You can pretty much guarantee that every road trip will come with its own unique set of bumps in the road, but with careful planning and a few handy travel accessories, most of the time you can be prepared for anything.
The accessories you throw in the back of your car will depend on a variety of different things – the environment you’re heading to, the length of your journey, and even the weather. The rest of the time extra gadgets come down to personal preference.
Accessories most commonly found in a travelers trunk include a good first aid kit, the best key finder, flashlight, camera, air compressor, and perhaps even a compact jump kit, or cordless impact wrench. Though to cover all possible bases, we’ve listed a couple more of our favorites.
Whether you’re planning an unforgettable road trip across Portugal or the USA, the following are five of the most useful gadgets and accessories to take with you.
Gadgets To Take On Your Next Road Trip
Portable Drinks Cooler
It’s only fair that you’d want to stay refreshed as long as possible when on a road trip, which is why it’s best to keep your liquids as chill as possible. No-one wants to drink hot water or fizzy after it’s been sitting in the hot sun.
You can either pick up a cooler from a local camping shop or supermarket, and get something big enough that you can put in food as well as a couple of drinks. Or, you can get an individual thermos that keeps a limited amount of drink.
Individual bottles might be a better way to go if you’re traveling internationally and don’t have the space to pack a huge cooler. The 54oz (4 pints) MiiR Vacuum Insulated Growler lets drinks stay ice cold for around 24 hours due to insulation technology and a lockable lid.
If you’re planning a domestic road trip though and traveling from home, it may be worth investing in a large cooler you can just throw in the car. This also allows you to place food and drink directly on ice.
Seiko Prospex Street Series
We can’t always rely on our phones to stay charged and function properly when traveling, especially if you’re traveling through remote locations, or camping without access to electricity.
This can be a real issue if you’re relying on it for telling the time, and a real safety concern if you need to be conscious of the time when taking detours or stops, so you don’t end up driving in the dark.
Watches might have died out now that everyone relies on their phone, but they are pretty essential when you don’t want to put all your trust in an electronic gadget to keep you on time.
The Seiko Prospect Street Series is pretty new on the scene, but just caught our attention with its 200m water resistance and thick 3D bezel, meaning that it can handle a few knocks and be used for taking a dip in a lake!
Pro tip: wait a while for the Seiko to become cheaper and get it online.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom
There are so many wireless Bluetooth speakers currently on the market, but much like the watch, the Wonderboom is great because it’s quite robust and waterproof.
Funnily enough, it can actually float on water, delivers an excellent 360-degree sound, and can be dropped from a few feet and still be okay!
As things can get thrown around in the back of your car, it makes sense to have a Bluetooth speaker which won’t crumble or crack with every pothole and bump.
BioLite Portable FirePit
If you’ve got cold drinks covered, then you’ll also need to pack something for hot food!
The BioLite FirePit can burn standard logs or charcoal, but the best thing about it is that it’s easily cleaned and can be placed into the bag when it’s time to move on from your stopover.
To be able to cook your own halloumi, sausages, burgers, and vegetables for a tasty road trip dinner is pretty unrivaled! Apparently, you can also control the flame size manually or with a Bluetooth app.
USB Car Charger
Naturally, with so many people in the car needing to recharge phones and tablets, you’ll require a charger to plug into your vehicle’s DC adapter (that bit where the lighter used to be).
There are dozens of types of these car chargers, but it’s best to find one which supports Android and Apple devices, as you definitely want to assist both camps!
These cost below $10 and will be a lifesaver when trying to keep everyone entertained on the long trip.
TRAVEL WITH THESE PRODUCTS TO STAY SAFE ON A ROAD TRIP ↓
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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.
Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.
