A road trip is one of the most exciting and memorable trips to take! Especially now, in spring, a California desert road trip is phenomenal. However, it can quickly become the worst one in the book if you don’t prepare for it effectively or organize your car beforehand.
We’re all guilty of letting trash pile-up in our cars every now again, but it’s up to us to kick that habit to curb when there’s a promising adventure and long road ahead of us.
This is how to organize your disaster of a car before a big trip.
Contents
1. Make a list of necessary items to bring
Before you take the bull by the horns in the form of attacking the car’s piles of clutter, make a list of necessary items to bring on the road trip. Therefore, as you’re cleaning, you can keep track of what’s already in the vehicle and add more things to the list if needed. Plus, you don’t ever want to be scrambling to find or pack things the day of a trip. You’re just asking for a headache!
2. Prep, Purge, and Wash Your Car a Few Days Before the Trip
Start with a clean slate. Purge the trash and junk from the interior and give the external surface a brand-new shine. A clean car sets an initial positive tone for the trip, and the sight of it alone reduces any lingering stress and anxiety. After you have cleaned every corner of the car, don’t forget to take it in for maintenance at the auto-shop. The safety of a car is just as important as its cleanliness!
3. Implement the Use of Storage Containers and Systems
You can never have too many storage components in a vehicle. Implement the use of a trunk organizer since it can separate multiple items from one another, such as individual luggage, the cooler, and gear for activities such as camping or snowboarding. If you have kids or plan on eating fast food, keep multiple storage containers in the backseats so that you can prevent spilling or staining the upholstery.
4. Keep Important Documents and Information Within Reach
There many instances where you will need to show evidence of your personal information or travel documents. One instance would be if an officer pulls you over on the side of the road. Evidently, you want to have your personal information ready within reach to hand to them. Other documents you will want to have on hand as well for general purposes are copies of your lodging accommodations, map of the destination’s surrounding areas, and the travel itinerary. You can place them all together in one accordion folder and keep copies of them in both the glove box and in your bag.
5. Prepare Food and Drinks to Store in Coolers
Regardless if you’re the driver or passenger, everyone will get hungry on the road. Besides keeping the car clean for aesthetic and practical reasons, you should dedicate an organized space to solely food and water. Therefore, meal prep food ahead of time and keep a substantial supply of nourishment in a cooler. This is especially important if you’re the driver: you never want to feel tired or sleepy behind the wheel.
6. Pack an Emergency Kit
Whatever you do, never forgot to pack an efficient emergency kit. Unforeseen situations can happen all the time when traveling, so it’s best to prepare for whatever scenario might come your way. An essential that should always be included in your emergency kit is traveler’s insurance. If you haven’t invested in it, you should do so immediately! It covers expenses for unforeseen circumstances such as accidental injury, loss of personal documents, and even canceled events or lodgings you paid for in advance.