Road trips are a great and memorable way to travel, but they do and should take some prepping before you hit the road. Listed are road trip recommendations for your car, for you and your entertainment, the best road trip apps, and finally a list of things to do before you hit the road. Don’t skip a beat when preparing for your next road trip! This blog covers The Best Road Trip Essentials You Need Now!
Road Trip Necessities for your car
When taking road trips it’s important to have some basic necessities in your car in case of emergencies or to make your trip easier on you. Honestly, even without any road trip plans, most of these are basic essentials you should have for your car anyway!
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A tire pump was one of the first things my step dad bought me when I first got a car. Whenever your tire pressure is low, you can just plug it into the car outlet and pump it up. This can be especially helpful when on the road in case you end up needing it. If you’re changing temperatures that can cause your tire pressure to fluctuate, or if you happen to have to use your spare tire, odds are it will need more pressure added to it. This tire pump listed below can also be used for blowing up sports balls, air mattresses, pool tools, and balloons.
Along with the tire pump (which will tell you the current tire pressure) if you just want to check your pressure you can use this tire gauge. The scale glows in the dark with a 360 swivel to attach to your tire at any angle.
Next is jumper cables. Really this list isn’t limited for road trips, you should have items like these in your car all the time! If your car dies and needs a jump or you have the opportunity to help someone else these will come in handy. The most recent time I used my jumper cables was when I called a tow truck and his were broken, luckily I had my own. This just shows you that you cannot even trust the professionals, be prepared!
This one has to be the most obvious items and most people already have one regardless of a road trip – a USB port and car charger. Depending on what type of car you have you might already have a USB port. With my car I have the car outlet that I put a USB port into. And I always keep an extra charger for my iPhone in my car to make sure it’s always there when I need it.
I am a huge fan of organization so a car organizer is a must! You can use it in your trunk for all of your emergency items like your new tire pump and jumper cables or in your backseat for blankets and snacks.
In case there’s any emergencies on the road during night your phone’s flashlight might be annoying to try and use and can only take you so far. Having a flashlight in your car can be super helpful. Who knows when you might need it. This flashlight is super durable, water resistant, etc. You won’t think you need one, until you do.
Another must have is a first aid kit. You’ll never know when you need something in here. I’ve listed two below: a basic first aid kit with 100 pieces for less than $10 and a more extravagant first aid kit with 348 pieces probably best if you plan on road tripping to go hiking and exploring for around $50. A bandaid, gauges, or wipes… it’s best to keep one of these spare in your glove box.
For long road trips I always make sure to have something to keep all the trash that I accumulate in between stops. This car trash can with lid is super convenient!
I always have my travel size tissues in my arm rest compartment as well as my accumulated stash of napkins from food stops. There’s nothing worse than being on the road and not having something to wipe up a mess with – known from personal experience that I will spare you details from, but to keep it short, my dog had an accident in the middle of a long drive.
Road trips can get messy and sticky (refer to the mini story above) with all of the road trip snacking and dirty from any gas or restroom stops. Nothing better than having something to clean your hands with or wipe down anything you need.
My mom’s gift when I first started driving was an Auto Insurance Registration folder to hold my car insurance card and car registration. This is handy when you unfortunately get pulled over. All you have to do is pull out one thing from your glove box and it holds everything you need.
Lastly for accessories for your car is a windshield cover. Nothing worse on a hot day than getting into an even hotter car. These windshield reflectors block an extraordinary amount of heat from entering your car. As someone from the south, another must.
Road Trip Necessities for you
Road trips can get pretty long and boring. Whether you are the driver or a passenger, here are some road trip necessities for you and your entertainment.
I am the least biggest fan of sunglasses – absolutely hate wearing sunglasses, but unfortunately, sometimes they are a must especially during road trips. Since I really don’t like wearing sunglasses I also don’t like spending hundreds of dollars on a nice pair, but pairs under $10 are also horrible and remind me why I hate wearing them so much. When I am driving and have to wear sunglasses I use these. These are less than $30 and are really good quality so when I have to wear them, I don’t mind – too much.
After finally discovering a solid face care routine I no longer leave sunscreen out of my daily routine. It is also a must when road tripping! You are pretty much exposed to the sun the whole time, except at night, and the UV rays can definitely take a toll on your skin. Below I’ve recommended two: CeraVe facial moisturizing lotion with SPF 30 and Neutrogena Clear Face location with SPF 55.
Music Playlists
The best part about road trips are they are a perfect stage for karaoke. I created my playlists on Spotify so I can download them and listen to them offline without draining my data.
Book or magazines
This is for you road trippers whose assigned role is passenger – a good book or magazine. Or if you’re a driver also and intend on taking a few breaks or picnics along the way this can be a good distraction from keeping your eyes on the road. I love self-help and inspiration books. The last two I’ve read are The Joy Plan and Lifescale.
Need Road Trip Inspiration?
Now that you are almost prepared to take a road trip, read about my Southwest Road Trip that takes you through 3 cities along Route 66 and 3 National Parks.
Again, for our passengers. A neck pillow, or I suppose a real pillow will do the trick also. My favorite travel pillow (for planes too) is a trtl neck pillow. It basically feels like you’re wearing a neck brace, you can adjust and wrap it how you want, and your head is completely supported unlike your average neck pillows.
