What to Take

Before you leave, allocate one person's hand luggage to be the 'car bag' and make sure that it contains whatever you choose of the following:

• A good road map of your destination (local maps may not be of the scale and clarity that you need)
• A cyclist's water bottle (easy to drink from on the move)
• Dried fruit or cookies and glucose tablets
• Spare prescription glasses for the driver, if necessary
• Compatible chargers for mobile phones, MP3 players, e-books, etc 
• Toys ( if travelling with kids) 
• A phrase book ( if needed) 
• Motion sickness tablets
• A plastic bag for trash

While many of the above may be available locally, they may not be when you step off the plane or train, and nothing is more infuriating than numerous stops before you've had a chance to get going. Put the bag in the car, rather than in the trunk, on arrival.