Audiobook loaded on phone/device?

Water bottle?

Phone charger(s) for car?

Sue I totally forgot about an audio book. Thanks!

In the car:

Paper towels

Trash bag

Wipies

Snacks for sure

Does he have a tendency to get car sick? If so, dramamine and emesis bags (link).

a light blanket/throw

sun shade that will suction-cup onto the side window

power banks

first aid kit

Where are you going? How long are you going to be gone? Is this one of your spur-of-the-moment trips?

Bbstx

This will be a one + week trip from Chicago to California. My kid is going to get his license tomorrow (hopefully he will pass the test 🤞) and this will be his crash - may be that's the wrong word- course in driving. For those of you in Iowa , Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, and anywhere else along the way, watch out!😬. Not exactly spur of the moment. We have been toying with the idea for two days and will likely start our journey on Tuesday.

No car sickness but I am looking for window sun shades.

Orchidrain

Trashbags! I needed that reminder.

Are you going to drive Route 66?

If you get near Amarillo, TX, be sure to stop by the Cadillac Ranch (link)

Are you camping or staying in hotels/motels?

Neck pillow (like for the plane) for passenger snoozing!

a kid potty or diapers and tp. I have had to use such (for number one only) when there were stretches of hundreds of miles between stops. Sorry for TMI

folder with pertinent medical info, health insurance, auto insurance

Copy of lens prescription if he wears glasses

extra credit card to a different company

Camera

Down Pillows(I hate most hotel pillows)

Swim suit, sun screen, hat, sun glasses, lip balm, flip-flops

Travel mugs

Roarah. 😂. That is a great idea. I'm not sure I would actually do it but 😱.

I am fascinated with boondocking. There are various creative ways people go while in the car. Three things keep me actually boondocking. AC, bugs, and a bathroom. That leads me to Olychick. I will be staying in a hotel. It will be nice and luxurious with all the comforts after a long day of driving. But. If I had one of those fancy rooftop tents I would be tempted to try it.

Have you seen the Rivian SUV? They are made for camping with the built in induction stove.

Bbstx

We will not be going through Texas.

Meggieq, Nicole, Lucille. ✅ ✅ ✅

Right after I got my license, my dad and I drove to, I guess Kansas, from Chicago to either pick ip or drop off my brother at college. Anyway, just Dad and me in the car, I’m driving, he’s dozing, when it starts to rain. Pour. There are semis around me, and suddenly we are on a long bridge and the rain pelts so hard I can’t see. I start crying, and as soon as we are over the bridge and a bit away, I pull over. Dad wakes up, learns the situation, and was so sympathetic and said I had done the right thing. So, my advice? Bring all your empathy!

I was also going to mention your own pillow with a colored or print pillowcase so you won’t accidentally leave it.

If you are water drinkers, I always buy a gallon size of water and refill individual bottles rather than buy individual bottled water. cheaper and easier to have it on hand.

If you see signs saying ‘last chance for gas for xxx miles’, better check your gauge and fill up if needed. They are not kidding. This would be a good teaching moment for your son.

Definitely plenty of snacks. Even if you don’t normally snack, I always do on long car trips.

Bring more than one audiobook, in case one is not a good listen (even a good book can have a bad reader.) Better, bring your library link and your card, so you can check audiobooks out on the go. Brong podcast links, too.

We like to bring a small cooler of cut-up or sliced veggies and apples. And some Altoids. Things to perk you up when you flag.

Sandwiches. This is my mom talking, but she was right, always have some sandwiches. And extra water.

Beach towel. It can be a pillow, a blanket, a prop for your book or tablet, a sunshade, a tablecloth at a picnic table.

Sorry, but I like to stop often and walk around and buy drinks and snacks. Or will you be camping? Seriously, if I don't get out and walk around every couple of hours, I go nuts. Last road trip was 8-1/2 years ago, from Ca to PA.

I’ve never seen the interior of a Rivian SUV. DD and DSIL had one on order for ages before they finally gave up. For DD it was the all white interior or nothing. Apparently, there was no demand for an all white SUV interior.

@ilikefriday, check your email.

If you don 't already have one, get a membership to AAA for road/car problems. We always have a cooler with bottled water, fruit, hard salami/summer sausage, a chunk of cheddar cheese and crackers when we go cross country and have a sharp knife for cutting cheese and apples. Keep a sweater in the back seat for stopping at those restaurants with extra cold AC.

Sounds like a fun trip. Enjoy!

Bpath

Empathy—that’s such a good reminder and a beautiful story. I’ll make it a point to fill my battery with empathy throughout this trip.

Oly
For food, I’m planning to pack egg bites, salad ingredients, shawarma wraps, ice cream, marinated eggs, oatmeal, ice cream and Rx bars. For drinks I have seltzer water, coffee, and tea.

Bpath, Lizbeth, Sushipup

Years ago I purchased a 50L electric refrigerator/freezer for the car. It was hands down one of my best ever buys. That gives me a ton of flexibility with food and drinks. Plus I have a "oven" for the car to heat up things.

California to Pennsylvania. I cannot imagine how many hours that took! Frequent stops are a necessity.

