Day Trip Essentials – What to Pack for a Day Out

Last Updated: May 15, 2022 . By Melissa . Hints and Tips, Travel Tips

This post may contain compensated links. For more information, read our disclaimer here.

Half the fun of travelling is heading off on a Day Trip to explore the area around where you are staying. As I like to be organised, I leave most of my Day Trip Essentials packed in the car, ready to go.  That way, when we are heading off somewhere for the day, I only have to worry about packing food for the day.

Day Trip Essentials
Perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

SMALL PICNIC BAG

My no. 1 day trip essential is a picnic bag. In our bag, I have plates, cups, cutlery, a breadboard, salt & pepper, serviettes and old table cloth which is great for throwing over a picnic table if it looks a bit grubby. I always make sure I have rubbish bags as sometimes there are no bins available. So I always make sure I take our rubbish with us. (And sometimes other peoples rubbish too).

Day Trip Essentials - Picnic Bag
This small picnic bag is just the right size to carry all our Day Trip Essentials and it fits neatly in our drawers.

But my favourite addition to this bag is a ‘tap head’. It constantly amazes me how many parks and picnic areas we visit have taps that you can’t turn on. I know it’s because people that don’t care leave them running or waste the water but sometimes you just need some water to wash your hands, rinse a plate or give your dog a drink so we carry the ‘tap head’ with us everywhere.

If you do use a tap head, please make sure you do the right thing. Use only a minimum amount of water and turn the tap off properly when you have finished.

Multi Fit Tap Head
This multi-fit ‘Tap Head’ comes in very handy.

CAMERA

I love taking photographs of all the amazing places we get to visit on our travels. I have a Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera which I just love. It has a great zoom on it and takes really clear photos. So it always goes in the car whenever we are heading out for the day. Depending on where we are going, Brenden will sometimes pack his drone as well.


29106

FIRST AID KIT

A good First Aid Kit is always a day trip essential. Make sure you restock used items and check items such as saline solution for expiry dates.  If you are going bush walking a smaller kit that you can put in a backpack is a handy addition. Our kit is a small tri-fold pouch, but it holds a lot. If you don’t carry a first aid kit, Outback Equipment have a great selection available.


176877

PERSONAL CARE KIT

For want of a better name, this is just a small plastic container that I leave packed in our Drifta Drawers. In it, I keep sunscreen, insect repellent, hand sanitiser, toilet paper, toilet wipes or baby wipes and a headlamp. It generally has ‘Panadol’ in it as well. I also use it to store a small pair of binoculars just so they aren’t floating around. In the drawers with that, I also keep a box of tissues.

Day Trip Essentials
I keep a few essentials for a day out in this plastic tub.

SWIM BAG

In summer I tend to keep a bag handy that already has towels and hats in it and our swimmers as well. That way if we happen across a spot that we can go for a dip we have everything we need.  If we are at home it saves running around trying to find all the beach things and only takes a moment to throw swimmers in.

PICNIC RUG

Always a day trip essential in my view. You just never know where you might end up being able to spend a lazy hour enjoying the sun or a great view somewhere. A picnic rug can also double as a table cloth if the tables are a bit grubby when you stop for lunch.

All these things pack neatly into our Drifta Drawers.  After using them they go straight back into the car so they are there for the next trip.

Day Trip Essentials
Everything fits neatly into one of drawers and takes up very little space.

EXTRA WATER

We always throw in a couple of extra bottles of water. You just never know when you might need them. We have even given water to some campers one day that didn’t have enough.

SOME CASH

We always try and carry some cash with us when we are heading out for the day. Occasionally we still find somewhere that doesn’t have EFTPOS facilities available. It also comes in very handy if you happen to come across a great road side stall. Buying fresh produce from road side stalls is a great way to save some money on food when you are travelling.

Carrying Cash
We always carry some cash when we head out for the day.

What other things do you pack when you head out for a day trip?

2 thoughts on “Day Trip Essentials – What to Pack for a Day Out”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.