22 Road Trip Essentials to Pack in the Car

According to a 2024 survey, 63% of travelers this year plan to hit the road on a road trip instead of flying somewhere. Personally, we think driving can be one of the best ways to see the country. With more and more people taking advantage of close-to-home destinations, we wanted to share our road trip essentials. We have learned a lot after driving through most of the US, a 2-week road trip camping in Namibia, and touring New Zealand and Australia by car.

The good news is that you probably already have a bunch of these road trip essentials lying around your house or garage. It’s always best to use what you have. We included links for the products we personally use (and many are affiliate links, meaning that we get a few pennies if you order through them, but it costs you nothing extra).

Road Trip Essentials

Eco-Friendly Road Trip Essentials

Water Bottles

If you only pick one of these reusable things, let it be this one. A reusable water bottle helps keep you hydrated, saves you money, and keeps plastic bottles and caps out of landfills. You can find glass, metal, or BPA-free plastic in all shapes, sizes, and colors. People rave about these bottles, but I do not like the metal taste. We use these water bottles, and they have been great. They are metal, but the mouthpiece has a built-in straw and a spout for faster drinking.

Coffee Cups

Whether you’re filling up at a gas station, taking advantage of free hotel lobby coffee, or making a run to a local coffee shop, having your own cup is the best. Drinks stay hot longer, it’s good for the planet, and you can choose something that fits your personality better than the butchering of your name on a Starbucks cup. These cups are our favorites, and they keep things hot for hours.

Reusable Bags

By now, I feel like everyone should have some form of a reusable bag. If you don’t, you’ll want to make sure you grab some for a road trip. Many states and cities around the country have banned plastic bags and require stores to charge extra if you need a bag of any kind. Bringing your own bag is good for the environment and can save you money. Plus, we were constantly needing extra help bringing things to and from the car when we arrived or left AirBnBs or campsites. Check these out.

Snack Bags/Leftover Containers

We switched to reusable snack bags a few years ago. They are easy to wash and come in multiple sizes. There are a ton of people who love this brand, but we went with a more affordable option and have been happy with these snack bags so far.

We are also big fans of leftovers and try not to waste any food. Bringing along your own leftover containers is essential. We use lightweight, easy-to-carry containers like these. It works if you cook a big meal at an AirBnB, want to bring pasta salad or something to snack on in the car, or just need some additional storage options for the car.

The Food Essentials for a Road Trip

Plug-in Cooler

This was a great investment for our road trip. Having a cooler that plugs in while we drive to keep things cool saved us the trouble of having to get ice and dump the cooler out at every stop. We packed lunches and snacks in there when we’d start driving for the day, and it would keep everything cool. This is Justin’s lunch box now for work as well. This is the one we got, but there are multiple sizes based on what you need and how long you may be away from a refrigerator.

Jetboil

We did a lot of traveling in the southwest and California. Campfires aren’t allowed for large portions of the year for good reason. Having the Jetboil means making coffee and various meals without needing a campfire or a large camp stove. It’s a little more expensive than some other models, but its size and ability to start in most conditions make it worth it for us.

Water Jug

Always have clean water in the car. We used a refillable jug that we could top off our smaller bottles with, brush our teeth, wash our hands, and use for cooking. We made sure to refill whenever we were somewhere with clean water. The temperature didn’t matter because we could throw the smaller water bottles in the cooler.

An Epic Snack Collection

We received one of the greatest gifts when J’s cousin packed two grocery bags worth of snacks for us. No road trip is complete without Pringles, gummy bears, nuts, and a soda or two. It’s always fun to stock up on weird local delicacies as you go, but it’s good to be prepared with as much as you can bring from home as well so you never get hangry.

Electronics to Stay Connected

Chargers

I love this one because you can charge multiple items, and it doesn’t just take USB cords. It’s perfect for our camera batteries, laptops, and anything we need while camping or taking longer road trips. If you are just using a USB charger, it’s always good to have a backup or a power bank just in case.

Downloaded Podcasts and Playlists

We usually rotate between news and political pods, real stories that play out over a whole season like Serial or Dolly Parton’s America, and other random history lessons or specific information about the areas we are driving through or our final destination. It’s good to have things downloaded beforehand in case you don’t have cell signal.

Spotify is our go-to for playlists, and they are downloadable as well. It’s good to have some variety in music choices as well, and we love the daily mix playlists and random mood selections that Spotify creates. Save our US Road Trip playlist for your next adventure.

Cameras to Document Everything

We take a ton of photos while traveling. The ones we’ve shared on this website are just a teeny tiny fraction of what we’ve actually captured on our travels. We usually have four different cameras with us on our trips, and we worked really hard to make sure they were easy to pack in backpacks. The one we use least is the GoPro. It came with us snorkeling last year, but other than that, it didn’t make many appearances, so I don’t know that I’d recommend it for a road trip.

