It’s quite easy to miss packing all of your fall road trip essentials, especially when you get too excited. I can’t blame you, though. A road trip in fall is a totally different experience. The bland and usual terrain transforms into something new and feels almost like you are visiting an alien planet. Who wouldn’t want that?
But just like any road trip, you have to plan for everything including your essentials. Leaving behind your phone charger or your food cache can turn a dream road trip into a disaster.
Fall Road Trip Essentials Checklist
So you already know where you plan to go and you have all the information you need, but that’s not enough for you to get on the road. You still need a couple of things to make the road trip a success.
We understand that it can get a bit hectic when preparing for trips and you might end up forgetting things. That’s why we are coming up with a checklist containing the most important fall road trip essentials that you will need for a memorable road trip.
1. Have the Car Checked
While this should be automatic, we can’t count how many times people would tell stories how their road trips got derailed because of their car breaking down. No, you don’t have to go and get a full-service check. As a matter of fact, a simple maintenance check can get you a long way. Most repair shops already know what to check when you tell them that you are going on a road trip.
2. Bring a Map
It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical map or an app version. You have to make sure you don’t get lost out there, especially if you are not familiar with your destination. There are a lot of apps out there that allows you to download maps for offline viewing in case you find yourself in an area with no service.
3. Stock up on Food
When it comes to fall road trip essentials, food is one of the most important considerations. There are two food types you need to bring when you go on a road trip. First are the snacks that you can eat while driving. While snacks usually serve the purpose of “fun food”, most of them aren’t exactly filling.
There will be moments during the drive when you need real food that could quell your hunger. For those cases, make sure you bring sandwiches, calzones, pies, or burritos in case the next food stop is still an hour away. Also, bring water on your trip in case you find yourself thirsty during the trip.
4. Pack Layers
Depending on where you plan to go on your fall road trip, the weather can get a bit crazy. You might be enjoying a sunny afternoon drive but it can get a bit wet and cold after an hour. Make sure you bring clothes that can protect you in case it gets too cold or too hot.
5. Carry a First-Aid Kit
No, you don’t have to carry a trunkload of gauzes and ointments. As a matter of fact, you only need to prepare a simple first-aid kit that can address any health issue that may arise. For starters, you can bring antibacterial wipes, sanitizers, bandages, and pain medication for a headache or stomachaches.
6. Gadget Essentials
We all need our phones nowadays so we should make sure that we have everything we need to stay connected. Make sure you already packed your phone charger. If available, bring a car phone charger as well so you can recharge your device while on the move. It’s also a good idea to bring a power bank in case you really need a quick charge while on a trek. Lastly, make sure that you have all the necessary accessories and implements for your other gadgets like cameras or drones.
7. Carry Along Some Entertainment
A long drive can get boring fast, especially when you have kids with you. Prepare a list of games and other forms of entertainment for the drive. Bringing along an iPad with popular movies can keep the back seat happy while cruising.
Prepare for your Fall Road Trip with T3 Atlanta
While it’s easy to go and prepare the food, clothes, gadgets, and entertainment for your road trip, getting a good service center for your car might get dicey at times. That’s why you need a partner who knows your car inside and out and can give you honest and expert advice with regards to your car’s condition.
T3 Atlanta is a full-service maintenance and repair service business in Atlanta, Georgia. Specializing in Lexus, Toyota, Infiniti, and Nissan cars, T3 Atlanta has the best technicians with years of experience. So if you need to have your car checked quickly but with an expert eye, check out T3 Atlanta today.
Music is a must-have on any road trip. Instead of packing a binder of CD’s, download Spotify. This app offers millions of songs and podcasts to keep you and your road trip companions entertained whether your trip is three-hundred or three-thousand miles long.
Are you a spontaneous traveler? The REI Co-Op National Parks Guide might be your new best friend. This free app contains maps and sightseeing information about many of the country’s National Parks with new park information updated regularly.
Audubon’s Bird Guide app is the perfect, palm-sized field guide for anyone who wants to try bird watching on their next road trip. The app makes it easy to explore what kind of birds are nearby so that you know what to look out for.
