What To Pack For a Road Trip in Europe: A Complete Guide

April 2020, we were supposed to embark on a year-long adventure around the world. Then Covid19 happened and we turned the first months into an extensive road trip through Europe. But then the question arose: what to pack for a road trip?

Our world-trip was initially conceived as a flight / public transportation trip, maybe the occasional car rental, depending on the destination. But summer 2020 was very different...

We started by exploring Sebi's home Western Austria. From here, we spent a week exploring Slovenia, drove down the coast of Croatia all the way to Dubrovnik and then took the ferry to Greece where we marvelled at Santorini's sunsets and discovered the best beaches in Crete.

In total we did about 3000 km and had the best time, driving around new countries in our little Suzuki, tasting incredible mediterranean food and just enjoying ourselves.

Given that I carry around some severe health issues, there were several things other than basic camp and road trip gear to consider and an extensive travel pharmacy was one of them.

So here's a complete guide on what to pack for a road trip in Europe, especially when health plays a part in your trips.

Don't have time for this now?

Save it for later!

The original world-trip-plan

Before we even began to think about what to pack for a road trip through Europe, we had an entirely different trajectory in mind.

This is what our big world-map canvas that we had in our (temporary) living-room looked like:

Pretty chaotic, right?

Let me explain:

As I said earlier, Sebi and had a world trip planned starting April 1st 2020. Sebi quit his job and I took a sabbatical of one year. Our original plan with one year of travels looked like this:

I know, it was pretty ambitious but we only had one year before I had to get back to work and we wanted to make the most out of that time.

We were totally aware of the fact that this general plan was bit obsolete but we never imagined that it would just totally not happen at all.

Covid19 and all that jazz

Borders closing

April 1st was the planned departure. Austria went into lockdown beginning of March, Belgium and Luxembourg followed two weeks after that.

Mid-march, we were supposed to empty my apartment in Luxembourg and move my stuff to Sebi's parents in Austria (read the story on how we met).

We got as far as my parents in Belgium with my stuff, blocking their garage for a few months, as we couldn't get the moving van from Austria to Luxembourg.

But we managed to get to Austria with both our cars. So most of my things stayed in Belgium but Sebi and I went to Austria to self-quarantine for two months.

Quarantine-life

There we were, none of us had a place to live anymore and we couldn't start our trip. 

But the flat underneath Sebi's parents had been empty ever since his lovely grandma passed away in 2019. So we had a rent-free place to stay with a bit of privacy. Having no income, this was perfect! 

Also, Sebi grew up in the beautiful Vorarlberg-region with lots of mountains to hike on, epic views and even a pool at his parent's place to relax from time to time.

These two months weren't so bad after all!

European borders reopening

With the situation slowly getting under control at the beginning of summer, long before the second Covid19-wave announced itself, we saw an opportunity to finally hit the road.

Too bad we had already booked a few long-haul flights as we were on a rather tight schedule. Meaning that, although we got flight credits for all of them, we weren't able to use them between then and the end of the given period.

We lost several thousands of Euros in flights only. 

But it could have been way worse, so it's quite alright.

A new challenge: what to pack for a road trip through Europe

Austria was amongst the first European countries to ease their safety measures in summer with open borders, open restaurants and hotels, etc.

So we figured: why not starting an Austria road trip and move our way through Europe from here? That country has a lot to offer!

I had been to Austria as a kid, once or twice, but that’s about it. And Sebi mostly knew his home region Vorarlberg but not so much everything surrounding it.

So we went cruising through Tyrol and the Salzburg region, visited Hallstatt and the Kärnten area in the south-east of the country.

Then we managed to cross the borders with Slovenia to explore this beautiful country. 

From there, headed down to Croatia and maybe took a ferry to Greece and Crete later (check out the Meteora monasteries and Santorini sunsets!).

We had about two months for this trip and came back for yet another (spontaneous) wedding by the end of August and the postponed one in September.

Read also | Things to do in beautiful Pula, Croatia

                      Day-trips from Split, Croatia: our top 3

                      From Split to Dubrovnik: amazing Adriatic pearl

                      Sassi di Matera: the ultimate guide for a day-trip

                      Amazing beaches and hidden gems in Crete                  

Planning? Or just winging it?

