Hey everyone! Don’t fret, summer’s not over yet! Technically, it’s not over for at least another two weeks. So you still have time to get those road trips in! Actually, the early stages of fall are some of the best times to go. The air is crisp, and it’s not too hot. It’s actually my favorite time of year. If you do have a little bit of road trip fever left in you, here are a few essentials that you should definitely have with you, courtesy of Shine!:

• GPS: this one is a no-brainer. The days of reading a paper map are behind us, electronic is the way to go! My GPS has gotten me out of SO many sticky situations, so it’s a staple whenever I go ANYWHERE.
• Cooler: Save money (and calories) on fast food joints by packing some yummy road-trip snacks
• Pocket Camcorder: Why lug around your pricey camcorder? Pocket ones are lower-cost, kid-friendly, and designed to record footage you can quickly upload to a Website — and even show on a big screen. Most cell phones nowadays have pretty decent cameras on them, so you won’t even have to worry about an extra expense.
• Portable DVD player: For the kiddies on the longer road trips.
• Solar Charger: Taking a solar charger along on your getaway can help you avoid the dying cell phone disaster. It draws power from the sun to amp up nearly any device.

Happy trails!

photo credit: Jimmy_Joe