Holiday Road Trip Checklist for 2026

Short answer: A holiday road trip checklist covers four things: the car (tire pressure, tread and battery), a winter emergency kit, a charged phone with a car charger, and a plan (weather, a route shared with someone and a departure outside peak traffic). Check it all a few days before you leave, not the morning of. Thanksgiving in the US and the year-end holidays on both sides of the border put more cars on the road than any other time of year. Add early snow, short days and long hours behind the wheel, and small problems like a soft tire or a dead phone become a stranded evening. This checklist walks through what to check, what to pack and when to leave, with every rule and number linked to its source. How many people drive for the holidays? Most holiday travelers go by car. AAA projected 81.8 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles over Thanksgiving 2025, and at least 73 million of them by car, which is nearly 90 percent of travelers. The year-end period is even bigger. AAA projected 122.4 million Americans would travel between December 20, 2025 and January 1, 2026, with 109.5 million going by car. AAA also reports that during the 2024 year-end holidays it answered more than 860,000 roadside assistance calls for problems like dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. Those three problems are exactly what the first part of this checklist is about. What should you check on your car before a long holiday drive? Check the tires, the battery and the fluids a few days before departure, so you still have time to fix anything you find. • Tire pressure: NHTSA says to fill each tire to the pressure on the label inside the driver's door frame, and to check when the tires are cold, meaning not driven for at least three hours. • Tread depth: NHTSA recommends at least 2/32 of an inch of tread on every tire. Transport Canada recommends at least 4 mm on winter tires for the safest winter driving. • Battery and belts: NHTSA advises having a mechanic check the battery, charging system and belts before winter trips. • Washer fluid and wipers: top up with winter fluid and carry an extra jug, which is on Transport Canada's winter kit list. Cold mornings lower tire pressure, so a reading that was fine in October can be low in late November. Our guide to tire pressure in cold weather explains why and how often to check. What should be in your car emergency kit for a winter road trip? Pack for two situations: a car that will not start or move, and a long wait in the cold. Both NHTSA and Transport Canada publish lists, and they overlap on the essentials. • Booster cables or a portable jump starter, plus a flashlight. • Ice scraper, snow brush and a small shovel with a long handle. • Sand or kitty litter and traction mats in case you get stuck. • Warning lights, reflective triangles or road flares. • First aid kit, blankets, extra socks, gloves and a hat. • Water bottles and non-perishable snacks. • Hand and foot warmers, and an emergency seat belt cutter and window hammer. For a full printable version, see our winter car emergency kit checklist. How do you keep your phone charged on a road trip? Use a car charger with enough ports for everyone. NHTSA lists a cell phone and a car charger in its winter kit, because the phone is your map, your weather radar and your way to call for help. On a family trip, one USB port is rarely enough. Navigation drains the driver's phone fastest, so keep that one on the fastest port and let passengers share the rest. Mount the phone where you can see the map without holding it. When is the best time to leave for Thanksgiving or the holidays? Leave in the morning and avoid the afternoons just before the holiday. For Thanksgiving 2025, INRIX expected Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons to be the most congested periods, and the best windows were before noon on Tuesday and before 11 a.m. on Wednesday. AAA usually publishes its updated Thanksgiving outlook in mid-November, so check it before you lock in your plan. Weather matters as much as traffic. NHTSA advises checking local weather and traffic reports before heading out and, for long winter trips, leaving early or changing your departure to avoid the worst of a storm. In Canada, Transport Canada points drivers to Environment Canada warnings and to provincial 511 services for road conditions. How do you avoid drowsy driving on a long trip? Sleep well the night before and stop before you feel tired. NHTSA counted 644 deaths from drowsy-driving-related crashes in 2024. • Get a good night's sleep before a long family drive. • Avoid driving between midnight and 6 a.m., the peak sleepiness period identified by NHTSA. • Plan stops to stretch, eat and switch drivers. • If you get sleepy, NHTSA suggests one to two cups of coffee and a 20-minute nap in a safe, lighted rest stop. What should you do before you pull out of the driveway? Tell someone your plan and clear the whole car. Transport Canada says to always tell someone where you are going, the route you plan to take and when you expect to arrive, and NHTSA gives the same advice. Clear snow and frost from every window, the lights and the roof. If you ever get stuck and wait inside the car, Transport Canada says to make sure the tailpipe is not blocked by snow, which keeps carbon monoxide out of the cabin. Which Vigiroad products help on a holiday road trip? These three items cover the most common roadside problems on the checklist. All three ship from our US warehouse to US addresses only, in about 2 business days. • Jump Starter with Air Compressor, 150 PSI (69.99 USD): a jump starter for gas engines up to 9.0 L and diesel up to 6.5 L, plus a digital tire inflator, so one case handles a dead battery or a soft tire. • Fast Car Charger with USB-C PD, 4 Ports (19.99 USD): one 12V socket, a USB-C PD port for fast phone charging and three USB-A ports for passengers or a dash cam. • Winter Car Emergency Kit (109.99 USD): traction chains, a fleece-lined ice scraper mitt and a rechargeable zoom flashlight to keep in the trunk. Frequently asked questions What should I check on my car before a holiday road trip? Check tire pressure against the door-frame label when the tires are cold, tread depth, the battery and charging system, wipers and washer fluid. Do it a few days early so there is time for repairs. What is the worst time to drive for Thanksgiving? For Thanksgiving 2025, INRIX expected Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before the holiday to be the most congested. Leaving in the morning on those days avoided the worst traffic. Do I need a jump starter for a winter road trip? You need a way to start a dead battery: NHTSA lists jumper cables and Transport Canada lists booster cables. A portable jump starter works without a second car, which helps on a remote road. Sources • AAA Newsroom, Thanksgiving travel forecast 2025 • AAA Newsroom, Year-end holiday travel forecast 2025 • NHTSA, Winter weather driving tips • NHTSA, Drowsy driving • Transport Canada, Planning your trip • Transport Canada, Preparing your vehicle for winter