I’m usually more of the planner-type as I don’t like to miss out on things just because I wasn’t informed. You know, like things closing at certain times of the year, permits you need to get months in advance, etc.

But as we didn't know how the Covid-situation was going to evolve (and we had already lost quite a bit of money)*, we were just going to plan day by day this time.

We had an approximate route in mind but that was it. We checked on the same day to see what we could get, making reservations on Booking a few hours before arriving at our destination.

And it worked pretty well. Though I might add that, due to the pandemic, hotels weren't overbooked in the summer of 2020. I don't know if it would work that well during high season in normal times.

*Corona made border crossings a bit tricky, especially when driving down from Split to Dubrovnik...

What to pack for a road trip: our gear

Because we weren't going to have flights with luggage limitations just stuffed Sebi’s car, a Suzuki Gran Vitara, with everything that we deemed useful.

Of course, once we headed towards Costa Rica in October, our luggage looked a bit different and was undeniably much, much lighter!

Also, we blogged during the whole trip and tried to build somewhat of a social media presence on the road, so we had a lot of technical stuff with us that might not be absolutely essential.

Disclaimer:

The items linked here are not sponsored as we paid for them ourselves but we do get a tiny commission from Amazon when you book through one of these links, to no additional cost for you at all.

We stand behind the products, having tried and tested them all extensively.

First things first: the backpack

Osprey all the way

Ever since my very first backpack from Osprey, I’m a huge fan of their products. So obviously, when it came to choosing my backpack for our trip, I went straight for that brand.

For my Patagonian trip two years ago, I bought the Ariel 55 AG which was perfect at that time. The downside was that it is a top loader. And while this was more than okay for a 4-week-trip, it doesn’t come in handy when you’re travelling for a longer period of time.

You would have to be really organised (I am not) to not empty the whole bag every time you need something that’s in the lower part.

So I bought a new one, quite similar in functionality: the Fairview trek 70.

It is a lot bigger than my previous one but you have the ability to choose if you fill it until it almost bursts or if you just use the handy latches on the sides to tighten it up.

Size, weight, top- or front loader

I wanted a bigger one as this leaves me room in case I need to bring back more things from a trip than when I left (souvenirs, clothes, etc.). Just having the option is nice.

And this one is a front loader which is awesome, as you can open it like a normal bag to get to all your things. It's also possible to carry it like a suitcase, thanks to the side handle.

The Fairview trek 70 is also generally lighter-weighted. Although I must say, that the part resting on your hips feels easier with the Ariel as the side elements are more rigid.

It all has pros and cons, and the best way to find the perfect backpack is to just try them on.

What to pack for a road trip: camping gear (optional)

Tent and sleeping bag

I bought the Gossamer tent from Jack Wolfskin we packed for our road trip for my Patagonian-trip last year. It is very light, easy to set up and wind resistant.

But it's certainly too small for two persons. We are total cuddlers so we don't mind basically lying on top of each other in a tiny tent but if you need a bit more space, I'd go for the ultralight Fltom tent for two persons.

A good sleeping bag is also a must! We have one (wel... two actually) from Nordisk that goes as low as -2˚ Celsius. 

It was a bit chilly in Patagonia but then again, I was there in April, so almost winter for them.

For European summer it might even be too hot but then again, depends on the weather.

Most importantly, it shouldn't take much space inside your car. You will need that for other essential road trip items! Plus: with Booking offering crazy last-minute deals, you don't have to be camping all the time.

The sleeping bag also served as duvet when we slept in an alpine hut in Tyrol during the Austrian part of our European road trip.

Camping chairs and table

Doesn’t matter what brand or type, it’s just perfect if you don’t want to eat out all the time (save some money on the road!) and, like us, love to picnic on the side of the road. 

The ones we used this year were borrowed from Sebi's parent. They were alright but not that comfortable. We will most likely get chairs from Coastrail as they have this lumbar cushion that's amazing for your back - we aren't getting any younger, are we?

A cool box

VERY handy when road tripping! They come in all sizes and price ranges. From very basic ones with no inherent cooling function, using icepacks, to more expensive, proper car-fridges with simple cooling but also freezing functions in case you want to drive around with ice cones.

In-between, you have big enough cooling boxes to plug in to the car (or a plug socket) that should be an essential item to pack for any longer road trip.

