Ok we did the activities for the car now what should you have in the car?

[Spinning]

What are the must haves I don't mean games and toys (even thought that is a must) but spare things, handi wipes, flash lights types of food, etc....
we are still planning to drive so I just want to make sure the car is well stocked!

[Kermit]

Baby wipes
Antibacterial hand wash (for bathrooms that are out of soap and before meals)
Several grocery bags to use as trash bags
Disney tapes, CDs, etc.

Get food that won't make you sluggish. Try to keep it as healthy as possible. Stick to water and juice as much as possible for drinks.

This may just be me, but I also consider the smell of foods that we take. Take into account that pieces will be dropped and end up spending a long time in the car. Therefore, Cheetos are a really bad choice. :D Fruit, veggies, cookies, crackers, string cheese, and that type of thing are much better. I also take prepared tuna fish with crackers for when fast food sounds horrible, but that violates my smell rule. It's just DH and I right now, so I'm careful with it. With kids, you may want to restrict that to rest areas only.

[crusoe2]

I got one of those Tempo towel cases that snap onto the sunvisor - the towels in it are not quite as heavy duty as a regular paper towel but they work ok and they really are handy to grab when you need one.

I make sure we have a good variety of tapes and CDs to listen to - last trip we listened to comedy tapes alot and that worked really well. Everybody seemed to stay in a better mood. I also filled our Fantasmic popcorn bucket with Chex mix to munch on - I try to incorporate as much of our Disney stuff as I can cause it just seems to help get everybody in vacation mode.


We usually throw in a beach towel or small blanket and a pillow for our ds so he can nap if he wants without getting chilled. I like using the beach towel cause then I don't have to find room for it in our luggage. When we travel in the summer I try to remember to put a small handtowel in the car - makes it a little easier to handle a hot steering wheel, ignition switch, etc. until the car cools off.

We also make sure we have a good flashlite and a tool kit, just in case. Also bottled water and an umbrella - besides the obvious uses, the umbrella and water can be used to keep cool if car trouble should strand us by the side of the road somewhere.

That's all I can think of for now - anyone else?:)

[bobcat]

Tissues - no matter what time of the year we go someone always gets a cold.

Tylenol/cold medicine/first aid kit

Maps and AAA hotel books-always get a triptic so I am aware of construction

Extra batteries - kids take their gameboys and cd players and I have a small rubbermaid container that I use to store batteries and film so that I don't have to dig it out of the luggage.

Lotion/chapstick

[DISFANS3]

We will be Driving this summer from SW Mo, Thanks for the great info.... We also have a VCR in a bag, should help pass the time??? CBR99 AllStar Movies Feb2001 allstar Music Aug 2001....

[Beanie]

Great ideas, everyone!! :) We drive down once a year and always take the things mentioned in this post...a must for us:

Baby Wipes
Batteries
Flashlight
First Aid Kit
Finger foods for the kids that don't make a mess...I totally agree with the person who said No cheetos...they make the biggest mess! LOL


:) Have a great trip down! :)

[Spinning]

Love the beach towel idea! It is amazing trying to think how to make a car ride for a long time comfy! I am off to our local craft store to get a few activities! I think I have all the must have in the car....

[kylara]

I think that the suggestions so far have been great...a have a couple more.

First is a jug of water...not for drinking but just in case the radiator acts up. I have passed many a car on the highway when I drive that is overheating.

Also a can of fix a flat...it can help you get to the next exit usually if something happens (this is a must for me since I got a flat on my last trip up to MA from FL).

Flashlight has been mentioned but also if you plan on reading or have kids that will be reading in the car, a book light is a must after dark.

A cell phone. If you don't own one, you might want to look into getting one for the long drive. There are lots of states where you have many miles between exits.

If you don't have a cell phone, paper and markers in the car so you can write a note to put in the window asking people to call for help.

If you are coming down any time prior to April, I would suggest that you keep a small, compact snow shovel and some de-icer in the car in case of bad weather (blankets are also useful just in case).

A lot of my suggestions come from driving up to MA from FL every Dec. for the holidays.