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  • ร—
    Urban Bliss Life ยป Travel ยป Road Trips ยป Fall Road Trip List of Essentials

    Published: October 7, 2023 / Updated: October 7, 2023 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

    Fall Road Trip List of Essentials

    111 shares
    oregon highway with trees and cars, and title text that reads "Fall Road Trip Checklist."

    Planning a road trip this fall? Make sure you and your family are road trip ready with our Fall Road Trip List of Essentials guide!

    This article was originally written on September 10, 2019. It was updated with new photos, edited for clarity and more helpful content, and republished on October 7, 2023.

    Foggy Oregon highway with trees with two cars on it.

    Fall is such a beautiful time for road trip travels in the United States. It's a great way to take in the colorful fall foliage as the leaves change color. I love how fall foliage almost lights the path to your destination.

    The weather tends to be just right—not too cold, not too hot. And during the fall months, you tend to not be fighting the crowds of tourists as much as during the summer. 

    I grew up taking road trips regularly with my parents. Now, my own family is road-trip ready. And I'm excited to share some of my best road trip tips with you in this post!

    Fall road trip list essentials

    Whether you're planning to do a long road trip or a day trip, it helps to be prepared before you hit the open road. And while there are some road trip necessities that are year round, there are also some particular things that are fall road trip essentials. These will also work for a winter road trip!

    Some of these important things on the road trip checklist can be kept in a trunk organizer. Others, especially personal items, are best kept within arms reach in the car.

    Here is my fall road trip list essentials to help make your trip the best it can be.

    Jump to:
    • Fall road trip list essentials
    • 1. Stay hydrated
    • 2. Keep warm
    • 3. Stock up on road trip snacks
    • 4. Pack your travel technology
    • 5. Keep it clean
    • 6. Pack an Emergency Car Kit
    • 7. Stock your car first aid kit
    • 8. Dress appropriately and comfortably
    • 9. Important documents
    • 10. Make a list and check it twice
    • More fall road trip articles

    1. Stay hydrated

    You can honestly never pack too much water and other cold drinks for a road trip.

    Pack one reusable water bottle per person, and refill at different rest stops, gas stations, restaurants, or stores along the way.

    Also have at least one large bottle (2-liter or larger) of filtered water in the car. This may come in handy during long stretches without places to stop for water. We've found them handy when we've done road trips to Walla Walla, Idaho, and Montana. During those trips we drove through long stretches of open road without anyplace to refill our water bottles.

    2. Keep warm

    With the weather changes that happen during the fall months, I like to pack extra blankets in the car.

    Blankets are great for long road trips when one part of the car might feel colder than the other. Pack one for each person.

    You can also use blankets for the beach, picnics at the park, and as extra layers when sitting around a campfire. 

    3. Stock up on road trip snacks

    For the best road trip snacks, you want food that doesn’t necessarily require refrigeration or will spoil easily and quickly.

    Pack portable food that is rich in nutrients to sustain you during the trip.

    You'll want to pack a tote with packs of ice or cooling packs. Then, fill it with these fall road trip essentials:

    • Apples
    • Pears
    • Bananas
    • Crackers
    • Nuts like almonds or cashews
    • Granola bars
    • Jerky 
    • Root vegetable chips

    🌟 Get more ideas from our 50 Best Road Trip Snacks checklist.

    4. Pack your travel technology

    cell phone with portable charger and phone lightning cord on blue table.

    Making sure your phone battery is fully charged before you embark on road trips is an essential safety procedure. Cell service can be spotty, especially on long road trips.

    I always keep at least one cell phone portable charger in my car, just in case. Make sure they are fully charged before you hit the road.

    And for ease of reading maps, I use a phone mount to keep my phone handy just in case.

    5. Keep it clean

    You never know what will happen on road trips. Spills are almost inevitable. So are sticky messes if you’ve got kids. And you can’t always rely on rest stops having fully stocked soap dispensers.

