Last week, someone suggested we take a 6-hour drive to the mountains to visit friends. We hadn't been planning to go, but we said, "why not?" So on Friday, we loaded up the car for a weekend get-away. We like road trips, a lot! As we were packing, I realized that I pack very differently for a road trip than I do for a plane trip. When we drive, we can take as much as will fit in the car...but when we fly, I have to expertly fit everything into the suitcases and make sure they weigh less than 50 pounds (which I am pretty good at!!).
Even though it isn't very exciting, I decided it might be fun to list some of the things that we brought with us. (Some of these things we would never take on a plane trip - for obvious reasons).
Driving vs. Flying
1. Two laptops. If we were flying, I would not have taken my laptop for 2 days...the hassle of taking it out of my bag to go through security is too much. But, since we could just throw them in the backseat and we knew the hotel would have free wi-fi, we each brought our own computers.
2. Power inverter. We didn't need this on the trip, but it would have been handy if we had broken-down or been stopped for an extended period of time (which can sometimes happen here). We used this on our 4-week road trip in 2009 and it is very handy to charge cell phones, laptops, and other such devices. Since we had room, we packed it in the car.
3. Cooler and TONS of food. If we were flying, we wouldn't need much food and we would be able to buy it in airports fairly easily. We also wouldn't be able to take any liquid. But, for the road trip, we grabbed all kinds of snacks and took a cooler with drinks. We were only gone for 2 days but we had enough food to survive at least 20! And, the hotel had a mini-fridge so we kept our drinks cold for the ride home (and we used the ice machine to refill our cooler).
4. Clothes on hangers. I am not a fan of garment bags - I think they are bulky and not useful. So, if I have hang-up clothes to take, I fold them neatly and put them in a suitcase when I fly. But, for the road trip, we had the convenience of hooks in the back seat and we just hung our hangers. So much easier than dealing with a garment bag!
5. Lots of Bags. I like bags (except garment bags)! I have all kinds of totes and backpacks and purses and bags. Sometimes, I'm sad that I can't use more of them when I travel by plane because everything gets put in a suitcase or my carry-on. But, on a road trip, I use lots of bags! Shoes in one bag, snacks in another bag, and clothes in yet another bag, etc. I get to use lots of individual bags to gather things together. Then, we just toss all the bags in the car and everything is contained and organized - I love it!
Even though it isn't very exciting, I decided it might be fun to list some of the things that we brought with us. (Some of these things we would never take on a plane trip - for obvious reasons).
Driving vs. Flying
1. Two laptops. If we were flying, I would not have taken my laptop for 2 days...the hassle of taking it out of my bag to go through security is too much. But, since we could just throw them in the backseat and we knew the hotel would have free wi-fi, we each brought our own computers.
2. Power inverter. We didn't need this on the trip, but it would have been handy if we had broken-down or been stopped for an extended period of time (which can sometimes happen here). We used this on our 4-week road trip in 2009 and it is very handy to charge cell phones, laptops, and other such devices. Since we had room, we packed it in the car.
3. Cooler and TONS of food. If we were flying, we wouldn't need much food and we would be able to buy it in airports fairly easily. We also wouldn't be able to take any liquid. But, for the road trip, we grabbed all kinds of snacks and took a cooler with drinks. We were only gone for 2 days but we had enough food to survive at least 20! And, the hotel had a mini-fridge so we kept our drinks cold for the ride home (and we used the ice machine to refill our cooler).
4. Clothes on hangers. I am not a fan of garment bags - I think they are bulky and not useful. So, if I have hang-up clothes to take, I fold them neatly and put them in a suitcase when I fly. But, for the road trip, we had the convenience of hooks in the back seat and we just hung our hangers. So much easier than dealing with a garment bag!
5. Lots of Bags. I like bags (except garment bags)! I have all kinds of totes and backpacks and purses and bags. Sometimes, I'm sad that I can't use more of them when I travel by plane because everything gets put in a suitcase or my carry-on. But, on a road trip, I use lots of bags! Shoes in one bag, snacks in another bag, and clothes in yet another bag, etc. I get to use lots of individual bags to gather things together. Then, we just toss all the bags in the car and everything is contained and organized - I love it!
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