Road Tested packing list for your next Road Trip
Ready to hit the road but not sure what to pack? We’ve all been there – halfway through a scenic drive only to realise we have forgotten something (like phone chargers or snacks….lots of snacks!). Whether you are cruising up the coast or venturing into the outback, or weaving through mountain passes, packing smart can make or break your trip.
This road-tested packing list is built from real experience- trial and error and a few “never again” moments. It covers the essentials, nice-to-haves, and the often-forgotten items that seasoned travelers swear by. So, before you turn up the playlist and roll down the windows, make sure your prepared for a trip of a lifetime.
I’ve travelled thousands of kms (miles) on road trips throughout Australia with my family. Believe me, feeding a family of 6 with fast food is expensive. This is my essential esky (cooler/chilly bin) packing list to save the budget. You may like to tweak a few things to suit your own family.
Pack the esky/chilly bin/cooler to save on the road.
- Salt and Pepper
- Tomato and BBQ sauce (ketchup). At 50c for those little sauce sachets per meat pie, it certainly adds up, not to mention the amount of rubbish generated.
- Vegemite (marmite)
- Peanut butter – store it upside down to stop it drying out
- Margarine/butter
- Tea towel
- Chopping board (for making sandwiches on the road)
- Chopping knife – wrap the knife in the tea towel to avoid accidental cuts
- Paper towel – instead of plates but don’t keep it in the esky. It’ll go soggy.
- Wet wipes – how else are you going to clean sticky fingers when the ice cream melts? Because we all know paper towel doesn’t cut it.
- Garbage bags
- Water bottles – freeze them the night before and use them as ice bricks. A nice cold drink the next day.
Now that the esky is taken care of, don’t leave without these
- Details of your roadside assistance and car insurance. Keep them saved on your phone. Hopefully you will never need to use them.
- Day pack
- Filled reuseable insulated water bottle and yes, my daughter requires a metal straw
- Camera – I-phones, DSLR and Go-Pro. Maybe a drone if you have one.
- Phone chargers/wall plug/travel adaptor/power bank
- Hats/sunglasses – it gets very glary on the road.
- Sunscreen – Nothing less than 50+ in Australia
- Insect Repellent
- Pack of tissues – there is nothing worse than someone sniffing in the back seat….or actually, yes there is, turning up to use a public toilet and there is no toilet paper. Tissues are your saviour.
- First aid kit including Panadol, tweezers (to get the ticks out when going bush), Sting goes (for insect bites but if you don’t have it, use roll on deodorant, it has the same active ingredient)
- Sand free towels – just shake and the sand is gone. No more sand in the car from the towels and they take up less room than regular towels – bonus!
- Gaffa tape and cable ties (Zip ties). Seriously, everything can be fixed with gaffa tape and cable ties.
- Cash – for when the internet goes down or there is no phone reception. At least enough to pay for the fuel. It happens more than you think.
- A pack of cards
- Music playlists/movies downloaded onto phones/laptops (this is a job for the kids). Certainly in Australia, phone/radio reception on the road outside of capital cities is not great.
- A good attitude.
With the right packing list, your next trip can be smooth, stress-free and full of unforgettable memories. From essential documents and emergency gear to snacks, entertainment and creature comforts, being prepared means more time for enjoying the journey and less time for worrying about what you forgot. So before you hit the road, double check your list, pack smart and embrace the journey.
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