List #18 ROAD TRIP MUST-HAVES

I love road trips! We are just getting started on actual planning for our next family road trip, so this list is exciting to think about! Here are my must-haves for a road trip:drinks (water for me, soda for the guys)

• snacks - something sweet, something salty, fruit, veggies, combos, cheese for protein
  
• maps and guide books (no Garmin for me, thanks, although I will admit that we used our laptop and wifi last year to find hotels on the road)
• paper and pencils - we make lists on the road, so paper and pen/pencils are a must . . . also, Simon can't be w/o drawing supplies at all times. If you'd like to see some of the lists we kept on our last big road trip, check out THE BLOG.
  
• small pillow and shawl/blankie for car - at some point we acquired a purple heart-shaped pillow that now travels with us. Because it is so bright and unusual, it is much less likely that we'll forget it at a hotel!
• books on CD - we have to have a selection so we can find something that all of us will enjoy. We always take our entire collection of Harry Potter books on CD with us as fail-safes if none of the other stuff we take is appealing enough, or if we're just feeling cranky. Jim Dale reading to us makes us all happier.
• slip-on shoes - I'm usually the passenger as Mike like driving better than riding, so I get very comfy on my side of the car.
• laptop for overnighters
• knitting! You didn't think I'd have a list w/o knitting, did you? Honestly? I usually spend quite a bit of time planning what knitting projects to take on a trip. I have to have some options - one thing that is mindless, one thing that takes more brain power, some kind of project(s) I can finish quickly to satisfy my ADD knitting nature. Also, if possible, I like to have a project I can start right before or as we're leaving and finish before we get home so that the project itself can be a memento of sorts.
• camera (s) - remember when we used to have to pack film?
• small flashlight for each person (nice to have at night)
• batteries for camera, flashlights, any other electronics
• phones and chargers that work in the car
• clothes that can be worn in layers
• $$$$$$$$$
  

I'm certain I'm forgetting things. We always do. That's why we always take money!