Road Trip Essentials: Ultimate Guide

Road trips are one of the best ways to travel to see many different destinations in one-go. And to make a road trip successful you will want to have all the road trip essentials!

You gotta have those good tunes flowing, windows down with the hair blowing and eating some of the best road snacks. So here is the ultimate list of road trip essentials to prepare you for one epic road trip!

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Good Tunes:

Spotify playing music in the car on a roadtrip looking out the front windshield

Of course one of the most important items for road trip essentials is great tunes! And lucky for us, technology has exceeded itself and we now have a phone that can basically do it all. So as long as you have your phone, you most likely have tunes!

But don’t forget to have some music downloaded for offline use, because along a long road trip, you will most likely lose service.

Aux Cord:

And, of course you need a way to plug in your phone so you can blast those good tunes out of your speakers. There are gadgets that work via bluetooth, but in my opinion, all you really need is a trusty aux cord.

Unless you are driving a retro vehicle and aux capabilities weren’t built in yet. And of course, many cars now have Bluetooth capabilities. So you may not even need an aux cord.

Audible/podcasts:

As nice as it can be to belt out to all those great tunes, it can be nice to switch it up and listen to a book on tape or podcast. So one alternative is to have some podcasts downloaded, or have a book on audible you can listen to instead!

Jake claims that it makes time go by faster, but I don’t know if I fully agree. Some of our favorite podcasts are Radiolab, Planet Money, Between The Mountains, etc.

Start your 30-Day trial for Audible here.

GPS:

Another important road trip essential item is a GPS. Lucky for us, technology is advanced and we can get directions right from our phone. But sometimes it can be nice to just go where the wind takes you!

Chargers:

And if you are using your phone as heavily as described above, well then it is going to need some juice, so don’t forget a charger. And of course, a way to plug in the charger, such as a cigarette lighter charging port.

Sunglasses:

For that beautiful sun glaring through the windshield, you are going to want to shield it out of your eyes. So don’t forget sunglasses on that long cross-country road trip!

Snacks:

Don’t forget one of the best parts of a road trip: snacks! Jake and I try to keep it healthy while traveling on the road, but there is definitely a time and a place for some junk food like sour gummy worms, or Doritos!

Cooler:

One of our favorite road trip essentials is a cooler, because there is nothing better then some cold drinks and maybe one of the snacks being cheese or something that needs to be refrigerated. Because lets be honest, dry snacks can get old quick.

If you are going on a multi-day trip then consider using dry-ice. It will help your cooler stay colder longer and less wet inside. Check out our post How To Use Dry Ice In Your Cooler.

Garbage Bags:

And of course you will need to put all the trash that you might create. And instead of just throwing it on the ground, it can be nice to have a trash bag to collect the garbage. Just be sure when you are in a public place like a gas station or store to empty it, so it doesn’t get smelly!

Reusable Water Bottle:

One of my favorite road trip essentials is a vacuum-sealed water bottle such as a Hydroflask or Larq. Because there is nothing worse than staying hydrated with warm water. A vacuum-sealed water bottle keeps your water cold for hours, so you can continue to stay hydrated along your road trip!

And another bonus if you go with a Larq bottle is it sanitizes the water to make it safe to drink from anywhere! Learn more about LARQ here.

Also, don’t forget to pack some extra water to fill up!

Map:

Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash

Obviously, most people just use a GPS nowadays, but if you are out in the middle of nowhere or out in the backcountry, it can be easy to get lost. So if you are planning to travel in remote areas, it might be nice to pick up a physical map so you know your way around if your GPS takes you the wrong way or stops working!

Pillow:

Sitting in the passenger seat during a road trip can get exhausting. So it can be nice to take a snooze. I love to just bring my home pillow up to the front seat, but I live in a van, so it is always with me. If you have room, then bring your pillow with but if room is an issue, you could grab a nice neck pillow which will help your neck stay upright and prevent any weird neck cricks.

Slippers:

This might not be on everyone’s road trip essentials list, but I LOVE my down slippers while on a road trip! For those colder mornings, it is the perfect thing to make you nice and toasty! Add in a nice cup of coffee and your morning will start off great! But I only suggest wearing slippers if you are the passenger!

Flashlight:

One road trip essential is a flashlight. We do believe you should always have a flashlight in your car in case of emergency, but before a long road trip double check the batteries and/or pack extras!

Emergency Kit:

Accidents happen, so another road trip essential is an emergency kit. This is also an item that we suggest always keeping in your car whether on a road trip or not. And make sure it includes a first-aid kit as well!

Jumper Cables Or Remote Jump Starter:

Another super smart item on the road trip essentials list is jumper cables or a remote jump starter. Because opps, you guys left your lights on when you stopped to go on a hike and your car died. Well if you find a nice stranger in the parking lot, they will most likely help you jump your car. And it’s better if you are the one already with the jumper cables instead of having to ask around for them.

Toilet Paper:

I’ve run into this problem a time or two. Rest stops might not be stocked or you have to pee and there is no bathroom in sight. And if you come prepared with an extra roll, then you can basically stop anywhere and do the deed!

Shovel:

A shovel can help you in multiple ways on the road.

1. To get unstuck.

2. For the item listed above, maybe #2 came on quick and you can’t make it to the bathroom and need to dig a hole out in the woods.

3. Dig out a hole for a campfire, etc.

Ice scraper:

An Ice Scraper will really only be essential during those colder months, but it is also good to have around most months. We have been caught in a snowstorm in Utah mid-June (crazier things can happen). But it’s way faster to scrap off some ice, then have to wait for the car to melt it!

Camera Gear:

This one is one of Jake’s favorite road trip essentials; camera gear. While on a road trip, you will probably pass some really neat places or it might be the main reason of why you are on a road trip all together.

So having some quality camera gear is essential so you can capture some of the amazing scenes you might see! Check out some of our favorite camera gear here.

But, as listed above, technology has exceeded itself and a smartphone can take some impressive photos, nowadays.

Sun Shield:

A campervan in the hot desert with reflective window covers.

A sun shield is a game changer. Put this up in your windshield when you are not in your car and it will keep the temperature way cooler inside.

Hand Sanitizer:

So Jake and I were never too big on hand sanitizer till the coronavirus pandemic. And now hand sanitizer comes with us everywhere! I think it belongs on one of the most important road trip essentials list!

Body Wipes:

Good Wipes are one of the bests way to stay clean between finding showers on the road — Emily cleaning her feet with Good Wipes

It can be easy to feel a little grimmy after sitting in a car all day, so having some body wipes to clean off is a must! Or they can be nice after you eat a whole bag of doritos and your fingers are that orange color that doesn’t come off unless you wash them!

Our personal favorite hygiene wipes are Good Wipes.

Windshield Wiper Fluid:

I have run out of windshield wiper fluid more than once on a road trip, so I always try to have a back-up with me just in case! I find it much more important if you are road tripping in winter with all the salt and dirt that flings onto the windshield! But it’s also a good idea to have in summertime too!

If you are going off-grid, check out our post: Campervan Off-road Essentials

Takeaway:

Jake and Emily On Van Great Basin National Park Road Trip

Most importantly, the best part of an ultimate road trip essentials list is the people you travel with! Because if you can have fun on your road trip with some friends or family, it can make a road trip even more epic.

And obviously this list is the ULTIMATE list, so if you are missing a few, I am sure the trip won’t be ruined. But if you want to have one successful road trip, these road trip essentials will set you up for a grand adventure! Have a fun road trip!