What to take on a car trip

A long trip by car means beautiful views from the window, a feeling of complete freedom and an atmosphere of adventure. It is especially pleasant to travel when there is nothing superfluous, while everything you need is at hand. That is why every driver must think in advance of the list of things that need to be taken on a trip by car.

Comfort and safety on the road depend on the choice of things, which means that the compilation of the list should be taken as seriously as possible. This may seem like a daunting task, especially if the driver is setting out on a long journey for the first time, but it is actually quite simple. To help readers, the editors of Healthy Food Near Me have compiled a list of things that should be in every travel kit.

What you need to take on the road

1. Documents for replacing a driver’s license

Documents are needed in order to move freely around the country. On a long trip around Our Country you need to take:

• Documents proving the identity of the driver and all passengers. For adults, these are passports, for children under 14, birth certificates.
• Medical policy (CMI). It is valid throughout the Federation, so it is important to take it with you on every trip. Without a policy, you can only get emergency assistance.
• Driver’s license. Check the expiration date before you travel.
• Documents for the car. You should definitely take a registration certificate and an OSAGO policy with you in case they are required by a traffic police inspector. There are fines for driving without these documents.
  

To travel outside the country, you will also need a passport, a visa, an international driver’s license and a “green card” – a foreign analogue of our OSAGO policy.

For complete certainty, it is better to take the original and a copy of your passport with you. The original document can be used in extreme cases, in all other cases – a certified copy. It is also worth keeping electronic copies of documents in your phone, on a cloud service and a flash drive. They come in handy when you lose the original.

2. First aid kit

When traveling, it is better not to limit yourself to a basic car first-aid kit. It is necessary to take with you everything for first aid, antipyretic, broad-spectrum painkillers, hemostatic drugs, motion sickness remedy and pills for stomach pain.

When compiling a first aid kit, it is important to take into account the state of health of everyone who will ride in the car. Be sure to take medications that stop the manifestation of chronic diseases. For example, these include antiallergic drugs, migraine medications, and high blood pressure pills.

Before traveling, check the expiration date of all medicines and replace medicines if necessary.

3. Cash and credit card

Paying by card is convenient, fast and safe. But even in the European part of Our Country, non-cash payment is not everywhere. In addition, the terminal may temporarily not work at a gas station, in a grocery store or at the entrance to a toll road. For such situations, you need to take a small amount of cash with you. Banknotes must be of different denominations so that there are no problems with change.

4. Navigator

The navigator will guide travelers along the entire route and help them navigate unfamiliar roads. For navigation, you can buy a separate device or download the application to your smartphone. In the second case, you also need to install up-to-date offline maps, because the application will not work without the Internet.

5. DVR

This device is needed not only for long-term trips, but in general for everyone. It will help prove the driver’s innocence in the event of an accident, protect against incompetent and unscrupulous law enforcement officers, and record a video of the trip. If the recording goes to a family archive or vlog, it is better to use a high-quality video recorder. It must also support flash cards with a large amount of memory, otherwise the start of the trip will be overwritten with later files.

Some DVRs have the Anti-Sleep function – the device periodically emits an audible signal and prevents the driver from falling asleep at the wheel. You shouldn’t rely on it entirely. First of all, regular rest and a low-fat diet will help against fatigue and drowsiness while driving.

6. Fire extinguisher

Here, as with a first aid kit: there are minimum requirements, but no one bothers to take extra care of yourself and passengers. Before a long trip, a standard two-liter fire extinguisher can be replaced with a larger one. Powder or carbon dioxide devices are suitable – both types do well with burning fuel, rubber and plastic. Keep the fire extinguisher on top of the rest of the luggage or separately, in a convenient and accessible place.

7. Spare wheel and jack

A spare tire will be needed if one of the main ones punctures along the way. A full-size spare is the best option, but it takes up a lot of space in the car. As a replacement, they often use a dokatka – a reduced wheel with which it will be possible to get to the nearest tire service.

The jack will help raise the car. It is advisable to learn how to use it before traveling, then in an emergency the replacement will be faster. To change a wheel on soft ground or sand, you need to put a wooden board or other rigid support with a large area under the jack.

8. Compressor for tire inflation

It will help pump up a flat tire or spare tire, which usually lies in the trunk for years. It is not worth saving on a compressor, because budget models may turn out to be too weak or unreliable. If funds are limited, it is better to take a car foot pump.

9. A set of wrenches

Using wrenches, you can remove the terminals from the battery, change the wheel or spark plugs. There are special car tool kits that have all the necessary keys for car repairs and replacement parts. These kits are relatively light and compact.

10. Emergency stop sign

It’s a warning triangle. This is a red reflective sign that is placed on the road in case of an accident or a forced stop. It must be wind-resistant, visible to passers-by and easy to transport.

11. Reflective vest

A reflective vest makes a person more visible to other drivers. It must be worn every time you go to the track or repair the car. Vests are inexpensive and take up little space, so it’s best to take one for each person in the car.