We had a basic one during our tip where we stocked some sausages, cheese and tomatoes for our low-budget-but-charming picnics.

I myself travel with medication that needs to be cool all the time and I bought this mini fridge for syringes after our Euro-trip before we flew to Costa Rica. And I can honestly say: it's not cheap but it saved my butt several times. So glad I bought this thing!

Read also | How to keep medication cool when travelling?

What to pack for a road trip: tech gear

Computers or not?

We obviously took our own comptuers. As we are blogging on the road, we needed them. I had the MacBook Pro Retina (15-inch) from 2015 at the beginning of our trip but kind of broke the screen while we were exploring Cusco in Peru. I got myself the latest MacBook Pro 16 when we arrived in New Orleans as tech gear is just way cheaper in the US than in Europe.

I wouldn’t want anything other than a MacBook. Yes, Apple’s marketing strategy works really well on me... but they are just SO intuitive and user-friendly!!

Sebi used to be a game-addict-haha. So he has an Alienware from Dell (you know, the ones the guys from the Big Band Theory use) but that he bought like 10 years ago.

I don’t even know if they still sell that exact same model. It’s not the most handy thing as it’s pretty massive. I thought he would not take it once we would fly out of Europe but he did...

It is very robust, though, and obviously very good for anything requiring powerful graphics.

We also bought this wireless Bluetooth mouse. I'm currently doing lots of photo editing in Lightroom (read below) and the MacBook pad just isn't super handy.

This particular mouse is smooth on the surface and very easy to connect and use. Would buy it again anytime!

Photography gear

Camera

Other than our phones (iPhone 11 Pro for Sebi, iPhone12 ever since I had to buy a new one in the US after getting mugged in Costa Rica) that take amazing pictures and videos, I’ve been using the Nikon dslr cameras for almost as long as I’ve been travelling.

I used to have a basic Nikon Coolpix P90 which is not a dslr and therefore not great for high resolution pictures, but it is handy and lightweight. It was my first 'bigger' camera my mom bought me when I went off to study in Barcelona. I still use it from time to time for shorter trips like when we visited Malta.

Then I had the Nikon D3200 which is a real good camera that got me safely through the Namibian desert for example. But with a digitalised world comes the problem that you want to share everything immediately. And I couldn’t do that without a computer.

So for my Patagonian journey and to get the most amazing pictures on Easter Island, I bought the Nikon D5600 which comes with the handy wifi: you can directly connect it to your phone and upload the pictures you selected. Perfect for social media sharing on the road!

I bought it with the AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm lens which I use the most. But I also have the AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm lens for close-ups and animal photography.

I’m just a bloody amateur so I’m sure there’s a lot of better gear out there, but I’m pretty happy with what I got and how I use it.

Camera protection

Before going through our list of what to pack for a road trip in Europe, I read some reviews of camera bags because I was looking for a way to combine daypack and camera protection. 

That way we could go on hikes without having several bags dangling around my body.

And I found this one from Zecti:

Okay, you have to get the bag off your back to access the camera but this is an extra protection as nobody can even think to open your backpack and try to steal your camera. 

I experienced this kind of (attempted) backpack-robbery first-hand in Barcelona back in 2010 when I was studying there. Luckily, I noticed it quickly enough and they weren’t able to steal anything. 

The upper compartment is big enough to carry a water bottle, an extra shirt and some other things (for me: medication – always!).

It's shock- and water-resistant (comes with an extra rain-cover) and you can attach a (smaller) tripod with the latches at the bottom.

Tripod and extras

Which brings us to the tripod: we first bought this lightweight octopus tripod from Lemmcou because we wanted to do some couple shoots on the road or film timelapse-sunsets with our phones.

These kind of tripods nowadays come with a handy remote control which you can easily connect with you camera or phone by Bluetooth. 

And the flexible legs are cool as you can hang your camera from a branch for example.

After a while, we bought a bigger tripod from K&F as the smaller one is handy for transport but not great for couple shots with a view where you will need more height to start with.

Another important thing: get lots of SD-cards! You can never have enough of them! I personally always use the ones from SanDisk and have them in different sizes.

Also, I used to already have one spare Nikon battery but I bought an extra one just to be sure as we were planning to travel for a long time with no certainty of electricity for charging.