Our Fancy Cameras

We are finally considering replacing the DSLR we’ve had for the last five years. It still works fairly well, but there are some new toys available that would be fun to get our hands on. This is the model we had for our trip around the globe in 2019. We upgraded to this mirrorless camera in 2020, and it’s still going strong four years later.

A Fun Instax Camera

It’s kind of fun to take a few Polaroids on trips. We put them on the fridge, in journals, and send them to our parents. The film isn’t cheap, but they are fun to have in the right moments. They are instant souvenirs that you can leave with new friends or keep to savor the moments.

Iceman (yes, we named our Drone after a Top Gun character)

Justin did a ton of research before we left on our big trip, and this is the drone we purchased. We found one that was small and easily fit in our backpacks. It was an investment, and we have not flown it as much as we thought we would because we are extremely cautious. We take the time to learn all local rules and restrictions. It is a super fun toy to have, and I’m excited to continue to get better with it.

Comfort Essentials for Your Road Trip

Rumpl Blankets

These blankets are good everywhere. It has the feel of a sleeping bag without the zippers. We have used it at the beach to sit on, in parks for picnics, in the tent for staying warm, and around the campfire to be cozy. They have so many fun colors and sizes for everything. We own three (one for each family member including the dog), and they come with us everywhere. The material is awesome because you can just wipe them down.

Folding Chairs

Having a couple of chairs that don’t take up much space is handy for a road trip. Whether you are setting up at camp or pulling into a spot for sunset, you want somewhere comfortable to read your book or watch nature happen. We had two small chairs that we always kept in the car. That way, you’re always prepared for an impromptu roadside picnic. I prefer these chairs with the armrests, but there are hundreds of options.

Pillows

We found some small pillows from Walmart before we hit the road. Just having your own pillow for whenever you have to sleep feels a little more comfortable. Maybe you love a specific style and sleep better that way, maybe you just get a little weird about sharing pillows with strangers – finding a pillow or two that fit in your trunk. They also come in handy for extra back support while driving for long periods. You will not regret it.

The Right Shoes

My recommendation is that you always have two pairs of shoes close by while road-tripping. Sandals or slip-on shoes should be handy for stopping at gas stations, rest stops, or quick photo opportunities.

Hiking shoes or comfortable walking shoes should also be easy to grab in case you find a trail or just need to stop and get some exercise. Being able to get out and do some jumping jacks works to get your blood flowing, but we like to check our AllTrails app and see if there’s a quick hike to do when we need a movement break. Having both pairs of shoes available just makes life easier.

I’ve talked about our favorite shoes over and over again, and you can find those here.

Essentials for Staying Organized & Safe

We put some work and time into organizing our glove compartment, the center counsel area, and the trunk before we left. There are some incredible seat-back organizers, but we decided against them for the two of us. If you are traveling with kids, I think those would be super helpful to keep snacks, screens, and toys accessible and organized.

Map/Book about Locations

We use Lonely Planet almost exclusively for trip planning. On our around-the-world trip, we had a couple that we used and donated when we left the country. Most recently, we have been using this one for our National Parks exploration. The food recommendations, hiking suggestions, and example itineraries have always been extremely helpful for us. Plus, I love that Lonely Planet gives history, current issues, funny stories, and great general information about different locations.

Sunscreen, Chapstick & Hand Sanitizer

Keep these three things in an easy-to-reach place at all times. I linked our favorites below. I recommend making sure you use reef-safe sunscreen that is free of harmful chemicals.

I recommend this face sunscreen, this body sunscreen, this chapstick with SPF, this hand cream (because your hands get a LOT of sun on road trips), and whatever sanitizer keeps you safe.

Notebook, Pen and Stamps

Buy stamps and keep them with you. It’s so fun to pick out silly postcards to send to family and friends. Getting happy mail is such a mood booster for people. We also keep notebooks for journaling and score keeping on campsite card games.

Window Blocker

We have never had one of these until we made the decision to call Southern California home. I will never go back now. If you’ve ever gotten in your car and burned your legs on hot leather seats or had to wait for the car to cool down to touch the steering wheel – try a window blocker. We ordered this inexpensive one, and it works great.

If you have any sunny spots on your itinerary, consider grabbing one of these to help keep your car cool and more comfortable.

Emergency Kit

We made our own, but there are tons of these available with the essentials. A spare tire, a car jack, first aid kits, jumper cables, flashlight and other safety gear should all be included. We got extras of all the medicines that we might need/use, bandaids, a heating pad, the essentials. It came in handy a few times, so I definitely recommend bringing what feels comfortable for you.

Our Wish List for Future Road Trips

We constantly dream about ways that we could improve our road trip capabilities. While these items aren’t necessarily “road trip essentials”, they are fun to dream about. These are the top things we dream about getting at some point.

An updated zoom lens for wildlife photos
Snorkel gear
Storage spot for skis and snowboard
Inflatable kayaks or SUPs
A roof tent
Good bikes with a rack

22 Road Trip Essentials to Pack in the Car