TRAVEL GUIDE: What to pack for a North Carolina road trip

It’s August 2020 and we are still in the midst of residual COVID-19 restrictions and limitations on travel. But it has been 9 months since Andrew and I have done any sort of major “traveling” (3 months since the beach), and we’re dying to go somewhere. So him and I are taking a mini road trip to Asheville, North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains! Asheville is only about 3 1/2 hours away from us, but we still want to be fully prepared for the road trip no matter how small. So I created a checklist of everything I want and need to bring for the trip to make sure I don’t miss anything on the way out! I organized my checklist into categories so that I don’t mix anything up or overlook anything.

This is what I’m packing for the trip, by category:

Car/Travel

The first category is items needed for the car and the road trip there and back. This includes items like towels, face masks, hand sanitizer, a phone charger, drink cooler, and snacks. We are traveling while some COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, so masks and sanitizer are definite musts! And don’t forget to bring some water and snacks for the road to satisfy little feelings of hunger and thirst.

The list:

• Towels for wiping off dirt from shoes after hiking
• Phone car charger
• Drink cooler to keep drinks cold before hiking
• Seat cushion for added comfort for the car ride
• Cloth and disposable masks
• Hand sanitizer
• Snacks for the road

SHOP THE LIST:

!function(w,i,d,g,e,t){d.getElementById(i)||(element=d.createElement(t),element.id=i,element.src="https://widgets.rewardstyle.com"+e,d.body.appendChild(element)),w.hasOwnProperty(g)===!0&&"complete"===d.readyState&&w[g].init()}(window,"shopthepost-script",document,"__stp","/js/shopthepost.js","script")
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

For the Mountains

The next category is items needed for hiking and walking trails in the mountains. This list includes items like bug spray and sunscreen, electrolyte drinks, snack bars, an adjustable phone tripod, and a portable phone charger (because we’ll be taking so many pics!) If you are legitimately hiking and climbing off-trail, you will need special hiking boots/shoes and your climbing gear. For us, we will be walking pre-made trails.

I’m bringing my Vital Proteins Performance Recovery drinks and Collagen Bars for added protein and energy. You can save $10 off a $25+ purchase with this coupon. That’s perfect for ordering these drinks and bars together!

The list:

• Bug spray
• Sunscreen
• Vital Proteins Recover Drinks – hydration, electrolytes, and protein to keep you going
• Vital Proteins Collagen Bars
• Snack/energy bars
• Sunglasses
• Phone lanyard (see “Travel Tip” below)
• Running shoes
• Tripod & remote for taking photos together
• Portable phone charger
• Hat for protecting against ticks

SHOP THE LIST:

!function(w,i,d,g,e,t){d.getElementById(i)||(element=d.createElement(t),element.id=i,element.src="https://widgets.rewardstyle.com"+e,d.body.appendChild(element)),w.hasOwnProperty(g)===!0&&"complete"===d.readyState&&w[g].init()}(window,"shopthepost-script",document,"__stp","/js/shopthepost.js","script")
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Travel Tip: If you’re paranoid about accidentally dropping your phone off the side of the mountain like me, you can create a makeshift lanyard to hold it. Instead of paying $12+ for a phone lanyard, you can create one yourself for only $5! All you need is a phone ring stand and a detachable purse strap. If you don’t already have one, purchase a ring for the back of your phone. I found this phone ring stand as a set of two for $4.95! Next, find a detachable purse strap from one of your bags you own. Attach the strap to the ring on the phone and viola! You have a homemade phone lanyard!

Clothes

The third section of the checklist is clothes! My favorite part! And also the most time consuming part to figure out. Haha. This section includes all of the pieces I am bringing for photos in addition to the normal clothing items I would be bringing.  I’m not going to lie… it took me many hours over the span of a couple days to look up pieces and photo settings before I finall decided on which pieces I wanted.

These are all of the pieces I am bringing:

SHOP THESE PIECES:

!function(w,i,d,g,e,t){d.getElementById(i)||(element=d.createElement(t),element.id=i,element.src="https://widgets.rewardstyle.com"+e,d.body.appendChild(element)),w.hasOwnProperty(g)===!0&&"complete"===d.readyState&&w[g].init()}(window,"shopthepost-script",document,"__stp","/js/shopthepost.js","script")
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

General

And Last but definitely not least is the general section of the checklist. This includes very important items such a prescription meds, first-aid/band-aids, toiletries, and heat protection spray. These are items that you would normally take with you no matter where you’re traveling. The necessity items.

The list:

• Prescriptions medicines
• Ibuprofen for headaches
• Daily vitamins
• Heat protection spray
• Band-aids
• Gum for preventing bad mask breath
• Folder with info and tickets
• Black puffer jacket

SHOP THE LIST:

!function(w,i,d,g,e,t){d.getElementById(i)||(element=d.createElement(t),element.id=i,element.src="https://widgets.rewardstyle.com"+e,d.body.appendChild(element)),w.hasOwnProperty(g)===!0&&"complete"===d.readyState&&w[g].init()}(window,"shopthepost-script",document,"__stp","/js/shopthepost.js","script")

And this completes my “what to pack for a road trip” checklist. I hope that this categorized checklist made packing for your next trip a little easier! Let me know what YOU would pack in the comments below. READ MORE