Sushi, I love getting out and getting snacks, but sometimes I just want a cold crunchy something while on a long empty stretch. Likewise, we don’t drink much in the way of soft drinks, but we do like to have one in car for long drives. Anything crunchy, fizzy, is invigorating when you can’t get out.

Ilikefriday, somehow I have trouble imagining you sleeping in a tent. If you did, you’d be the best dressed camper in the campground.

You seem relaxed for almost having a new driver in the family. Driving that distance is quite an initiation.

I forhot that I have a little fridge that works in the car! We had it to keep my mothers Ensure cold but it came with a charger to use in the car. Now if i can only find it.

For long trips, I usually have drinks, snacks, a pillow and some podcadts. I do like listening to different local radio stations along the way. I remember being in the south and it took me awhile to figure out what ”footbowl” was.

Sue mentioned phone charger, perhaps a portable battery charger too

Wet wipes (for those sticky snacks)

I know this is old fashioned - but you might want to include road maps or an atlas. While your GPS will get you there it lacks perspective and your son might find it informative to see the big picture of what is all around you. I still remember the AAA Tour Books and Trip Tiks with their description of the topography and things to visit in the areas when we were traveling. However if he has a tablet he can find all of that info.

Dedtired

I’m totally fine with camping in a tent—as long as it comes with all the luxuries of a nice hotel 😂. I’d show up dressed just like I normally do, full face of makeup, looking hilariously out of place, and loving every minute of it.

Maire

I think a map is a great idea and a good learning experience. I will include it. I have portable chargers and a Jackery as a backup for power supply.

A roll of paper towels, canister of hand wipes, trash can, your kid’s favorite snacks, kleenex (in case it pours rain while on a bridge with semis around!)

Good sense of humor is essential.

Roadside emergency kit. Most people can call roadside assistance, but sometimes they can’t get to you for hours. It’s good to have a kit to set up so other cars coming down the road know that you are stopped and they won’t hit you.

What a fun trip! My DS is planning a long road trip with 2 friends--I'm making note of these suggestions. They will be camping, though, and their checklist is rather long already.

I second the AAA membership. The last great American bargain.

My dad made us all change a tire, and drive a mile in reverse before we were allowed to take the state’s road test. I thank him often, mentally.

Donettes and Doritos!

Good advice about learning to change a tire and to back up. I could change a tire if I had to, but I’m still awful at driving in reverse. My daughter mentioned the other day that I took her to the church parking lot and made her run over pine cones so she would learn where her tires were.

Looks like all the creature comforts are covered 🙂

I have an electric tire inflator that plugs into the car's power port, and you can get one that will jump a battery too. Mine was about $25. Also check your spare is inflated properly. I also keep a bright orange rain poncho in the trunk, and keep an umbrella in the car too.

^^^the best road snack! Or at least my favorite anyway.

Carol, DH has a similar portable battery charger/pump. He has saved several people with it while we were traveling. And DGD amazed guys in college that she knew how to charge a car’s battery with hers.

DH and I have learned to keep foods simple on road trips. Too much salt, too much sugar and both of us get uncomfortable with all the sitting. Actually too much of anything when all we do is stop for short breaks/dog walks/stretching is not good. So we keep it simple and light with something like turkey sandwiches on thin bread, maybe cheese and crackers. Neither of us like to snack while we are actually driving except rare occasions so foods are limited to our stops. No sugary or caffeinated drinks, water only. How do you spell B-O-R-I-N-G 🤣

As mentioned by others we lean into audio books and podcasts interspersed with the NPR stations of areas we travel through. From a lifetime of exposure to WGN in Chicago I also get a kick out of searching out small local AM stations as we travel and learning that Mrs Smith has been out looking for Fluffy so if anyone sees her dog to please call 867-5309

When we have leisure time and are not pushing to 'just get there' it's always side roads and stopping for any oddity, historical marker and junk shop we see. We have DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer for many states - they are detailed for country roads, even logging roads in many places and include things you'd never find on a regular road map - GPS isn't even in the ballpark.

Just a tip even at your younger ages. Stop every so often and get out and walk a few minutes. DH and I have pulled over and even done this silly thing where we make about 4 trips in a circle around the car. Your legs and circulation will thank you that evening.

DH prefers his truck on the freeway. It's very nice and comfortable with seats both heated and cooled. It's not stocked discreetly like my car. Bottled water where you can reach it.

Kleenex, tylenol and of course a really good first aid kit. So few of the smaller kits have steri strips for closing a cut. One bad experience at the beach where we really needed steri strips that sent the dentist vacationing next door running for a drug store and i never travel without adding those. 3-M Co. (that dentist ended up super gluing my SILs hand that day)

The rule at my house (my dad) was that we could not get a learners driving permit if we could not change a tire or our own oil. Does anyone change their own oil these days? He had me practicing changing a tire when I was about 14. In all these years I've never found myself in circumstance where i needed to change a flat tire. 😊

FWIW, some credit cards also offer road services...