Snacks
The best thing of all to bring on road trips is snacks! There are many reasons to bring yourself some snacks for the road. You can save money on food and save time on stopping too often.
Lastly, if you rely on your phone for directions or to just keep your car as organized as possible a PopSocket and mount will be your best friend. PopSockets alone are super convenient for your everyday phone use, especially since phones keep getting bigger and bigger each year. A PopSocket allows you to have a better grip on your phone. And then, a mount for your car! You can place this wherever you’d like and then slide your phone’s PopSocket in and out as needed.
Road Tripping Apps for your phone
Nothing makes a road trip easy and convenient than a couple of apps. Below are some road tripping apps that you need for your phone before you start your trip.
Google Maps or Apple Maps
Obviously an app for maps to let you know where you are going is needed. Personally, I use the maps that come with the iPhone, but for other phone users out there or those who don’t like Apple Maps, Google Maps is another good alternative.
Gas Buddy
A perfect app to help you save money when you are traveling to unfamiliar places is Gas Buddy. Gas Buddy allows you to see what gas stations are near you and to check their prices. When driving in places far from home it’s hard to know what gas price is reasonable or overpriced. This app allows you to find the cheapest place to stop for gas.
Tricount
Tricount is an app that is great if you are traveling with a group, not limited to just road trips. But, this app allows you to keep track of your expenses throughout your journey, and who paid for what, like gas or food. At the end of the trip, it balances everything out and lets you know who owes each other what. Definitely a game changer when traveling!
Waze
Waze is another sort of maps app, but this one allows you to avoid traffic and notifies you of police or road hazards.
Spotify/Apple Music/Pandora
Music is the key to all sanity when road tripping. As I’ve mentioned before I use Spotify, but there are other music sources for you to use like Apple Music or Pandora. Just make sure you have tons of music options for your ride or you’ll be stuck listening to the radio.
Roadtrippers
The last app I am recommending is Roadtrippers. I haven’t been able to use this app for myself, but it seems awesome. You can route your destination and select items like things to do, camping & RV, food & drink, etc. along the way. I am so excited the next time I take a road trip to use this app.
Road Trip Things Before you hit the road
You finally have all the items and gadgets you need for your road trip. Our last step is to make sure you do all of these things before you hit the road to prevent any accidents.
Check tire pressure
Your tire pressure is one of the most important things about your car. Having the right amount of tire pressure can not only save you money on gas, but it can also prevent some major accidents like a tire blowing out. Make sure you know how many pounds of pressure is required to be in your tires. Once you know that, don’t worry, if you’ve purchased a tire gauge and tire pump mentioned above you’ll be good on the road and can always fill up when needed.
Check tire tread
Always check your tire tread and make sure your tires are able to handle a road trip. Balding tires are no good! The ideal amount of tread you should have on your tires is all determined by a penny. Take a penny and place it in the tread of your tires. If the tread barely covers the penny, like less than 1/8th, it’s probably time for new tires. If it covers about 1/4th of the penny, or a little less, it’s best to use caution when driving and know a tire change is in your near future. If the penny is 1/4th of the way covered and up, your tires are good to go.
Check windshield wipers
Before you hit the road, make sure your windshield wipers work good. Driving in the rain can be scary and it makes it worse if you wipers are too old. Another recommendation is to apply RainX to your windows. This allows water to bead right off and you probably won’t even need to use your wipers. I couldn’t swear enough by this stuff!
Check windshield liquid
Along with some working windshield wipers is some windshield liquid. Make sure you top off your windshield wiper liquid to clean off any dust or bugs impairing your vision.
Check miles
You should also check your mileage before you hit the road! Is it time for an oil change? Perhaps it is even time to change something more major on your car. It’s best to always check and make sure.
Make sure all lights are working
Grab a friend to help you check all of your lights. Be sure to check your headlights, bright lights, emergency lights, and your brake lights. Not only is this for the safety of you and others on the road, but for the safety of your bank account and not getting a ticket for it.
Road trips can be some of the most memorable trips. But, they can also be sort of stressful if you don’t plan very well. The road trip essentials while traveling I listed can definitely ease the burden of road trips. I love road tripping because it gives you the freedom to do what you want and when you want. What do you love most about road trips? Leave it in the comments below!
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Interested in the camera gear I use while traveling to capture my pictures?
- Camera: Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45mm lense
- Small tripod: Fotopro Flexible Tripod
- Large tripod: Phopik 77”
- Memory cards: SanDisk 128GB
- Extra batteries: BM Premium batteries
- Camera bag: Bagsmart backpack
Oooh there are some great tips in here! I’ve been on a lot of road trips, but some of these organizational tools would have made my life so much easier! I have tabs with those links open right now – time for a little shopping.
I love the items to stay well organized in the car. Our car gets very messy during road trips!
IMO music and snacks are the top priority for a great road trip. But all those other things are important too.
That car trash can and back seat organiser are SO going in my shopping list! All that trash that accumulates on a road trip, it’s a nightmare!
This is a great list to look at for road trippers like my family. The back seat organizer is a still. I want to get one of those.