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Camping Road Trip Checklist (Plus a Holiday Road Trip Plan)

When I was 12, we went camping at Turner Falls in southern Oklahoma. My strongest memory of that trip is waking up to find our coolers turned over and all our food gone. We blamed a raccoon. I still think about that raccoon more than I should.

So yes, food storage is on this list. The first half is for camping trips. The second half is for the other big drive a lot of people take this time of year, the holiday road trip, where the hard part isn't the tent. It's the schedule.

Camping road trip checklist: before you leave

Most camping trips go wrong before you ever get there. A little checking up front helps.

That tent one sounds silly. It isn't.

Camping gear list

Here's the core I'd start from:

Pack the tent and the lantern last, so they're on top when you pull in late.

Food and the cooler

Plan your meals before you shop, not at the store. Write down each meal for each day, then build your grocery list from that. You won't end up with four bags of marshmallows and no dinner.

Freeze water bottles to use as ice packs, and keep drinks in a separate cooler so the food one stays closed.

And lock up the cooler at night, or put it in the car. Follow whatever the campground says about food storage, especially where there are bears. Raccoons don't read signs, but rangers write them for a reason.

At the campsite

When you pull in, do a quick walk around before you unload. Look for a flat spot for the tent, away from low ground where water collects.

Before you leave, pack out your trash and leave the site the way you found it. That's the whole idea behind Leave No Trace.

Holiday road trip planning

Now the other trip. A holiday road trip usually isn't about the destination. It's about getting to people, often more than one stop, on the same days everyone else is driving.

Here's what I'd plan for:

Map out the visits. If you're stopping at more than one house, write down who you're seeing, which day and roughly how long you're staying. It prevents the "wait, I thought you were coming Saturday" phone call.

Pick your travel days carefully. Roads and gas stations get busy right before and right after the big holidays. If you can leave a day early or come back a day late, it's usually a calmer drive. Check the weather along the whole route, because winter can change plans fast.

Set a budget for the whole trip. Putting gifts and travel in one budget keeps you from overspending on one and coming up short on the other.

Plan the travel day itself. Know where you'll stop for food and gas, and leave room for the stops you didn't plan. Traffic happens.

Pack for the visit, not just the drive. Wrapped gifts, the dish you promised to bring, a phone charger long enough to reach the outlet behind the guest bed. Nobody remembers that last one until they need it.

If the holiday drive is a longer one, my guide on how to plan a road trip goes deeper on routes, stops and packing. And if you're driving electric, EV road trip planning covers charging stops and range in the cold.

Templates for both trips

I made trip packs for both of these.

Camping Trip Templates are 12 Instagram designs as editable PDFs and ready-to-post PNGs. The Stories include a campsite checklist, gear list, campfire recipe card, camp meal plan, countdown to camp and a Leave No Trace reminder. The Posts are for after, like your campsite of the trip, a trail report and the night sky. It's $10 on my studio site (buy the Camping pack).

Holiday Travel Templates are also 12 designs, as editable PDFs and PNGs. The Stories cover a gift and travel budget, a visit itinerary, a holiday packing list, a travel day plan, a countdown and a holiday recap. The Posts include home for the holidays, gift swap and the holiday table. It's $9 on my studio site (buy the Holiday pack).

You can upload the PDFs to a free Canva account to edit them, or post the PNGs as they are.

If you're doing more than one trip this year, the All Trips Bundle is $25. It's all four of my trip packs in one bundle: Road Trip, EV, Camping and Holiday. That's $42 if you buy them one at a time, so you save $17.

If you'd rather plan in Notion, start with my free Notion trip planner. It's one page for one trip, with an itinerary, packing checklist and budget.

Camping and holiday road trip FAQ

What should I pack for a camping road trip?

Start with shelter and sleep: tent, stakes, sleeping bags and pads. Then add a stove, cookware, lights, a first aid kit, layers and rain gear. Plan meals first and build your food list from that.

How do I keep food safe while camping?

Keep perishables in a cooler with plenty of ice and open it as little as you can. At night, lock the cooler or store it in your car, and follow the campground's food storage rules, especially in bear country.

How far ahead should I book a campsite?

As early as you can for popular parks and holiday weekends, since those spots can fill up. Check the campground's own booking window, because each one sets its own.

What's the best day to start a holiday road trip?

If you can, avoid the busiest days right before and after the holiday. Leaving a day early or coming home a day late usually means a calmer drive.

How do I budget for a holiday road trip?

Add up gas, food on the road, any hotel nights and gifts in one budget. Keeping travel and gifts together makes it easier to see the real cost of the trip.

It's been a long time since Turner Falls. I still think about that raccoon.

So which trip is next for you, the campsite or the holidays?