If you Google “Best Way To Pack a Suitcase“, you will most likely come up with a number of sites presenting lists of what you should and should not pack and strategies to pack as much as possible within the least amount of space or to go as minimal as possible.

This is great, but customization is important.  I change the way I pack each time I travel.  I find that posts about the best way to pack a suitcase never differentiate between going to Europe by air or going to the Minnesota State Fair by car.

Road trips offer a lot of flexibility in packing, even if the car is crowded.

So to be clear, this is not a podcast about packing minimally, this is a podcast about going on a long road trip and wanting to be as comfortable as possible. In my mind, the best way to pack a suitcase cannot be separated with the best way to pack a car. This is obviously based on my own preferences (like the desire for awesome coffee in the middle of nowhere), but can be substituted for your preferences. Some of the things I mention are for safety and others are to save you time and money.

I mention in the podcast that you should have a specific bag for travel information. You will probably bring some books and information with you, as well as pick information up along the way.  It’s best to keep this information in one specific bag. That way you know where to look when you are making travel decisions.  My passenger is also my navigator, so we leave the “information bag” in the backseat and the navigator starts to do research as we are approaching a town we intend to stop in for the night.

• 
  
• Smart For Life 42-Day Weight Management Kit – Diet Cookies
  

During the part of the podcast about bringing the diet food, I meant to say drug stores are where you can find Smart For Life Cookies, not grocery stores.  But really, I’m not sure if they are in grocery stores or drug stores. Best bet is buy them online. The “glorified candy bars” I referred to in the podcast are in grocery stores and are the protein bars that often have a lot of protein, but also a lot of junk.

• 
  
• Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker (for awesome espresso in the middle of nowhere)
  

• 
  
• Vapur Element .7L Collapsible (“Squishy”) Water Bottle Grey (Fire)
  

Side note about the Vapur bottles. Don’t get the ones with the plastic cap. I lost the plastic cap and didn’t want to drink out of the bottle because I had placed my bag on the floor with the bottle attached and the mouthpiece most likely touched the ground. The bottle I linked to is the new kind and has a mouth piece cover that is attached to the bottle.

 Reusable travel Mug

Tuna and can Opener (or whatever ready food that is nutritious)

Miso Soup

Diet Food (Smart for Life cookies, Ideal Protein)

Podcasts!

Reusable water bottles (Squishy water bottles)

Triple outlet converter (for the older hotels – used this a lot in Italy) or hostels

Tent (and yoga mat)

plastic utensils

pocket knife

two checks

ziplock bags

himilayan salt – good for headaches and sometimes weakness is due to lack of minerals

Aeropress

Tea bags

The post TBP 0011 The Best Way To Pack a Suitcase (Part 1): Cars and Road Trips appeared first on Travel Better.