Road Trip Survival Guide: Prepping and Packing

Jen Magnuson of Flagstaff, Ariz., is a veteran road-tripper, and she (wisely) married a former Eagle Scout and “packing fanatic.”

While Magnuson cleans the house in preparation for their departure, her husband makes a list for everyone in their family, not an easy feat when you have kids ranging in age from 1 to 12.

“He makes a detailed punch list of what we’ll need, and then I procure and pack the items into bags,” Magnuson says.

I have to admit that a list helps, a lot. Especially when you have children. Because the last thing—and I mean the very last thing—you want to do is forget something essential.

Like their lovie. Or their shoes.

The Art of Packing

Is it just me, or do shoes take up more space in your suitcase than a bowling ball? Witts has the cure for what ails you, if you are one of those people (stop looking at me) who routinely need to sit on their luggage to get it closed.

“Wear your biggest clothing instead of packing it, unless the weather does not allow for it,” she advises. “Wear your jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt and sneakers, because flip flops take up less space in the luggage than sneakers.”

Oh, and here’s a cool little tip: If you must pack shoes in the suitcase, tuck your socks inside them. Nifty!

Another way to free up space in your suitcase for all the goodies you might want to bring back home is to pack lightly, especially if you will have access to a Laundromat, washing machine or laundry service.

“I personally would pack four days worth of clothing, and just keep washing and re-wearing,” Witts says. “And taking things that truly mix and match can create the appearance of 10 different outfits, if not more.”

Once you have all that stuff stuffed into the suitcases, it is time to stuff it all into the car. In my house, that task falls to my husband. When I asked Witts if she had any tips for packing the trunk, I was pleased to discover that we actually get high marks in that subject.

Witts recommends filling the trunk from back to front, using all the space, and placing the suitcases on the bottom so you can stack other items on top of them.

But the best advice Witts had to offer was to keep it simple.

“I like the ‘take only what you need to survive’ philosophy,” she says. “Think compact whenever possible.”

Oh, good. That means all I need to pack is chocolate.

My work here is done.