Everything you need for the open road — car documents, navigation, emergency kit, and all the comforts that make a long drive enjoyable.
Road trips are wonderfully flexible — no baggage limits, no check-in deadlines, and the freedom to stop wherever you like. But that flexibility also means forgetting things is easy, because there's no hard constraint forcing you to pack carefully. This checklist covers three categories: car essentials (legal requirements and safety), journey comfort, and personal packing. The car section is the one most people overlook until they need it.
The things experienced road trip travellers wish someone had told them before their first trip.
Tyre pressure, oil level, coolant, windscreen wash, and all lights — check these the day before departure, not during the rushed morning of. A flat tyre discovered at 6am is a crisis; discovered the afternoon before, it's a minor inconvenience.
Mobile data roaming, tunnels, mountain passes, and foreign networks all cause GPS failures at inconvenient moments. Download offline maps for every country in your route before you leave home.
Warning triangle and high-vis vest are legally required in many European countries — and the fine for not having them is higher than the cost of buying them. A basic breakdown kit costs €15–25 and takes up minimal space.
Snacks, water, wipes, sunglasses, phone charger, and car documents should all be in one easily accessible bag — not buried in the boot. You'll want them without stopping.
The full road trip packing list, broken into categories. Use our free interactive tool to check items off, add your own, and export to any format.
The most frequently asked questions about packing for a road trip.
We are working on a beautifully designed printable version of the Road Trip packing list. Road Trip PDF
Roamers List has personalised packing lists for all 9 trip types.