TripIt is the ideal travel companion for hardcore planners. This app creates an all-in-one itinerary for you to make your trip as smooth as possible. All you need to do is forward your travel information – that includes hotels, travel, and even restaurants – to their dedicated submission line, and TripIt does the rest.
Unless you own an electric car, GasBuddy is a road trip essential. With this app, all you need to do is enter in your location and it does the rest, finding the closest gas stations to where you are as well as prices. That way, you don’t have to be uncertain about where the next gas station is or be surprised by prices.
Located in Northern Georgia, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is a must-see destination for sightseers, bird watchers, hikers, and fall foliage photographers alike.
No fall foliage list is complete without mentioning the Blue Ridge Parkway. This scenic road starts in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and winds 469 miles all the way to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Heavy traffic in the morning can spell significant delays and plenty of people in a rush to get to school or work. Book extra time to get where you’re going so that you won’t need to worry about being late for the bell if you encounter heavy traffic.
Emails, texts, calls, choosing the best song for your morning ride, and even reacting to street directions all demand a part of your attention. However, the most important thing you need to focus on is the road.
Keep your gas tank at least half full. Even though it might mean an extra trip to the gas station, you will never have to worry about running out of gas when you’re stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Depending on where you live in Atlanta, your neighborhood may have a lot of cyclists and pedestrians on the road. Be sure to share the road when you’re behind the wheel.
This tip ultimately comes down to a personal preference. Slip-ons and sandals are ideal for long drives, but some people live in their sneakers. Whatever your footwear of choice might be, you’ll ideally want to avoid shoes that constrict or cut into your skin to help make your drive as comfortable as possible.
By keeping snacks and other trip essentials within reach, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle when, two hours into your trip, you realize that you need a charging cable for your phone or GPS.
Stopping and stretching helps keep you alert, which is important when it comes to late-night or even overnight drives. When you push yourself past your limits on a marathon drive, your reaction time and alertness decrease, which can be a dangerous combination for yourself and other drivers on the road. Stay safe and rest when you need to; that’s what rest stops are for.
During cold weather and snow, salt is added to the roads to help prevent freezing and ice. While this makes roads safer to drive in the short term, salt can corrode the undercarriage of your vehicle. Corrosion takes time to cause significant damage, but when it does happen, it can lead to expensive repairs. Having regular car washes can help prevent the buildup of salt so you can avoid corrosion down the road.
Regularly replacing your vehicle’s fluids is an essential part of preventive maintenance. Keeping up with this part of car ownership helps prolong your vehicle’s life. Spring is the perfect time to check your vehicle’s fluids.
Don’t panic. The worst thing you can do when your brakes fail is to panic. When you panic, you are far more prone to lose control of your car and the situation, leading to a far worse outcome and possible personal injury. Whether you are stuck in traffic or driving down the highway when your brakes fail, keeping a cool head will ensure the safety of yourself and drivers around you.
A catastrophic loss of brake fluid is the most likely culprit when it comes to brake failure. In this case, the amount of pressure in the brake line is unable to engage the piston that presses against the brake pads.
Delis
Nuts and/or trail mix
Can be Fun: If you’ve never had a picnic in your car before, why not give it a shot? Sometimes your planned trip to the park can be rained out. Or, perhaps there’s not a park nearby. With the right mentality, a picnic in your car can be a lot of fun. Grab a good friend, pack a bag (or a picnic basket if you have one), and drive to your local park for a quick nosh before enjoying a day in the sun.
Danger: Driving safely requires your full attention to be on the road. Multitasking on anything – whether it’s driving and being on the phone, driving and talking with your passenger, or driving and eating – reduces how much attention you have to focus on the road.
Although the name sounds silly, the term ‘fishtailing’ is a good way to think about what happens during this type of loss of control. While the car is moving, the rear end of the car slides out of alignment with the front wheels and may waver back and forth, much like a fish swimming.
Road conditions, especially icy, snowy, wet, or slick conditions
Stay calm
