Sharing our best road trip organization tips that will help you pack efficiently & keep everything clean and organized during your adventures!
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We have been on numerous road trips with our 3 young kids, including a 15-hour road trip in a small SUV as a family of five – it was TIGHT!
I’m sharing all of our best road trip organization tips to make all the things fit and keep things orderly.
15 Road Trip Organization Tips
1. Let’s Talk Snacks
Snacks provide entertainment and put everyone in a better mood during a road trip. You will save money and time by packing drinks and snacks instead of buying them at every stop along the way.
Road Trip Snack Organization Ideas:
- These kids’ snack cups minimize mess and promote independence
- Keep all of the snacks and drinks you will need for the day in one place and easily accessible
- I use a snack bag like this for my toddlers for everyday use but prefer something bigger like a backseat organizer or some type of caddy for road trips to provide easy access to snacks and drinks
- Keep extra snacks and drinks packed away in the trunk so they are out of the way
- Bring a portable cooler or a portable mini fridge (if you want to avoid refilling the cooler with ice constantly) to keep drinks and snacks fresh and cold
Easy On-the-Go Snacks for Kids
- Freeze-dried fruit
- Applesauce/yogurt/fruit pouches
- Granola Bars or Granola Minis
- Crackers/Chips
- Beef Sticks
- Cheese sticks
- Veggies – carrots, bell peppers, celery, cucumbers
- Fruit – apple slices, bananas, berries
- Trail Mix
2. Contain Your Cords
When we travel we have phone cords, watch chargers, computer chargers, sound machine chargers, camera cords, portable fan chargers, and more….and then you have all of the charging blocks that go along with the cords…you get the point.
Use a travel cable organizer like this one to keep all of your cords and charging blocks contained and in one convenient location. You can use a bigger electronics organizer if you have a lot of devices/cords to pack.
I got a big pack of these cord ties. They are super cheap and keep my cords organized both at home and while traveling.
3. Keep the Essentials Up Front
Make the glove box and center counsel your control center with all of your important items.
Clear out any items from the glove box and counsel that you will not need for the road trip.
We usually have about 75 napkins, our car manual (which can be accessed online), and a bunch of loose change, old receipts, and other junk that just gets in the way. All of these extra items can be removed or contained.
This visor tissue holder would be a great place to store tissues or napkins.
Here are the essentials you will want to keep handy up front:
- Cell phones and charging cords (make sure cords are contained – see tip above!)
- Wallet with insurance cards, ID, money, credit cards, National Park Pass
- Mini kit with wet wipes, kleenex, hand sanitizer, medication (pain reliever, motion sickness, antiacids, etc.)
- Ziplock bags/Plastic Grocery Bags/Reusable Wet Bag – we like to keep these under the passenger seat, which makes them easy to pull out if we need to contain any unexpected messes (soiled clothes, muddy shoes, etc.)
- Loose change (make sure this is contained – see tip below!)
- Binder or File Folder with important documents (itinerary, lodging info, maps, directions, etc.)
- First Aid Kit – we keep this under the passenger seat
Maximize storage space and prevent things from falling in that awkward gap by using these between-seat gap filler organizers.
Most people access navigation from their phones these days, so a phone mount can make that easier.
4. Contain Small Items
Contain small items like loose change, hair ties, medication, pens, and more with one of these little container ideas:
- travel pill bottles
- small pencil pouches
- travel Q-tip containers
- travel cosmetic jars
- clear cosmetic bags
- Stax interlocking storage
5. Keep the Kids Entertained & Organized
What to Have in the Backseat:
- Snack Bag
- Small Cooler
- Entertainment caddy or bag for each kid
- Blankets & Pillows
These seat-back organizers can help keep everyone’s entertainment items accessible and orderly.
These bag hooks are another backseat organization option.
18 travel entertainment ideas for toddlers and babies
6. Protect Your Seats and Floor
Seat protectors keep your seats from getting torn up or damaged by child car seats and can also help with spill protection. I like that they even have some additional handy storage!
These floor protectors will keep mud, spilled food and drinks, and more from staining your car floors and can be easily taken out to clean.
7. Maximize Your Trunk Space
No matter what type of vehicle you have, it is important to take advantage of your trunk space. Make sure to put the items you will need to access more often on top/toward to door of the trunk.
This organizational caddy with a built-in cooler is perfect for keeping your trunk items organized.
Items to Keep in the Trunk:
- Luggage
- Extra food and drinks
- Dirty Laundry – reusable, washable travel laundry bag
- Car Maintenance Items
If your vehicle has stow-and-go or storage underneath the main trunk area, keep items there that you want to have on hand just in case but likely won’t need to access, like emergency items or car maintenance items (snow scraper, oil, manual, jumper cables, duct tape, cold weather gear, blankets, etc.).
This hanging trunk organizer is another good option for storing maintenance or emergency items in the trunk area without taking up too much space.
Speaking of maintenance, make sure to get an oil change if needed, fill up your tires, and make sure everything is in good working order in your vehicle the week before your road trip.
8. Get Creative with Your Storage Options
Maximize your space by fitting things in wherever possible:
- under seats
- back of seats
- glove box
- center console
- stow-and-go
- on top of the car (car topper bag)
9. Utilize a Car Trash Can
Keep the car clean and fresh by keeping trash contained in a portable trash can until you can stop and throw it away. A grocery sack will do the trick as well.
10. Bring an Emergency Kit
We keep a small first aid kit in our vehicles. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but it is always good to be prepared. Extra blankets, jumper cables, ponchos, and an umbrella are other “just in case” items we keep in the car.
11. Use Dryer Sheets to Keep the Car Smelling Fresh
Make sure to bring air fresheners or spray to help keep the car smelling clean and fresh. Dryer sheets can be placed in shoes and in dirty clothes bags to prevent the car from getting stinky.
These are a MUST-HAVE for us on hiking trips when shoes and clothes stink up the car.
12. Separate Everyone’s Stuff with Packing Cubes
I love packing cubes, especially on road trips. You are often living out of your bag on a road trip as you go from place to place, as opposed to a vacation where you are in one place and can unpack all of your things.
Packing cubes are essential for staying organized and making what you need easy to find within your luggage.
13. Bring a Handheld Vaccum
Quickly and easily clean up messes with this compact, handy little vacuum.
The mess won’t get as out of control or overwhelming if you clean a little bit as you go. Hype it up and assign this task to one of your kids. 🙂
14. Avoid Fights Over Charging Ports
Charge multiple devices at once with this 6-port USB car charger.
15. Use a Binder or Filer to Contain Papers
I like to bring a binder to keep our itinerary, park maps, directions, lodging info, and other papers organized on our road trips. One of these expandable file folders would work well too.
That rounds out our list! I hope these road trip organization tips are useful and help you feel more prepared! Get ready to have fun and make priceless memories on your upcoming road trip!
