Road Trip Packing

My Road Trip Packing Advice:

• Don't take too much stuff.
• Soft bags are better than hard suitcases.
• Use different style (or color) bags for different things.
• Have one or two bags which you take into your hotel. Leave things you don't need in the hotel room out of site in the trunk of the car.

Of course, it is much more challenging packing for multiple people in a small car. I was not constrained by space, so I probably did bring more than I really needed.

Road Trip Packing Lists:

• Tara at planning-fun-road-trips.com has several good Road Trip Packing Lists.
• Rolling Stone (and a number of other sites) has some good ideas for Road Trip Music.

Special Topic - Hardware for a Road Trip:

• With pervasive Wi-Fi access in hotels, a netbook is a perfect traveling companion. I love my Samsung NC10.
• Make sure that your batteries and memory cards are charged (if applicable) and in your camera.
• Make sure that you are bringing the correct chargers and cables for your mobile phone, digital camera, computer, GPS, MP3 player, and other personal digital appliances.
• Make sure you have enough capacity for the photos you might take (extra memory cards or the ability to download to another device).
• It is good to take a 6 foot multi-socket extension cord, since many hotels have their sockets in inconvenient places.
• Though you will normally be able to access a wireless network, it is good to have an Ethernet cable, because some hotel rooms also have RJ-45 jacks which provide a better connection.
• A Kensington Security Cable is useful for locking your computer in the trunk of the car or to an immovable object in a hotel room.
• It is handy to put most of your hardware together in a small pack. I am using a North Face Butt Pack for this purpose. This always comes into the hotel room (for charging, etc.).