
I also carry a few towels.
Advil
Sunblock lotion,chapstick,hand lotion,foot lotion
Good walking shoes in case of hikes

Cheers