Traveling by car

Although I specialize in helping people with vacation spots to which they usually fly, I thought it might be helpful to some to have some tips on packing for car trips.
Many of these come from Fodor's 1001 Smart Travel Tips.
1. Buy maps or a road atlas (or get them from your auto club), then flag the pages relevant to your journey so they can be easily located. Use a highlighter to show your intended route. Be sure to share your plans with your navigator if it is not you!
2. Have at least one other person bring along extra keys. If traveling alone, leave a set with someone who could easily Fed Ex them to you.
3.Keep a trash bag and a roll of paper towels in easy reach, along with a jacket or sweater that can also be used as a pillow. Other than that and perhaps your iPod, put everything else in the trunk.
4.Clean out your trunk before packing then put items in from back to front with those you will need at your destination going in first.
5. Don't bury your emergency kit.
6. Give kids larger size plastic containers with some of their "stuff" in them. They can also serve as laptop desks for writing or coloring.
7. Pack a small cooler to cut down on expenses such as soft drinks, water, fruit and snack items.
8. Slow down to 55 (I know -- I hate it, too) and save 20% on gas consumption. It only costs you 10 minutes per hour to go from 65 to 55.
Happy traveling!