Adventure cam

As we had a tight budget, having no income and all, we couldn’t afford to get a real GoPro as they are just SO expensive in Europe! 

So we got a cheaper Akaso V50 Elite to record our action stuff and film underwater. It worked pretty well and this one really is a bargain compared to actual GoPro. 

The quality of the movies is quite high and you get tons of extra stuff to be able to use the camera in every possible situation (dashboard-cam, on a helmet, underwater, on a bike, etc.).

We didn't regret having bought this one!

Unfortunately, the bright blue Caribbean sea in the Dominican Republic ended up swallowing our camera...

And we finally caved once we got to the US as - here again - GoPro's are so much cheaper there than in Europe. We bought the GoPro Hero9 which was great as we used it so much during our snorkel and diving trips in Belize, French Polynesia and Jordan later on.

Photo editing stuff

Granted, this is not so much known as 'gear' but to me it's a very essential element in all of our travels. That's why I'm listing it here as part of what to pack for a road trip: an editing program.

When you use dslr's, you will always have to do editing of your pictures to some extend. The camera captures the views exactly how our eyes sees them. But our eyes are connected to our brain which is basically an editing program on its own.

So an editing software like Lightroom plays the role of our brain that generally enhances colours, gives them more brilliance, adds more clarity and sharpness in general.

Lightroom Classic is by far the best software out there and Adobe always has incredibly lucrative deals that combine several programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop and Adobe XD in their Creative Cloud (see below) for example.

Entertainment things

A tablet for creativity

We bought our tablet on Refurbed where you can sget tablets, phones and computers which are used but have been refurbished. They usually have just some minor scratches but other than that, they work perfectly. And they are VERY budget-friendly.

We got the iPad 6th generation and wanted to use this as our main computer by adding this Slim Folio keyboard from Logitech.

We ended up travelling with our big computers anyway but we used the tablet for other creative things: I got the Procreate app and it’s so amazing to be able to draw anything I want, anytime I want! This one isn't sponsored, I just genuinely LOVE this app and the creators behind it!

In order to use it properly, I got myself the Apple Pencil (1^st generation) as well. I researched for other, cheaper styluses but I always came to the same conclusion: nothing beats the Apple pencil. It’s amazing.

Be sure to have a protection cover as I experienced that one tends to forget that it's not a simple, traditional pen...

A Kindle for reading (obviously)

I used to think that I would hate to read books on a screen. I love reading in general and especially in bed. So I figured that a Kindle would not be my thing. 

But Sebi pointed out that, although we had more space in the car than we would for plane-trips, I wouldn’t be able to take all the books I wanted... meh.

So he bought the Kindle Paperwhite.

And I must say: I love it! It is a screen, sure. And I did sometimes miss the feeling of turning pages and having a hard cover in my hands. And yes, I won’t be able to put these books in my library. But for travelling: Kindle all the way from now on! Definitely a must pack for road trips!!

Audible for something else than music in the car

Not really gear but SO, SO cool when road tripping!!

Get yourself a subscription to Amazon's Audible for the long hours in the car while road tripping through Europe.

Sebi and I both have a separate account as we spent our first year of dating driving back and forth between Austria and Luxembourg (600 km). Listening to audio-books and podcasts really kills time when driving!

And the Audible Originals are really good as they are not only simply read out loud but they have music and sound effects to really bring the story alive. So cool! We loved the ‘Jonah’-series from Rebecca Gablé for example.

Every month, you get a free audiobook that you choose. And the choice, just like with Kindle, is huge! 

Bluetooth speaker and headphones

A Bluetooth speaker is always useful in order  to have music everywhere you go or if you want a better sound while watching a movie on the computer or tablet.

Also, we actually needed a speaker in the car as Sebi’s Suzuki was his grandpa’s. It’s an older model that doesn’t have any Bluetooth… in order to listen to my playlists on my phone or Audible-stuff, we need this speaker in the car – haha. 

I got the waterproof JBL Go 2 and it delivers really good sound quality.

Not so much for this specific road trip through Europe but generally a very good ‘investment’: Bose QuietComfort 35 with noise cancelling!

I bought them in Singapore back in 2018 and they are my very best friend in planes (and at work, when my coworker I share the space with shouts into her phone while I try to work..). 

