Guest blogger Anna Bilbrough Skamarakas lives in Bellmawr, NJ with an interesting collection of children, pets, and a husband. When she’s not packing and unpacking suitcases, she can be found blogging at www.beautygirlsmom.com or studying at Rutgers University, Camden, NJ.
We have logged more than 800,000 miles in our nearly 21 years as parents, and with all that road tripping, you learn a few things about what’s important to have in your car at all times when you’re traveling. Some things are just plain old common sense, but others might surprise you!
Straws and Plastic Utensils – We have driven through more than a restaurant or two and been a few miles down the road before realizing we were short a straw. Or a fork. Or a spoon. Keep them handy for when the restaurant forgets.
Hand Sanitizer and Toilet Paper – You will undoubtedly encounter a rest area that will be lacking in one or both of these items. Those people who laugh at me for having toilet paper in my car won’t be laughing when there’s a crisis at hand – or tush.
Wet Wipes – Some sort of wet wipes or baby wipes are essential not only for quick clean-up of faces and hands, but they are handy when a nasty bug gets stuck on a windshield wiper or in the event of a spill in the car, I also use them to wipe off shoes that found mud before they find my car floor mats!
Ziploc Bags – These are great for so many things! You can collect sandy souvenirs from the beach, take an impromptu dip in the lake and have a place to store wet clothes, put dirty diapers until you can get to a trash can, or even put leaky trash, like cups or juice boxes with drinks still in them!
Think of the things you need in the car on a daily basis while running around, and consider tossing them into bag or basket to store in your car for a road trip. It’s a minor inconvenience when you’re 20 minutes from home without a straw or with sticky fingers. On a highway in the middle of nowhere, it can ruin a trip!
Photo credit: CountyLemonade on Flickr