12. Towing cable

If a car without a tow rope breaks down or gets stuck far from populated areas, you will have to wait a long time for the help of a tow truck and pay dearly for it. Therefore, you should not neglect the cable. It can help not only the owner of the car, but also another person in a difficult situation on the road.

Towing ropes made of aviation nylon are reliable and durable. They do not stretch from prolonged use and tear only from very high loads. Aviation capron is resistant to sudden changes in temperature, severe frost and high humidity.

13. Auxiliary start wires

With their help, you can “light up” the engine from another car and start it even with a dead battery, which is especially important in winter. Poor-quality wires can ruin the battery, so it’s important not to skimp on alligator clips.

Additional checklist for the road

There are many more things that can be useful while traveling. These are some of them:

• Knife. It can be used to open a tin can or cut a jammed seat belt in an accident. A knife comes in handy in many situations.
• Clothes and shoes. On a long trip, you need a set of clothes to match the season. In winter, a warm jacket and pants, hat, scarf, boots and warming insoles. In the summer, light clothing, a panama or a cap will come in handy in case you have to repair a car in the sun. At any time of the year, you need household gloves and things that you don’t mind getting dirty when working with the machine.
• Water supply. Be sure to take one or more five-liter bottles of drinking water with you. It will also be used as a technical one. You can also take a few bottles with a volume of 0,5-1l. While walking or sightseeing, you will want to drink, and in another city, water can cost several times more.
• Thermos with tea or coffee. Your favorite hot drink is the best way to keep warm, quench your thirst and cheer yourself up while traveling. Stocks of tea and coffee can be replenished at gas stations or roadside cafes.
• Charging device. Camera, camera, tablet, smartphone, laptop and so on – it is important not to forget the chargers for each device.
• Rival shovel. It will help free the car from snow or mud. If there is a lot of space, you can take a large shovel: in summer – bayonet, in winter – special for snow.
• Tubeless tire repair kit. Allows you to quickly patch a punctured tire on the road. Even if the problem seems completely solved, be sure to call the nearest tire shop and repair or replace the damaged wheel.
• Car repair manual. It indicates how to change a light bulb in a car or, for example, where this model has a cabin filter.
• Oil, antifreeze, windshield and brake fluids for topping up. Just in case, it is better to take them with you. You cannot mix different engine oils, so you need to take the same oil that is poured into the engine on the road.
• Glasses. Special anti-glare goggles protect the driver from direct sunlight, headlights and reflections in the snow. They can also be used for minimal eye protection when working with batteries.
• Voltage transformer. A regular 220 V socket that connects to the cigarette lighter. Allows you to charge your laptop or camera on the go.
• Gas canister. 10 liters is enough to reach the nearest gas station. For transporting fuel, it is better to use a metal canister.
• Sunblind. She can hang the windshield so that the interior of a parked car does not heat up. Also, the curtain will protect from the headlights if you want to sleep in the car at night.
• Cooler bag. It takes up a lot of space, but in the summer you can keep water and food in the cold. There you can also put medicines that need to be stored in a cold or cool place.
• Flashlight. A flashlight or a headlamp is useful for night inspections or car repairs. You also need to bring spare batteries.
• Notepad and pen. Just in case, you can write down the numbers of relatives and friends, as well as tow trucks and traffic police departments in those regions that you have to visit, in a notebook. This is more reliable than storing them only on your phone. Also, while traveling in a notebook, you can quickly write down an address, phone number, or make an important note.
• Hygiene products. At a minimum, soap, toilet paper, antibacterial hand gel, wet wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
  

All of these things will come in handy in certain situations, but it is not necessary to take everything from the list. Everyone travels in the way that suits him best: some want to go on a trip light, while others carry pillows, a folding table and all kitchen utensils with them.

What can you avoid on a road trip?

You need to take everything you need and nothing else. The idea seems obvious, but in the process you still want to grab an extra pan, all the creams and a home library. All this will go on a trip and return back, never being useful.

It is necessary to assess how likely the thing will be useful and what can happen due to its absence. People often take a lot of unnecessary things with them because they think through all the negative scenarios before the trip and try to prevent each of them. This is the right approach, but some “risks” are not worth it to fill the car with useless items because of them:

• Often household electrical appliances are superfluous, because they are in the hotel room.
• A laptop is useful only on a business trip – on vacation, a smartphone is enough for notes and communication.
• A full set of cosmetics can be dispensed with on the road, and it takes up more space than any toolbox.
• From creams enough moisturizing and sunscreen.
• It is also better to leave books and magazines at home, because reading them on the road is inconvenient and harmful to the eyes, and on vacation and on a business trip there are always more important things to do.
  

Take with you only what you really need on the trip and do not forget about your own safety.

Popular questions and answers

The most frequently asked questions of readers were answered by an expert, Roman Gareev, Ph.D. G.V. Plekhanov. Also, the editors of Healthy Food Near Me asked for advice from Yuri Batsko, an experienced travelerwho traveled more than 1 million km on his car.