7 things you need on your road trip

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There is nothing quite as exciting as taking a family road trip. Bundling the kids into the car with no real destination, just the open road and a list of landmarks to hit along the way is one of the ways you can really feel like you’re enjoying life. The problem is that many of us get in the car and start to drive before realising that you’ve forgotten something at home and if this has happened to you, you won’t be alone. 

Whether you are driving a Land Rover or a Ford Escort, you need to know how to pack your car so that your road trip can go off without a hitch. You want to have comfortable seating, the right things in the boot and you want to know that your car is in the best of health on the road. Below, we’ve got six things that you need to have on your road trip.

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1. A good satellite system. If you are on a road trip, the chances are your car has a system built-in to help you to get where you need to go. It’s always a good indicator of a calm road trip if you can have a map telling you where to go while you drive, but you have to make sure that you have a system to help you with this if you don’t have one built into the car itself. 
2. Snacks. Are you bringing kids on your trip? Great, you need snacks, drinks and a bag for rubbish as you go. You need to make sure that you have enough snacks that you don’t have screeching kids, but you also want to be able to maintain your own hydration and hunger while you drive. You can add a cooler to the boot of the car, and this will keep your drinks cool and any fruit snacks cool, too.
3. An emergency pack. Travelling anywhere requires you to have an emergency pack in your car. This should have matches, torches, batteries, a First Aid kit, spare food, water and blankets and a spare phone and charger. If your car breaks down you need to know you will be comfortable on the side of the road.
4. Sun and water safety stuff. Hats, sunscreen, tarp, jackets – when you’re on the road, you need to be prepared for everything and anything. You will find that you will be better prepared for all weathers on the road if you have things to protect you and your family from rain, wind and sunshine!
5. Jumper cables. There is nothing quite as bad as being stranded but if you have jumper cables, you will be able to get back on the road and out there as soon as someone stops by to give you a push! Jump cables will help you to get back onto the road and you will be able to feel confident should you break down!
6. Extra petrol. If you know you will have a while between service stations, then you need to make sure that you have an extra can of petrol in the boot of the car. Doing this will ensure that you can top up between stops if you need to!
7. A Fully-Functioning Vehicle. You obviously have to make sure that you have a fully functioning vehicle otherwise they could be a disaster. A lot of people will ignore this kind of thing because they are too giddy about the trip itself. Make sure that you have been through everything yourself and then with a mechanic because you do not want to be stranded halfway to the destination.