Ready to plan your next great adventure? As you dream about the crisp cold winter air or the sultry breeze at the beach, do you also imagine the four heavy suitcases and tons of stuff you packed that you will never use? Can you picture struggling to fit your snow boots or your scuba dive gear into the trunk of your car? And what about your bikes?

Written exclusively for Expat Network by Rebecca Grey

Before you hit the road, it’s a great idea to plan two things: what you need and what you want. For me, it’s critical to be thoroughly prepared because I’ve got the most fun, zippy car ever, a Mini Cooper. But as you can see, I don’t have any room for the extras!

Here are my tried-and-true ‘Six Simple Ways to Pack your Car for Next Adventure Trip’.

When it comes to jumping in your car to hit the road, you need to be flexible, practical, and take the quirky things you love to keep close during your vacations. For instance, if you need shoes — many, many pairs of them, don’t cheap out on them, take them along!

Here is how to deal with rushing off to your next adventure without losing your mind and your belongings.

Before you pack, be a realist: what exactly fits in your car?

You may be the most organized, insanely neat packer in the world, but if what you have planned to take with you won’t fit in your vehicle, you are going to face a stressful situation much worse than just throwing your belongings in one heap into the back seat!

Take a moment to look at your car with fresh eyes. First, ask yourself: are you traveling alone or with others?

Look at your trunk, which may be stuffed with beach chairs, towels, assorted out-of-date snacks, etc., then just — empty it. Take a few minutes to look at how much packing space you are dealing with.

For me, with my tiny car, I can fit one suitcase in my trunk. That is it!

Once you figure out how much space you have, it’s time to figure out how much space you NEED.

This is a personal decision but yours to make. I won’t travel without my books, adventure gear,  fun clothes, my crazy amount of shoes, plus my snacks. It’s a lot! But hey — it’s my adventure.

If you can’t fit your belongings in your car, embrace the roof rack!

When I headed up the coast last summer, I knew I had to pack extra masks due to the Pandemic plus clothes for my long biking trips. Because I believe vacation means you do not do laundry, I figured I could not possibly fit enough clothing inside my car.

I decided to embrace modern accessories and figured out that I could easily fit everything with a bike rack in the back and a roof rack attached to the top of my car. In one minute, my packing woes were gone, and I was back in adventure mode!

Heading to the custom roof rack would by far be the wisest car trip choice you can ever make. You can take everything you love for vacation and won’t have to spend tons of money on things you could not fit in your car.

Keep an open mind and discover the tools that will make your adventure less stressful and practical.

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute to Pack.

I have traveled around the world and learned the hard way what not to do! Don’t wait until the last minute to organize what you are packing. On one recent trip to Maine, about 6 hours away from where I live, I forgot my sunglasses and had to squint the entire time on the road.

As my mom used to say, “Always be prepared”.

Before you do anything, grab any medicine you may need and pack it. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, pack those as well.

Once you know where you are going, or even if you only have the general direction of where you are headed, it’s time to grab your essentials, including the gear and whatever makes your heart sing. Then, again, make sure you know how much space you have to fill with your travel gear.

Even when you add the roof rack on top of your car, you want to fill it wisely.

If you love it and can’t live without it, pack it. You deserve it!

It’s okay to take what you love, not just what you need. If you are a mystery book buff, throw some books in your car. You want to enjoy your downtime! Whenever I travel, one of my favorite things to do is pump up the car speakers as loud as it will go and sing along.

So grab your tunes and don’t forget your driving snacks and your water.

Take your smart-phone and charger, and if you need a laptop or tablet, bring along those chargers as well.

For me, I always pack a few great books to read.

Car Tools & Other Essentials are a Must

Be sure to bring along a car battery charger because — you never know what may happen on the road. And for me, it’s always wise to have my bicycle pump packed. There is nothing worse than having a blown bicycle tire when you’re pedaling along a country road with no one else in sight.

Other essentials you need are a flashlight, a simple first aid kit, a small knife, and of course, and a garbage bag or two. Car trips attract garbage along the way, and it’s simple to throw all your trash in a bag you took with you once you get to your destination.

Before you Leave: Take a Photo of your Packed Belongings.

Once you’ve gone through all the trouble of packing and storing your gear and luggage neatly, take one moment, and snap a photo. This photo is not for Instagram – though share away if you like!

Instead, this is your little road map of how all of your belongings fit perfectly in your roof rack and car trunk.

I love going away, but I also adore coming back home and leaving with as little stress as possible. Your photo will show you exactly how to repack everything you brought with you.

Wherever you, I am sure you will take the priceless memories and excitement from your adventures home with you. Enjoy yourself and remember to stay safe!

Author’s bio:  Rebecca Grey is a passionate writer & guest blogger. Writing helps her to improve her knowledge, skills & understanding about the specific industry. She loves writing & sharing her knowledge mostly in the Travel Industry. She believes travelling is the key to a peaceful life & wants to spread her belief across the world. Apart from writing, she loves travelling and reading.