When I was moving back to Chicago, my friend Nicole made me a survival kit full of things I might need on the road. She'd Googled suggestions for the essentials and found some pretty good stuff, including a cardboard R2-D2 that she sipped into the front pocket because "you need a good navigator." (Yes, Nicole is awesome.) My list differs slightly than hers, but the girl was on to something.
-A water bottle. Something refillable, preferably something with a filter. Rather than cluttering up the car and environment with plastic bottles, get something you can refill. And considering some places have water that doesn't taste great, the filter helps.
-Snacks, of course. I'm a big fan of Twizzlers, because they won't cause a mess, they're easy to hold while driving, and they take a little longer to finish- one bag can last a whole trip. I advise against chocolate, because it's going to be a disaster if/when the car gets warmer.
-A first aid kit. You can get something little, but Band-Aids and Neosporin are good ideas.
-The aspirin/ibuprofen/pain reliever of your choice.
-ALLERGY MEDS!!! I lived for twelve years in LA without allergies. I get to Chicago and I'm confused as to why my face hurts and my eyes are swollen. Not everywhere has the same allergens, and you don't know how you'll react to them. Make sure they're non-drowsy.
-AAA and a roadside emergency kit. I'm gonna confess, my dad taught me how to patch a tire, and I had to do it once, and then so much time passed that it all just fell out of my head. Still, roadside kits have come in handy when my air pressure got low, or that time the plastic around the tire of my old car fell off while driving and I had to cut/chop it off before it melted to my tire. (True story!) And for what you don't know, there's AAA.
-Wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer.
-Change. If it's a long trip you're almost guaranteed to stop at a rest stop vending machine at some point, but there's no guarantee they'll take bills and they almost definitely won't take credit cards.
-A plastic bag, because you will probably need to throw something away before you stop to buy something.
-Chargers! This might go without saying, but there really are people who aren't glued to their phones and don't have this stuff already. Besides the cord, you can pick up a USB charger at any Target, Walgreens, gas station or whatever, and you can get one with multiple ports for like $5.
That's the basics! I recommend not stocking up too heavily on snacks and water, as it gives you an excuse to stop more and take breaks when you get tired or bored. Remember that if you're in the US or somewhere that drives on the right, your left arm is going to be exposed to the sun all day. Also, keep in mind that if you're depending on GPS to get you somewhere, it's not only a battery drain (especially Waze), but that unless you car is equipped with wifi or you have a hotspot, you're going to be using data.
Happy driving! And if you've got anything you find absolutely necessary to have on you, go ahead and drop it in the comments.
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