Plan an epic road trip you’ll remember for years with these road trip essentials. These are essentials I swear by after traveling across the U.S. twice and taking numerous road trips besides that. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase using my links, I make a small profit at no cost to you.
Post COVID, many of us are still planning trips where we hop in the car and drive to our destinations. I’m all about enjoying the whole experience of my trips, including the ride! These are essentials and tips I swear by to make the commute as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. After all, the vacation should start as soon as you pull out of the driveway, not when you reach your destination!
This post is all about road trip essentials.
Safety First
Roadside emergency car kit– You can opt for a basic kit or one that has more items such as jumper cables and an air pump for the tires. It all depends on how much you’re looking to spend and how much space you have. Below I linked to two decent kits you can purchase from Amazon. The first one is jam packed and even has a compressor. The second option is great for pink lovers. It includes a deer whistle and LED flare, setting it apart from other options. Both sets include first aid kits and an emergency car escape tool, which are other items you should have on hand.
Emergency Car Escape Tool– These tools are great! You can use it to cut yourself out of your seatbelt and safely break the window if you need to. If you purchase one of the kits above, it is included in the kit. If you already have a roadside emergency car kit and it is not included, it’s a good idea to pick one up. In this twin pack, keep one and gift one! This is a pink option for those of you who want a little flare:)
Travel First Aid Kit– I personally like to assemble my own first aid kits. It’s fine to grab a kit as a base, but adding to it to meet your personal needs is nice.
Check out my post on travel first aid kit essentials here.
Masks, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer– Because COVID has forever changed us. Personally, I have these items in my car all the time. But in case you don’t, be sure to have them on hand.
Car phone mount– Let’s face it, we’re all using our phone for navigation and in most States, we need to drive hands free. This 3 in 1 mount (not what is pictured below, though we should upgrade:) packs a punch as it can adhere to the windshield, the dash, or the air vent.
Plan Ahead
List of addresses– The last thing you want to be doing on the road is googling addresses and looking for places to eat. Try and have these things planned and researched ahead of time. Know the cities you plan to stop in and have the addresses of your accommodations saved in your phone or in a small notebook. Personally, I have everything saved in Google Maps when I am traveling these days. But a notebook would work as well. You could have a page per city or area with your hotel address, restaurant addresses, and other addresses of things you want to see.
A plan for food on the road– Remember when I said your vacation starts when you pull out the driveway? Our ride to our destination often revolves around food. We usually drive to a restaurant we have seen on TV or heard of from others that is on the way to where we’re headed. We also don’t mind going a bit out of the way to try epic food. Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives has great options, blog posts, YouTube, friends, etc. It’s worth it to do some research and have amazing food on your road trip instead of settling for fast food off the highways! This provides unique and memorable experiences even before you get to your destination.
Tip: A great way to figure out If places are worth hitting is to save the addresses in google maps. Then you can see everything on one map and make sure it makes sense to go.
Pack snacks– Although we want memorable food on the road, we can all stand to save a few bucks and time. It’s smart to have some non perishable snacks on hand so you don’t have to stop every time you need a little something. I have a whole post on road trip snacks, check it out here:
Easy Peasy Road Trip Snacks | No Cooler Needed
Pack of bottled water– We always buy a pack of bottled water that we leave in the trunk for our road trips. This is great for convenience and it’s smart incase you get stranded for any length of time.
Dashboard Dining Road Trip Essentials
Steering wheel food tray/desk– This thing is game changing! It makes eating in the car comfortable! You’ll need to pull over, but it is still nice if you’re planning to eat outside or in the car most of the trip. I like this one because it comes in numerous colors.
Dipping sauce holder– These things are so nice! You don’t have to juggle holding your food and the sauce anymore! They clip right on the vent. You can grab them on Amazon here. I found pink ones, too!
Car Garbage Can– If you’re going to be in the car for days, you want to keep it as neat as possible. This one on Amazon comes in numerous colors.
Comfort Measures
Comfy travel outfit– You want something comfortable that you can sleep in and also wear in restaurants or any place else you plan to stop on the road.
Slippers– This may sound silly, but the first thing I do when I get in the car is pop my shoes off and put on a cozy pair of slippers.
Compression socks– I do not need these yet, but if you know you get swelling in the legs when you sit for long periods, this is a must.
Place a bag on the floor in front of your feet– I do this if I am not driving and then I slide my seat back. This helps to keep my legs somewhat elevated and it’s more comfortable for sleeping. Also another great option to prevent leg swelling.
Neck pillow and blanket– Like, duh…I know. But I had to list it 🙂
Sunglasses– It would be terrible to forget these for a long drive! Not only is it more comfortable, but most sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays therefore, decreasing fine lines around the eyes.
Sunscreen– This seems silly, but the sun will be beating on you all day in the car. It would be awful to get a sunburn before you even get to your destination! You should be wearing it daily anyways 🙂
Car window shades– These shades help to keep the car cooler and protect you and your kiddos from the sun. This is a retractable option, here. This is a highly rated choice that is certified, here.
Entertainment for the road
A good playlist– You’ll want some good tunes downloaded for the ride.
Download movies to your iPad or device– You may want to download movies or tv shows to keep you or the kids occupied.
Ear buds
Books or audio books– If you can read in the car, great. If not, save your book for your destination or hotels. For the car ride, you can download audio books from Audible and listen while you drive/ride. This will be sure to pass the time quickly!
Games– My personal preference for games on a car ride is Mad Libs. You can head to BuzzFeed’s post 14 Road Trip Games Adults will Actually Enjoy, here if you want some more game ideas. Snag Mad Libs from Amazon: This is a roadtrip edition Mad Libs, and wait for it… a Taylor Swift Mad Libs for you!!! They also have TONS of other options on Amazon.
Other Road Trip Essentials
Chargers– We’re so reliant on our cell phones and tablets, you don’t want to forget the chargers!
Umbrellas– You don’t want to be caught in the rain, especially if you have outdoor activities planned.
A great bag– This is a small bag or backpack that you can put the essential items you’d like within reach in the car. It’s great for your entertainment items, sunglasses, cell phone, sanitizer etc. I LOVE Lug bags for their organization. Pictured below is the Lug Hatchback 3. I often use it as a day bag when traveling or a theme park bag, but it works great for road trips. It’s all about versatility people!
This was my must have road trip essentials
I hope you found these road trip essentials to be helpful. Maybe driving to your destination is not the most ideal way to travel. But you can make the most of it and still have a relaxing and amazing vacation! Please comment below if you found this to be helpful or you have some travel essentials to share with us! Thanks so much for reading. Happy road trip travels!
This post was all about road trip essentials.
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