    So, pack some hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes (I pack both!). Place them somewhere where they are easily accessible in the car.

    It also helps to pack some ziplock plastic bags to help coral trash and lock in odors during a long trip.

    6. Pack an Emergency Car Kit

    You should always have a small roadside emergency kit stowed away in the trunk of your car. But you especially want to make sure you have it with you on road trips. 

    Make sure it includes emergency safety items like:

    • Jumper cables
    • Flares
    • Whistles
    • Scissors
    • Duct tape
    • Flashlights

    This is also a good time to double check that your spare tire is ready to go in case you need to change a flat tire.

    7. Stock your car first aid kit

    Always keep a basic first aid kit in your car. Check it every couple of months at least to make sure over the counter medications and other items are still safe to use.

    A basic car first aid kit should include:

    • Bandages in different sizes
    • Antiseptic wipes
    • Antibiotic ointment
    • Cold packs
    • Gauze
    • Over the counter pain reliever such as Advil or Tylenol.

    8. Dress appropriately and comfortably

    When planning what to wear for your fall road trip, dressing in layers is best. If you've got a long drive ahead of you, make sure you wear comfortable material that you can move easily in.

    I usually wear jeans or leggings, a t-shirt or tank top (depending on dates and locations), and a sweatshirt or sweater.

    You’ll want to bring a light jacket. Then you might also want to pack a heavier jacket and/or waterproof rain jacket, depending on your destination and the areas you’ll be traveling through. 

    Depending on your destination, it's also a good idea to keep extra shoes in the car. These can be ski boots, waterproof boots, or extra hiking boots.

    9. Important documents

    Make sure you keep important documents such as the following items in your glove compartment or in your bag:

    • Auto insurance
    • Car registration
    • Travel insurance documents
    • Car manual

    10. Make a list and check it twice

    road trip packing checklist.

    While each family road trip will have a few different important items that will vary from household to household, these are some of the basics to keep in mind when preparing for any road trip.

    You can also download our road trip packing list and check things off as you pack them. Whether you're planning for a long trip or day trips, now you're ready for your next road trip. Safe travels!

    🚙 Download our Ultimate Road Trip Packing List

    More fall road trip articles

    • car driving through a forest, title text overlay, and images of chocolate chip snack bars and apple cinnamon muffins.
      50 Road Trip Snacks for Kids the Whole Family Will Love!
    • highway in the Pacific Northwest with title text that reads "Family Road Trip Tips."
      Road Trip Tips + Free Travel Printable
    • Road trip printable bingo cards with title text that reads "Road Trip Game Printables."
      Free Printables: Road Trip Games
    • photos of waterfalls, vineyard grapes, haystack rock at cannon beach, and mount hood with title text that reads 35+ day trips from Portland, Oregon.
      35+ Day Trips from Portland

    If you visit, please be sure to let them know that you read about it on Urban Bliss Life! And if you snap some pics, tag us @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

    This article was originally written on September 10, 2019. It was updated with new photos, edited for clarity and more helpful content, and republished on October 7, 2023.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Gary Alan says

        September 24, 2019 at 4:48 pm

        Great article. I love road trips and I have two car chargers, both with dual ports. I'm following your suggestions on the snacks next time. Keep it up

        Reply
      2. Fred says

        September 21, 2019 at 12:19 pm

        Fall road trips are our family's favorite! Hitting the road when the air is crisp and smaller crowds makes for such an enjoyable time. And I love the healthy snacks list, perfect for the little ones!

        Reply
      3. Waz says

        September 10, 2019 at 1:28 pm

        Fall is my favorite season, but I've only been on road trips during the summer. These are all great tips, especially the reminder to pack a blanket. That's a great idea for getting cozy and comfy in the car. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
        • Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

          September 19, 2019 at 11:34 pm

          So glad to help! Thank you, Waz!

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! If you're looking for easy, fast, delicious family-friendly recipes, wine pairings, and travel tips, you've come to the right place! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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