I went out twice last year and am on the verge of heading out again. Here's my list:
- first aid kit
- power adaptor
- aux cable
- GPS. We also got a fabric lunch bag and a combination lock to keep the GPS (and van keys) in, so that it could be left at the front desk of hotels we stayed in. That way, if an actor or crew person wanted to take the van out for a personal errand, they could get the GPS without having to come to me, while not leaving it in the van where it could potentially be stolen.
- paper atlas
- trash bags
- tissues
- blankets
- cleaning/disinfecting wipes- super helpful when the cast is passing colds around!
- hand sanitizer
- snow shovel
- wiper fluid
- paper copies of accident report forms
- paper copies of tax-exempt forms
- an accordion folder to keep track of receipts and paperwork accumulated along the way
- driving log (and pens!)
- zip-lock bags
- all applicable insurance paperwork!
- rain-x
- paper towels
- masking tape or spike tape- I like to put a note indicating what time zone we are in next to the van clock.
- jumper cables
- possibly some rock salt, if you have room and are likely going to be in areas with bad weather
- a tire jack
Most of this stuff went in a big rubbermaid bin between the two front seats, so it was within easy reach at all times. The bigger items went under the back seat so that they weren't in the way.
Also not a bad idea to check the wiper blades and replace if needed, as well as note when the next time it will need an oil change or other maintenance- easy to miss that on the road. On the tour I did last year, we didn't replaced the wiper blades right off the bat, but we did bring a spare set and ended up replacing them part-way through.
Things that were brought on the tour but were not needed:
- a tray table
- travel board games- a nice idea in theory but not super necessary in the cell phone age