The more of these you know, the smoother your road trips will be!
Make Sure You Bring A Charging Device
All hell is going to break loose if the DVD player, tablets and phones lose their juice. Don't let that happen. Plan ahead by bringing a charger — or three.
Never Leave The Hood
It's easy to doze off when it's dark outside, but when you've got to grab some daytime Z's before your next driving shift, pull that hoodie down over your eyes to simulate a nighttime environment.
Drop A Pin If You Leave Your Vehicle
Exploring a new place on foot is always a ton of fun, but it's easy to get lost in unfamiliar surroundings. Make sure you drop a pin in your maps app of choice so you'll be able to find your way back when it's time to hit the road.
Make Your Own Phone Mount
A lot of people use their phones for directions, but there's no need to shell out big bucks for some fancy shmancy thing to keep your screen in view when you can just make your own. All you need is a binder clip and voila, you're in business.
Shoe Organizers Can Double As General Stuff Organizers
Road trips are notorious for the mess they leave behind in cars, so make sure that everything stays both neatly tucked away and easily accessible at the same time. It'll keep the kids happy when they're looking for the Game Boy or a coloring book, and it'll keep mom and dad sane when they're cleaning up the car afterwards.
Snackle Box!
Instead of leaving various plastic bags strewn about your car, keep everything neat by compartmentalizing your snacks in their own little sections.
Shower Caddies Make Great Food Trays
The typical car doesn't usually have a ton of table space, and the surface area it does have tends to be reserved for cup holders. To avoid making a giant mess with the road food you'll invariably pick up on your travels, bring a shower caddy to keep everything clean.
The Space Maker
When there's not enough room, it's time to bust out these stackable space makers. Sitting in the cup holder, these bad boys give you more room for the odds and ends you need while driving across the country.
For When You’re In A Pinch
Not all cars are made equal. Some manufacturers see it in their infinite wisdom to grant their customers twenty cup holders, just in case they have to take the entire U.S. national soccer team to the next match. Other manufacturers provide two or three, which just doesn't always cut it. In those times of need, a roll of tape will serve admirably as another place to securely store your drink.
Keep It Easy
For your clothes, suitcases or duffel bags work. For everything else, though, some form of storage in your trunk will keep everything cleaner and easier to access quickly.
Please Be Able To Change A Tire
This means having both the knowledge and the tools for the job. Knowing what to do in case of a flat is just one of those things that every driver needs to know, because flats happen to everyone. On the flip side, most cars come equipped with the tools you need to change a tire, but it's a good idea to make sure nothing is missing before driving any kind of distance.
Hotel Room Hack
If the hotel room you're staying in has a TV made on this side of Y2K, you'll likely be able to find a USB port on it that you can use to charge your phone, a handy tidbit of knowledge in case every other outlet is charging some other device.
Keep It Secret. Keep It Safe.
If you plan on leaving things in your hatchback from day to day, investing in a trunk cover is one of the best ways to keep your stuff hidden. It could be the difference between a smooth ride and having to deal with someone breaking into your car.
Here’s The Trick To Staying Cool
It's a scientific fact that ice cold water is better than warm water. The studies have been published. That's why people freeze water bottles overnight. However, few things are worse than being able to drink a few drops at a time as the ice melts. The best way to combat that issue is to freeze the water bottle on its side while it's 1/3 to 1/2 full. Enjoy cold water all day. Or at least until the bottle is empty.
Bring Something With People’s Addresses
Nothing says "I care enough about you to send you a picture, but not enough to call you" like sending someone a postcard does. It also turns out that some people like getting them, so go figure.
Don’t Shrug At This Atlas
At some point you'll find yourself in a forsaken land without internet or cell phone reception. Some people refer to this place as South Dakota. When this happens and you need directions, the important things to do are breathe slowly and then pull out your atlas, because you're the most prepared person this side of the Monongahela River.
Mix It Up With Some Mix CDs
So maybe you've got an iPod that has 30,000 songs, but nothing beats the fun that popping some of your old mix CDs into the player in the car brings. It's like Russian Roulette, but instead of a bullet to the head, you'll get memories from bygone eras.
Cereal Container Trash Cans
Anyone who has ever had to pick up a day-old banana peel off the car floor has wanted to throw it at the litterbug's head, but these thing prevent those scenarios altogether. They're big enough to hold enough random garbage until the next gas stop, but not so big that they take up a ton of room.
What’s That Smell?
Regardless of how clean road trippers try to be, there's the inevitable stink that permeates the car after a few days. It turns out, though, that keeping dryer sheets out helps to reduce the bad odors and makes for a more pleasant drive overall.
Keep The Change
Change just seems to accumulate on road trips, and it can get to be annoying if there's no place to store it. On the other hand, it comes in quite handy if you're taking a route that has tolls. In order to keep your coinage under control and accessible, use old candy containers like M&M's minis containers as storage space.
Be Prepared
No one should leave town without an emergency kit. Although it's likely that you'll never need it, this is one of those situations where it's so much better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Get A Map And Put It In A Plastic Bag
This way you can highlight your route to see where you've been, but you'll still have the clean map next time you want to look at it.
Learn What The Signs Mean
Knowledge is power, and knowing that exit signs are positioned according to which side of the road they're on is incredibly useful. Now that you know this, you'll never miss an exit again.
