Posted by
My best friend since I was a child/my downstairs neighbor just packed up and moved away. She’s driving with her husband and two dogs in tow from Los Angeles to their new home state of South Carolina. I didn’t know what to get her for a “going away present” so I put together a little road trip care package.
Here’s what I included:
- For you: A card to read full of sappy shit.
- For them: Chicken strips for the pups to snack on.
- For Now: Peanut butter filled pretzels for the humans to snack on.
- For later: A Los Angeles-themed Starbucks card, for when there’s nothing else on the road that’s either open or appetizing but Starbucks for miles. Plus she can then keep the card in her wallet and re-use it/think of our home town.
- For home: A shark fin soap from Lush (my favorite gift to give)
- For…ev…er: A 12-hour-long audio book of The Hobbit.
I’m super sad to see them all move away, but it did make me feel better knowing that I was packing them up something helpful AND that would hopefully ease their sadness along the away.
Now I’m curious to know two things:
- What would YOU put in a road trip care package for someone?
- What are other good “going away” gifts?
I moved from Texas to Maine with my dog and I think your care package is great. maybe a few bottled waters. oooh or some notecards and stamps so they could write and give people their new address. the only thing I wish I could’ve had was help finding pet friendly hotels. I had an app on my phone to help find dog parks and that was a real lifesaver (stopped all along the way for my pup). and it might be fun to include some info about fun places to stop. I had a cook book from a pie shop in Virginia so my mom and I stopped. was fun! maybe some antibacterial hand gel and tylenyol.
A Motel 6 guidebook (free at any Motel 6) is great for finding pet friendly hotels, as all Motel 6’s are pet friendly and they don’t even charge an extra fee (except at a few of their “Studio 6” locations). When my husband and I moved from Washington to Southern California with our two cats, we stayed at Motel 6’s the whole way and it worked out really well. When we were ready to stop for the night I just found the nearest Motel 6 and read him the directions to get there from the highway.
For someone moving with pets who would be okay with stopping at a Motel 6, I’d go pick one up and include that in the care package.
What a sweet idea! I might also include retro candy, like pixie sticks and candy buttons and stuff like that, because it reminds me of road trips from my childhood and it’s fun and I imagine the bright colors might ease the sadness. Also, maybe a mixed CD? Do people still make those? I am old…
My good friend got a mixed CD for her 24th birthday last night! Music never goes out of style.
What a great idea!
Mix CDs! Pick a theme and find the weirdest stuff on iTunes and Amazon to complete it.
I’ve always wanted to make an ‘Elizabethtown’ road trip package! Mix CD’s and recommendations for sightseeing would be an awesome gift!
I know a couple who moved to Alaska, and their parents made them an epic package that included a wrapped gift for every 100 miles (total was about 3500 miles of driving. Eek!). Gifts were very similar to these, including gas station gift cards, cat treats, and various candies and snacks.
When we moved across the country when I was 4 and my parents split it into a 15 day drive, we were given a wrapped gift for each day of the drive. My mom also used cookie sheets as a magnetic table for us to draw and play on.
Baby wipes would be really useful! Maybe also some individual powdered drink mixes.
When my best friend moved partway across the country for university, I made her a plane-trip care package. The plane trip wasn’t really that long, so it was less about usefulness and more about cheering her up. I wrapped a bunch of little presents (favourite candy, gum, celebrity gossip magazine, cool erasers and pencils, a little colouring book) and a book of Sudoku puzzles. She got to open some presents after a certain amount of time had passed, and some presents could only be opened after she finished a certain number of Sudoku puzzles. I also included some random ribbons from the dollar stuff (stuff like 1st Place and #1 Daughter) that she earned for finishing certain tasks. I wrote her a sappy card, too, of course.
Oooh! This is super helpful! I’m going on a cross country road trip on friday! This post and comments are awesome. Tylenol is a genius suggestion Megan. Thanks! And audio books! Woot!
I like to pack pepto-bismol, ginger ale, dried fruit, a small notebook, a mechanical pencil, baby wipes, a few boxes of orange tic-tacs, bubbles, and a book light.
If it’s a road trip, I’ve included hand sanitizer/wipes, a small roll of toilet paper, a frisbee/hacky sack to help stretch legs at rest stops, and madlibs/crosswords. I put it all in a vessel that can act as a trash collector in the car. I even make my own for long trips!
Oh how I wish I would have thought of this when my brother moved across country. He did the drive alone and this would have been a great surprise to leave in the car for him.
Throw in a few cute pairs of sunglasses!
My friend is in a band that frequently goes on tour for month-long stints with 5 guys packed into a van!
I pack a care package for him that includes – ‘healthy’ snacks (dried fruit bars, Vega shake powder, nuts and seeds, etc); ginger pills, allergy pills, Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, Oil of Oregano, notebook, baby wipes, various herbal tea bags, hand sanitizer.
I think everything has come in handy at some point!
I misread “shark fin SOAP” as “shark fin soup” and was horrified. (Very cruel “gourmet” item.)
Thank goodness I was wrong, and thank you for the link to people who are helping sharks!