Changing tires & oil
Years ago, DH and I were on a road trip when we got a flat. He swore up and down he could change it—I wasn’t so sure. Before he even had the tire halfway off, a kind police officer pulled over and changed it for us. My kid actually knows how to do it, but I secretly hope he never has to put that skill to the test. As for oil changes? Let’s just say we’d both be stranded.

Reverse driving
This one, I fully trust him with. No doubts there.

Maps
I had never heard of the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer until now. Off to Google I go.

Cashews
My weakness. Absolute addiction. I especially love them dusted with black pepper. Unfortunately, they’re calorie bombs, so I usually avoid them like the plague. Every once in a while, though… straight to the fupa. 😂 TMI...

Electric tire inflator / AAA
I’ve got both.

Doritos & Donettes
Had to Google “Donettes.” Not my thing. But Doritos? Sigh. Same category as cashews—eat too many and I’ll be pricing seatbelt extenders.

Emergency kit
Adding Steri-Strips and super glue to the shopping list!

Maybe I am naive, but will you really be all that far from civilization for long stretches? The lists sound more like camping lists to me.

I have a car-trip rule. 4hrs a day max. 2, then lunch, then 2. Otherwise it is too much like work.

The only thing I bring is blankets and pillows, bottled water, and I wear something that feels like jammies but looks presentable.

WOW you believe in being ready for ANYTHING! And to think my dad took all seven of us cross country often as we moved from one air bast to another and we managed without much of what's been listed. Books/drawing paper/crochet used to keep me occupied--but that was left to me. My folks had other bigger things than kid entertainment to concern themselves with. We did travel with a cooler full of sandwiches and milk for lunches. Snacks--eat in dad's car NEVER! First aid kit--guess we weren't accident prone. I do remember one trip--car over heated every hour or so. We were crossing the desert in Nevada. Bottled water would have been handy. Instead dad figured out no AC and heat on high kept the car moving....

Mtn, Arcy

I must admit, it is a bit overkill but that totally defines me, too much. Lol. I plan on the two of us driving about 6-8 hours per day. It is a 31 hour trip. This will be a deep dive into driving. We drive about 3 hours per day doing our regular routine in Chicago traffic. We are pros at that so I figure 6-8 hours is doable. Right???

Arcy

No AC and heat on high - I hope that was a winter trip!

In any event, what a lovely memory this will be. Bon voyage!

Hotel with a pool, every night, indoor if the weather dictates. It’ll help your son burn some energy that isn’t getting used sitting in a car all day.

We had a car overheat once in the summer and I remember my Father turning the heater on - the theory is that it pulls heat away from the engine core. Of course it then turns the inside of the car into a convection oven so you have to open the windows.

We used to drive from Pittsburgh to visit my Mother's family in New Mexico every other summer. 3 kids in the back seat of a sedan amusing themselves for 2 1/2 days - playing road games and singing. This was before AC, iPads and iPhones. All we had was the car radio - if you could even find a station. Mom packed our Scotch/Skotch cooler with sandwiches and soda.

One summer we took our 3 kids on a 3 week trip from Philly to Nova Scotia - with various stops along the way Syracuse - Toronto - Quebec - Bar Harbor and on the return Mystic and Groton. This was before iPads and iPhones but thankfully we had AC. We had a station wagon and bought a small TV from Radio Shack that fit between the 2 front seats. We had a video tape player in the way-back and ran wires to the TV and then to the cigarette lighter. It worked really well - except for the occasional bickering over what tape to watch. I'm sure I can still repeat most of the dialogue from Month Python and the Holy Grail. Plus a 5 tape set from the 1960's of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle including Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Fractured Fairy Tales, Dudley Do-Right.

Now I watch my own kids travel with their little ones - everyone has their own thermos and drink holder, snacks, individual tablets with headphones, tote bags full of activities, pillows, toys - and they're only traveling 3 or 4 hours.

I hope this excursion is as memorable as our were. Have fun with your son and take photos.

Maire I am hoping to make those same kinds of memories ❤️

When my kids were small the entertainment was watching the sites, seeing new places, games we would make up involving what we would be seeing, etc. I third AAA. Enjoy!

Agree with the paper map/mapbook. A few years back when we drove from California to Minnesota our nav system took us some bizarre route through Oklahoma farmland, the system had us driving quite a distance from the highway. We were surrounded by corn fields and had no cell reception. Thankfully, I had a Rand and McNally US mapbook. We were able to get to another highway to continue our trip without backtracking. Saved us quite a bit of time.

We are big on roadtrips and have done many. i have to say, we don’t take near as much as many of yall! lol

Of course a first aid kit is a must plus an emergency car kit (stays in our trunk always). We have a glove box full of maps. We also have AAA. Snacks, but we stop to eat so alot of snacks arent necessary. We also usually drive only so many hours a day, mainly because we are big ”explorers” and stop often to check things or places out, Whatever catches our eye! Plus it gets you moving. I might occasionally take a book, which usually doesn’t get read 😊 as road trips are good for gabbing!

(Tina Marie)

TBH, I just can't eat a lot of snacks while traveling - sitting for so long makes for very slow digestion, IMPE. I also don't get as hungry when sitting for long periods like that.

That doesn't mean I don't come prepared tho 😏