Packing for a Car Trip this Holiday: Tips for Getting it Right

Packing for a long car trip and not sure how to cram everything into your boot? Road trips are a lot of fun, but sometimes require some Tetris-level packing skills. Especially if you’re going to be gone for a couple of weeks or more.

Here’s how to pack safely and effectively for any car trip.

But first – car trip safety and packing

Many of us don’t realise the way we pack can impact driving safety on a car trip. It can be tempting to throw in that extra pair of shoes or another bottle of shampoo, but be aware of the risk of overloading.

Overloading your car can damage tyres and suspension, and also poses a safety risk. You can’t brake as quickly and might find your car corners or accelerates less effectively. It’s also important to make sure you can always see properly – so don’t block up the entire boot with bags!

Not to mention the need to ensure you secure down anything that can fly around in a car accident. Heavy items especially can cause serious injury.

OK, now with the community service warning ticked off, let’s move onto how to pack well for a car trip!

The right way to pack your car for a trip

There are many the steps to safely packing for a car trip. Follow these key ones and as long as nobody has packed an entire year’s worth of clothes, you should be able to fit everything in.

Of course, you could just cram stuff in, shut the boot, and leave it all up to fate. But taking a few extra minutes to plan and pack for your car trip can make everything run smoother overall.

Heavy before light

It makes sense to put the biggest and heaviest items in first so smaller items can go around them. And because lifting very heavy items can be difficult and dangerous, it’s best to keep them lower down in the pack pile. Much safer and easier.

Importantly, pack the heaviest stuff as close as possible to the back seats to keep the car’s centre of gravity low and to improve weight distribution. Remember that any extra strain on your car means increased fuel consumption – don’t spend your biccies unecessarily.

Keep it low and secure

It’s also important to remember that packing bags and suitcases higher than the back seat is dangerous. Not only for visibility, but also because they can fly off and injure people in a crash or if you need to brake hard. If you have caging separating your boot from your back, that’s great, but still make sure you can see well from the rear vision mirror.

You can also use the footwells for luggage storage if you don’t have back seat passengers, though make sure it’s secure. So too if you’re using the rest of the cabin for storing anything. Make sure it’s secured in the seat pockets or glove boxes, for example.

Think twice about what you store under backseat passengers’ legs… What impact would it have if the car was in an accident?

Space-saving packing hacks

To maximise your space ahead of the ultimate Australian roadtrip, you might want to make use of some packing hacks. That way, there’s nothing to impede your dance moves as you blast music during the open highway parts of the car trip. Which is basically a requirement of any long drive.

Here are some additional key tips to save space and mess:

• Use soft bags for non-fragile luggage. They can be squeezed or squashed to fit awkward spaces.
• Vacuum pack or roll your clothes to free up more space in your bags.
• Hang a plastic bag over a head rest to use as a makeshift rubbish bin for empty bottles, wrappers, and more.
• Put bags of food or loose ends inside a laundry basket or similar to keep them together, then wrap them tightly in a towel. This will stop them from rolling around, and make them easier to load in and out of the car in one go. Read more car
• Travelling with fluids? Always wrap bottles, container etc extra carefully. You don’t want to have to deal with oil stained car seats or clothes.
• Taking a furry friend? Read our guide to travelling with pets.

Our article on car organising hacks provides pure gold on finding space where there doesn’t seem to be any left and on ways to make sure everything has its place.

Other things to consider

Before you get excited and start packing for your car trip, take one second to cosndier some of the practicalities. This will make your life so much easier and save you loads of stress.

Things to think about as you’re packing include:

• If there’s an emergency, how would you access the spare wheel or other equipment? What about your first aid kit?
• Will you need to stop along the route and reach only some of the luggage? Pack that in an accessible spot too. Have a “go bag” containing essentials you might need throughout the car trip. This could be things like tissues, a jumper, medicine, sanitiser, sun cream, a bottle of water, and cash.
• Is there anything you can leave at home and buy during your trip? Food and drinks, toiletries, and books might be something you can pick up along the way. You don’t want to carry more than you need at any one time.

If you have tons of stuff and can’t avoid bringing it, it might be time to look into buying or hiring a trailer. Or, you could invest in a travel pod for the roof.

By packing things securely to the outside your vehicle, rather than stuffing the car full-to-the-brim, you’ll have peace of mind knowing everything is securely packed away without impacting safety. Just make sure the trailer is a suitable weight for your car (check the laws here) and read our tips on towing a trailer before you set off.

Is keeping the kids happy one of your concerns? These three articles will help you breather a sigh of relief:

1. Car DIY hacks every parent needs to know
2. Car storage ideas to make all kinds of family trips easier
3. Top tips for surviving family road trips
   

Insurance for your car trip

Before you hit the road on your long-awaited car trip, be sure to do some cursory checks. Make sure your tyre pressure is right, service your car, and make sure you have enough protection in the form of car insurance.

The last thing you’d want is to have your road trip holiday ruined by a crash, flat tyre, or car theft. Especially if you’re left without cover and out of pocket.