A road trip provides such a sense of freedom that sometimes it feels like there’s no better way to travel. However, a good road trip also requires good preparation. You don’t want to get stranded on the side of the road with no one to help! Here are some essential things to take on a road trip to make it a success!

1) Check Your Car!

Always check your car before you leave. It doesn’t matter if you rent a car or go on a road trip in your vehicle. Good preparation is half the job. In any case, check the windshield fluid and oil level before you leave. Also, check if you are entitled to roadside assistance. A spare tire can also be helpful. If you rent a car, check to see if it has a spare tire and if a jack is available.

2) Nutella Saves Lives

Even if you may not be a big fan of Nutella, this product can save your life. Well, almost. Nutella is available almost everywhere, and with it, everything suddenly becomes tasty. For example, if you accidentally bought gluten-free bread, which was not only expensive but also turned out to be as dry as stale bread, a jar of Nutella can turn things around! Besides, if you don’t have a knife in hand, you can always dip the bread in it.

3) Potato Chips Can Save Your Relationship

Recognize it? A hungry travel companion isn’t always fun. It certainly isn’t if your travel companion tends to get grumpy when there isn’t enough food around. Besides, It’s not always possible to eat at standard times when road tripping. By always having some food, you can avoid metabolic fights!  Of course, you can also carry cereal bars or other stuff.

 4) Make Friends With Tissues

Thankfully, nowadays you can find clean toilets for a fee almost everywhere. However, toilet paper is often missing, so always carry a pack of tissues. You don’t know half the friends you’ll make if you pull out your packet of tissues as soon as you enter the toilet cubicle!

5) Bring a Cooler Bag

A cooler bag is an essential thing to bring on a road trip. Many usually travel with an electric cooler bag that fits a suitcase or backpack. These cooler bags have a car charger and a regular charger. This way, you always have a cooler at your disposal and can buy drinks to keep.

6)  Disinfectant Gel

It may seem silly, but it’s good to have it with you nonetheless. You don’t want to know how many dirty things you handle in an hour, and you don’t always have the option to wash your hands thoroughly during a road trip. Besides, it’s a pretty awful idea if you’re sitting with your hands in a bag of chips while you’ve just finished pushing a shopping cart during a short stop at the grocery store. We bet you know how much bacteria there is in a shopping cart, so it won’t hurt to clean your hands a little often than not at all.

7) Multi-Purpose Cloth

Another excellent travel essential when going on a road trip: a multi-functional cloth. It can be anything, as long as it’s big enough to be used as a blanket, a head covering, or a scarf, for example. Do you get cold quickly? Then you shouldn’t forget this. Drape a scarf over your legs or your shoulders if you spend a lot of time in air conditioning.

8) Hang a Bag in the Glove Compartment

The car becomes your living environment during a road trip, so try to keep it a little livable. If you can’t see your feet anymore, it’s time to clean up! Always take a garbage bag and hang it in the glove compartment. How? Very easy. Just close the bag, open the glove compartment, put the top of the bag in the glove compartment, and close it. That way, you won’t be bothered by foul smells.

Do you also carry these things on a road trip?