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5 Organization Tips for Road Trips

Heading out for a road trip adventure soon? Read on for my five organization tips for road trips to help keep your car clean, and your sanity intact! We’ve taken quite a few road trips and have discovered there are some basics must-do’s to set your car up for a fun and organized road trip. After reading my post, check out the other great tips for road trips from fellow travel bloggers.

Use these five organization tips for road trips to keep your car in order, make your roadtrip travel smooth, and stress less along the way! StuffedSuitcase.com
5 Organization Tips for Road Trips

1. PACK SMART

The best thing you can do is to take the time to pack your car well. Think out what you’ll want to access each day and what you’ll need each night. I’ve shared our method in my post on how to pack your car for a road trip. Taking some extra time before the trip will save you from some headaches along the way.

2. GARBAGE

I highly recommend you have a garbage bag or can in each row of the vehicle. One up front for driver and passenger, and one in the back for the kids. This is to help make everyone responsible for their own garbage, and will give the passenger a break from the garbage hand-off that seems to always happen with kids and road trip snacks! We use this nice car trash bag, but I’ve seen others who really like using cereal containers lined with plastic bags.

3. STOP AND CLEAN

This is definitely one of the tips for road trips that we could put a little more effort into. My brother-in-law is a pro at this, and their car is a thing of beauty to peek into after a long road trip. It looks the same as when they started! One of his biggest methods for staying organized is every time they stop, he (or his kids) put away everything that has spread out since the last stop.

4. STORAGE CONTAINERS FOR EVERYONE

Piggybacking on the tip above, each person needs to have a way to contain and store all their stuff. We’re fans of the girls having totes or backpacks with all their activities packed away. Then I have a tote up from that I keep my magazines, books, and iPad in. We even have a bin for our snack food, so it all stays in one spot.

5. READY FOR CLEAN UPS

I’ve already shared my road trip essentials, so be sure to see what items I recommend you pack to help with cleaning up. Another helpful tool is a car vacuum which plugs into the 12V lighter outlet. No one feels good traveling for hours or days surrounded by smashed cheerios, sticky handles, and grungy floorboards.

I hope you found these 5 organization tips for road trips helpful! Want more road trip tips? 

Our Grand prize includes a GoPro HERO (camera only, $129 value), a selfie stick ($25 value) and three Lonely Planet Road Trip Guides ($30 value). 

Second prize includes a travel eye pillow, hand-made soap, world map, stickers, Lonely Planet Kids’ books, National Geographic 2016 Kids’ Almanac, and a Thirty-One hang-up activity organizer.

To enter, add your contact information in the Rafflecopter widget below and leave a comment on this post with your best road trip tip. You can earn additional entries – see the Rafflecopter widget to learn how. 

The Rules
1. You must leave at least one comment on one of the participating blogs to enter.
2. Additional entries via commenting on other blogs in the hop are available to you.
3. You will receive additional entries by performing the actions in the widget, giving you a possible 20 entries (there are 10 participating bloggers, with two ways to enter each).
4. PRIZES ARE ONLY ELIGIBLE TO SHIP IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.
5. The giveaway runs through June 12, 2015 11:59 p.m. EDT.
6. Winners will be notified via email.

Read more road trip tips on the following blogs and enter again to win the prize packages!

100 Routes Across America

Grow in Grace Life

Headband for Today

I Love Family Travel

Kids Are a Trip

Kids Unplugged

Kidventurous

Our Whole Village

Trips with Tykes

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37 BEST Road Trip Essentials You Need to Pack in 2023

Wednesday 15th of February 2023

[…] is one of the most vital road trip essentials if you want to keep your car organized on a road trip. I like to tell people to pack a garbage bag for each “row” of […]

Olivia Keating

Saturday 5th of September 2015

Pack some extra old towels in the corner of your trunk. After several days of traveling, your car could use a refresher. When you stop for gas, run the car through the station's car wash. Use the towels to finish touching up the car's wet spots, especially around the windows. headlights, and outside mirrors. Wipe down the dash and any area that's gotten sticky. Throw the wet towels in a plastic grocery bag and stuff back in the trunk. It makes a big difference to continue driving in a nice clean car.

Kimberly

Saturday 5th of September 2015

That's a fabulous tip Olivia! I know after a lot of driving, a dirty car makes you feel dirty just getting in and out. Thanks so much for sharing such a helpful idea!

james jenkins

Friday 12th of June 2015

Leave with extra time to handle the unexpected because what can go wrong...

Cheryl B.

Friday 12th of June 2015

Try to limit travel to less than 250 miles a day, this allows you to have a break, be less crappy, and more rested to start the next day of driving.

Tina Thompson

Friday 12th of June 2015

My best road trip is plan plenty of time and make frequent stops. Plan so you can stop and see things along route. You get to see new things and have a break from the monotony of the road. My feeling is that the trip can be a part of the destination.