4 Easy Car Organization Hacks to Prepare you for a Stress-free Road Trip

“Little House. Keep it neat.” this is the mantra my mom would repeat to my sister and me when we were kids on our yearly road trip from Connecticut to Florida. It’s one that I always remember now as an adult almost any time I step into a car. This summer, as I was planning my 3-week road trip, I used this saying to guide my planning. While making a packing plan, I started to think of each section of the car as a different room of a house. Each room with its own specific purpose. The result was a much more streamlined and organized way of traveling

Glove Compartment: Safty First

Since we were traveling during the pandemic, we had a box filled with face masks, latex gloves, and hand sanitizer. We also had a flashlight and a small packable umbrella. This is also a great place to store a first aid kit or road flares. Keeping Essentials that you may need suddenly and quickly in the glove box means they will always be within arms reach when you need them.

Front Console

Here is the spot where you can keep all of your devices charged up for the trip. If you’re traveling with multiple people, invest in a multi-charger cable so you can charge multiple devices at the same time. If your car does not have a USB port, you will need to get a car charger adapter. In this area, you also have your cup holders. A stainless steel water bottle is the perfect drink holder for a road trip because it keeps drinks Cold for 41 hours and hot for 18. I also like to keep a cup full of journaling pens in the cup holder so that I can jot down notes along the way.

Backseat—Passenger Side

Use clear plastic storage containers to store art supplies, journals, travel games, and the like. A hanging storage organizer on the back of the car seat is a genius way to keep organized. It’s a trick that is especially helpful when traveling with kids who tend to have a lot of individual items that are easy to misplace. Have kids take charge of organizing their space by having a designated space for headphones, stuffed animals, crayons, etc. A file folder hanger could also work for storing printed directions, itineraries, maps, or magazines that you plan to read on the trip. 

Backseat—Drivers Side

You can put your icebox on the floor behind the driver and a cooler bag full of snacks on the seat. You want these items to be in a spot that’s easy for the passenger to reach but not too easy. Stacking on the road can turn into a slippery slope. 

Trunk

Since you will be driving from destination to destination, a soft duffel bag or backpack may be better for squeezing into tight trunk spaces then a hard, inflexible carry on. You will be able to pack more in a car then you would be allowed to carry on a flight so you can be more liberal with packing. Don’t go too overboard though, you still don’t want to be carrying around too much excess baggage or having to rummage through luggage to find what you need. Are tips on packing light click here. 

 

I like to pack a small backpack with my overnight things such as pajamas, glasses, toiletries, and one change of clothes. That way, if I arrive somewhere late at night, I can just grab the backpack and go. There’s nothing worse than unloading a whole car when all you want to do is go to sleep. 

 

Any easily wrinkled clothes can stay on a hanger and be laying across the top of your luggage.