I have taken quite a few road trips in my day. Some were well prepped and long planned. Others, well, let’s just say I went as far my gas tank took me – including an impromptu drive from Washington to Wyoming. (If you ever wanted to know how spontaneous I could be…). And if I’ve learned anything, aside from taking an extra 5 more minutes to thinking out these random road trips, it’s to always be prepared.
Car Emergency Kit Checklist:
- A Charged Phone Battery. And if you’re like me, no matter how hard you try, this just isn’t possible. So make sure you have a fully loaded backup charger on deck.
- A First-Aid Kit. You don’t need your car to mirror the inside of an ambulance but it’s not a bad idea to come ready with an aspirin or motion-sickness pills.
- Spare Tire. And if you don’t have the space, keep a Tire Gauge and a Bottle of Tire Sealant to hold you over.
- Jumper Cables. If you don’t know why you need these, you’ve never been stranded with a dead battery at a very inconvenient time.
- Water and some Granola Bars. I’ve taken enough for road trips to know that these will serve a purpose when you least expect it.
- A Flash Light. Let’s just hope you don’t lack the combination of jumper cables and a flash light in the middle of the night.
- Money. Nope, not your card and definitely not Apple Pay. Hard cold cash.
- A Change of Clothes and a Blanket. I’m not asking you to have a packed bag ready to go, but extra jeans and undergarments are always a nice surprise for almost any emergency – including a bad outfit kind of day.
- An Emergency Kit – You can find a list of Emergency Kits listed at great prices