Climbing/via ferrata gear

Okay this is probably not something you will need to pack for a road trip through Europe.

But Sebi showed me how fun it is to do Via Ferrata, where you climb on rocks and walk over steel ropes, or even hang in the middle of a dam wall while secured by two brake ropes.

I had never done this before as I used to suffer from a serious fear of heights (read the caption of the post below).

As I fell in love with this kind of climbing, I bought my very own set (I used to borrow one from a friend) which is a complete Edelrid Joker harness and it’s really good! I feel so secure with this thing and I love the flashy colour.

And it wasn't too expensive, at least not this specific one. I bought it at a store in Austria as a whole set including helmet and carabiners. I couldn't find this specific set on Amazon so don't forget these items when you buy the harness

What to pack for a road trip: general useful items

Clothes and shoes

Hiking gear

Good wind and water resistant hiking leggings or pants are a must. I’m doing well with the trail runner from Salomon, I even bought a second pair as back-up. They come in women and men's sizes and are lightweight, wind-stopping and dry very fast. 

Good shoes are essential. I have hiking boots from Lowa, the Renegade GTX Mid WS and it was a great investment. They feel very stable yet not too heavy and there's no chance of slipping, even when climbing on rocks. Plus, they are waterproof. 

I bought mine in an Adventure store in Luxembourg and got some insoles and Alpaca-wool socks for more comfort as well. 

For easier hikes, walking in cities or even climbing, I can absolutely recommend the Ridgerider from Reebok (which I have in black/pink). I wore them during hikes, on visits of archaeological sites like Caracol or while climbing and scrambling inside the Crystal Cave in Belize and they never disappointed.

Oh and I got these Tulum sandals from Crocs. They are amazing! Insanely comfortable but also very handy as they are made of the same material as flip-flops.

Which means they can serve as water-resistant shoes when showering in shared spaces like in hostels for example. And you can wear them to the beach or even go swimming.

I personally hate common flip-flops as it hurts the sensible skin between my toes - so I love having these as an alternative. And I wear them all the time.

Also, they still look good even when you wear them with a skirt or summer dress – multi-functionality all the way!!

Dry-bags 

We tested the our dry-bags in the bathtub before starting our trip and they ARE waterproof – haha. But they are also just handy to put in your dirty laundry for example.

And if you press really good when rolling down the edges, they basically serve as a vacuum compression bags too and save some space in your backpack.

Of course there are obviously the proper compression bags as well. I usually only use them at the end of a trip to get lots of extra space in my backpack or suitcase for souvenirs and stuff.

Don’t use them while still on your trip as you’ll probably have to iron the clothes afterwards – unless it’s clothes that don’t wrinkle at all. Which what you should consider packing for a road trip anyway.

We forgot to pack them when we headed out of Europe and we seriously missed them when it was time to come home from French Polynesia. 

Little things we always carry during road trips

• A clothing line you can put up anywhere you want. We forgot ours in Fakarava, will have to get a new one.
• Secure bags from Pacsafe with combination lock where you can put your tablet, phones and other valuables and fix it somewhere. No one can open it or detach it from where you put it without knowing the code. Pretty useful when somewhere unsafe or at the beach.
• The tiny wallets from Secrid: for cards and a little cash; they are made of aluminium so nobody can use the contactless function of your card while you're not paying attention. We both have one.
• A breast pocket for money and cards when in unsafe regions or cities (has been of use to me in Barcelona several times!!).
• Hook-and-loop-tape: serves a lot of purposes!
• Elastics: same as the tape!
• A multi-function jackknife; I used to have a basic one until a dear work-colleague/friend got one that also has a fork and spoon and it has been super handy so far! Can't link the original one as it's a French brand that doesn't sell on Amazon. But here's the kind I'm talking about.
• The same colleague/friend got me a new travel journal as I love writing down the stuff we did. Always good if you plan on writing about it later, no one can possibly remember all the names and places when travelling for so long. 
• Resistance bands and yoga mats: the latter are an exception as we just stuffed our car with everything we could – haha. But resistance bands are good if you want to work out during long travels and need to substitute weights.
• ‘Rei in der Tube’ or any other portable laundry-product: my mom used to pack ‘Rei in der Tube’ for every single holiday! Even though we just stayed in hotels and always packed way more clothes than needed, it was always good to properly wash the bathing suits in the sink of the hotel-room. Now I use it to do my entire laundry in the bathtub when I’m travelling for a longer period of time and don’t have a washing machine. 
• Travel towels: microfibre ones as they are easy to wash and dry very quickly.
• Inflatable pillow like this one from Sea to Summit; tried and tested: very comfy. 
• Regular powerbank with a lot of power (at least 12.000 mAh) and multiple connexion points.
• Solar power bank, in case you are on longer treks with no possibility to charge your phone elsewhere. 
• Various jacks for all the different plugs in the world. 
• A handy cable organiser bag to prevent cable spaghetti. 
• A pocket- or headlamp, in case you sleep in a tent or a hostel with others in the same room. 
• Ear plugs!! Sleeping in hostels, on camp-sites and alpine huts comes with a lack of privacy, hence possible snoring roommates.

