Ready for a Road Trip?

If the weeks ahead call for travel plans with family, get ready to pack your bags and bring the comforts of home into any guest room. It all starts with tucking your trusted go-to favorites into your bag. Like a modern-day Snoopy blanket, keep yourself cozy and calm while you’re on the road.

We’ve pulled together some of our personal favorites to help get you started:

Pack small flannel or cotton drawstring bags to keep things safe, and organized. Soft and flexible, these bags allow you to group similar items together so they’re easy to find and remove as needed. We use some for artisan pieces and others for a quick shoe change when we’re on-the-go.

Are you trying to balance a beverage while packing the luggage, digging for snacks, or petting the dog who’s along for the ride? If you’re like us, there’s bound to be a spill or two along the way. PIck a cheerful cotton hand towel, in a fun graphic or colorful print, for an easy clean and wash. (And for those of us who can hear a pin drop a mile away, these are also handy to fold between items and eliminate pesky rattles coming from the back of the car.)

Whether you’re on or off the trail, clip a bell onto your carry bag or backpack for a subtle jingle as you move about your journey. The sound of a jingle brings a smile and a reminder that jolly is good no matter what the season.

Stash away a few books and magazines (remember those?) for when the screens get tiresome and you want to turn real pages for inspiration. Matthew McConaughey’s book, Greenlights, described as “outlaw wisdom,” is out if you enjoy personal stories, or I Am Every Good Thing, for the young reader, encouraging us to look for the superheroes in our midst.

Warm up the evening with a sip of spirits to share. You’ll be the hit of the evening when you pull a stylish flask from your bag. We know travelers who like to make sure their preferred evening sipper is close at hand at the end of the day when the fireplace starts to roar.

Raise a glass to the host with a surprise just for them. Bring along a little something to say thanks. Wrap up a small cutting board engraved with their initials, tie a ribbon around coasters to set the mood for entertaining, insert a hand-woven tea towel into a ceramic mug to brighten their day, or give a hand-crafted tumbler and wood carved bottle opener. A thoughtful gift is always well received.

Be intentional about traveling with what makes you comfortable; favorite playlists, movies you’ve seen a hundred times and still love, things that are soft to the touch. And when it comes to bags, the feel of worn leather, chunky handles, zippered compartments, side pockets, it’s the small things that make the journey more fun. And filling the bags with your favorite treasures is the best part.