In my opinion, a road trip is the best trip of ever! It’s amazing traveling with our van (equipped with folding bed, storage compartments, but without bathroom and kitchen!) that became our home for short periods!
A journey that gives you a deep sense of freedom, the impression of being able to conquer the world. But be careful: this is not an experience for everyone! First of all, you need a spirit of adaptation, organization, patience, but it will be something you will remember for a lifetime!
It’s important to know what is essential from what is not: space in a car is limited, considering that when you travel long distances you have to do it with maximum comfort!
Have a look at our advices that could be very useful for you: let’s go!
Maps, devices and all you need to get your bearings.
For all those who cannot live without smart-phones or PCs, in some isolated destinations there is no wi-fi or Internet access. Therefore it is essential to have paper material such as a map of the area, indications of the destination and service stations along the route and a list of useful telephone numbers in case of need.
To recharge your devices you will need a car charger, a power bank and an adapter for international sockets (if traveling abroad, you have to stop in a bar, restaurant or accommodation other than the car.)
Since we always work even when we go on holidays, we cannot leave at home our laptop, headphones and a couple of external drives to download photos, videos that we collect every day with our camera! For all those who still prefer it to a mobile phone to take pictures, it is necessary to have a kit that includes at least two memory cards, lenses (a fixed lens, a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens), two batteries. We also talked about travel photograpy here.
Reading and writing in the car on a road trip.
Also the writing kit cannot be missed! I always have with me a “travel diary” where I write about everything: itinerary, stops and unmissable shops, restaurants, whatever I love the most. And the guidebook, already full of notes even before the departure!
We also bring with us some books about the destination, to read in the evening after dinner and an headlamp, useful when electricity is not available. For the same reason we also bring with us a flashlight!
Bedroom and bathroom…in a car!
When we sleep in the car in a camping, we need sheets, pillows and blankets. We always bring sleeping bags, even in the summer, as it can get cold in the evening in some places. And even a tent and a mattress can be useful, if on the contrary it is too hot to sleep in the car.
Concerning toilets and personal hygiene, if we are in a camping site, we need towels, sheets and personal toilet equipment. This changes from person to person and according to one’s needs, including medicines and that I will therefore not list! What I can recommend is to keep a safe kit in the car.
Otherwise a must is the travel chemical toilet, as well as the cup that allows women to be able to pee standing up. It is also very useful in bars, restaurants, in all those situations where it is not advisable to lean on! Don’t forget the moistened intimate wipes, even better if wrapped individually and the amuchine to sanitize your hands in the absence of soap and water.
The portable camping shower is very useful, consisting of a tube and a thermal bag that allows you to heat the water thanks to the sunlight!
Food and camping.
Concerning food, near inhabited centers we stop to taste the local specialties and take the opportunity to “stock up“. However, when we leave home we already have a supply of water, salt, pepper, sugar, honey, tea, coffee and some snacks.
Indispensable are a couple of thermoses, a camping stove, napkins, plates, glasses and biodegradable cutlery, a couple of chairs and a folding table, the legendary Swiss Army knife and the car bin.
And now let’s move on to clothing concerning a summer road trip!
Forget about loading the equivalent of your wardrobe into the car! For convenience, clothing must be placed in bags and not in suitcases, to be placed, in our case, on the floor, behind the front seats, placing the first clothes we will need for the first stage on top.
I advise you to choose comfortable clothes, in colors that can be combined easily and above all, as regards shoes, already tested sneakers or trekking boots and a pair of rubber flip flops.
Choose garments that can perform multiple functions: trousers that transform into shorts, jackets that become vests and never forget a k-way or a windproof jacket with a rigid brim: umbrellas especially in places where it blows wind or rains a lot in Summer, can break.
A baseball cap is very useful to shelter from the rain or the sun, as well as sunglasses, a light pouch, a neck document holder and a water-repellent document holder with a photocopy of the documents, in case of loss or theft of the originals. Add a water-repellent backpack and backpack cover, especially for the camera. And your favorite pajamas, to wear while, lying on the most beautiful bed in the world, you will look at a sky full of stars!
What do you think, did you find our advices useful?!