What to pack for a road trip: travel pharmacy essentials

For a more in-depth article about what you should have in your travel pharmacy - road trip or flight vacation - check out the following post with handy checklist to download: Travel Pharmacy: the essentials for the journey

General medication

• Paracetamol all the way! Anything pain-related can be solved with good old paracetamol. Inflammations are supposed to be treated with Ibuprofen but my stomach and guts don’t like it.
• Something for stomach ache/sea-sickness: for the latter, I got myself the funny-looking glasses from Boarding Ring! They are supposed to connect your inner ear and your vision to the brain and simulate the steady horizon when things are moving too fast. 
• Something for diarrhea: SO important for me! Always in my travel pharmacy! You never know...
• An antibiotic: check with your doctor which one might be good for you. I always have two types, one for general diseases that immediately need antibiotic treatment, another one specifically for bowel issues. If I am ever having a flare-up while somewhere farther from a hospital, this will probably save my life until I can get proper medical attention. 
• A cortisone-spray: as I am asthmatic, although in a milder form, I always carry a spray. I never had to use it so far but I prefer to be safe than sorry.
• Everything the travel-doctor advises, depending on the destination (something against altitude sickness, vaccines, Malaria-stuff, etc.)

Read also | How to avoid getting seasick: the solution?

                      Traveling despite a chronic disease

                      Beating altitude sickness in Cusco: the best tips

Other useful things

• Kinesiotape: I always have a roll with tape in pre-cut, self-adhesive pieces. Perfect if you suffer from back-pain or to tape the knees and calves when hiking
• Some device for extracting venom when visiting destinations with lots of snakes and spiders. Haven’t had to use it so far.
• Something for sunburns and mosquito-bites.
• Sprays with DEET for mosquitoes, depending on the destination - extremely important on Maupiti or Bora Bora for example...
• A general first aid kit.

Safety gadgets

These are not absolutely essential but it's the kind of stuff you don't think of until you need it.

That's what we thought when we got mugged at gunpoint in Costa Rica. I can tell you, we didn't sleep very well at our AirBnB the following night. I was constantly on the look-out for movement near the window, listening to every little sound - totally scared. 

For our next trip - especially if we decide to stay at AirBnB's and hostels like we usually do - we bought a portable lock from Addalock to feel a little safer.

We might also get a discrete little pepper-spray that fits into the tiniest pocket and a portable alarm-keychain as the sound might have scared the muggers right away if we had it back then.

Final lines on what to pack for a road trip through Europe

Obviously, this list in non-exclusive and there will naturally be things you might not use at all or other items that we didn't think of.

Also, a packing list like this depends on the destination. This is what we packed for our road trip through Europe and I think it's fairly safe to say that it's quite complete. 

If you plan on doing road trips elsewhere in the world, the list will probably be quite similar with some additions depending specifically on the destination.

We took almost all of these items for the second part of our world trip as well, except for the camping gear. We did several road trips (we love driving in foreign countries like in Costa rica, Belize or Jordan) on the other side of the world but we only stayed at hotels, hostels or AirBnB's.

Feel free to comment or contact us if you have any questions and/or suggestions on what to pack for a road trip and how to prepare.

And don’t forget to pin and share this post for others to see and to support us!

xx 

Cyn

Don't forget to subscribe to get our latest blogposts 
or just some useful info and inspiration!