# Before a road trip checklist

> Before a road trip, check tire pressure and tread, oil, coolant, washer fluid and lights, and make sure your license, registration and insurance card are in the car. Pack water, snacks, chargers, a first-aid kit and a spare tire or repair kit. At home, switch off appliances, close windows, lock every door and close the garage before you drive off.

Road trips have a particular kind of forgetting. You load the car, buckle everyone in, back out of the driveway, and somewhere around the highway on-ramp someone asks whether the garage door went down.

There's the car to get ready, the stuff that goes in it, and the house you leave behind. Get the car checked a few days ahead so you have time to fix anything, and save the house checks for the very end, after the car is packed.

## Car, a few days before

- [ ] Tire pressure checked, including the spare (Use the numbers on the sticker inside the driver's door.)
- [ ] Tire tread looks healthy, no bulges or cracks
- [ ] Oil level and date of last oil change
- [ ] Coolant, brake fluid and washer fluid topped up
- [ ] Headlights, brake lights and turn signals working
- [ ] Wipers clear the windshield without streaking
- [ ] Any warning lights on the dashboard dealt with

## Documents

- [ ] Driver's license for every driver [worth a photo]
- [ ] Registration and insurance card in the glovebox
- [ ] Roadside assistance number saved
- [ ] Offline maps downloaded for areas with weak signal
- [ ] Hotel or campsite bookings saved

## In the car

- [ ] Water and snacks
- [ ] Phone chargers and a car adapter
- [ ] First-aid kit
- [ ] Jumper cables or a jump starter
- [ ] Spare tire, jack and wrench, or a tire repair kit
- [ ] Flashlight
- [ ] Sunglasses and sunscreen
- [ ] Medication within reach, not buried in the trunk [worth a photo]
- [ ] Trash bags and wipes

## At home

- [ ] Stove and oven off [worth a photo]
- [ ] Small appliances unplugged [worth a photo]
- [ ] Fridge cleared of things that will spoil
- [ ] Trash taken out
- [ ] Thermostat set to away [worth a photo]
- [ ] Taps off [worth a photo]
- [ ] Windows closed and latched [worth a photo]
- [ ] Back door locked [worth a photo]

## Pulling away

- [ ] Front door locked [worth a photo]
- [ ] Garage door fully down (Watch it close before you drive off; sensors sometimes reverse it.) [worth a photo]
- [ ] Gate closed, if you have one
- [ ] Everyone and everything in the car, including the pet
- [ ] Car locked at every stop along the way [worth a photo]

## Tips

- Pack the car the night before, except for anything that can't sit in a cold or hot car. The morning then only has the house checks and the coffee.
- Wait until the garage door has fully closed before you drive off. It takes fifteen seconds and settles the most common road trip doubt.
- Give one person the job of doing the house walk while everyone else loads up. Two people half-checking is worse than one person checking properly.
- At rest stops, lock the car with the fob and look back at the lights flash. Busy stops are where cars get left open.

## Questions people ask

### What should I check on my car before a road trip?

Tire pressure and tread, oil, coolant, brake and washer fluid, lights, wipers, and any dashboard warning lights. Do it a few days early so there's time to fix problems.

### What should I keep in the car for a long drive?

Water, snacks, chargers, a first-aid kit, jumper cables, a flashlight, a spare tire or repair kit, and your license, registration and insurance card.

### How do I know if I closed the garage door?

Watch it close fully before you pull away. Some openers have an app or indicator light, and some people take a quick photo of the closed door as a record.

### Should I unplug things before a road trip?

Yes for anything that heats up, like coffee makers, toasters and irons, plus electronics you won't need. Leave the fridge and freezer running.

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Source: https://getoneloop.app/checklists/before-a-road-trip
One Loop for iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-loop-proof-you-did-it/id6802970270