Are you preparing for your first road trip and want to make sure you have absolutely everything you need? Do you know what you need and instead want to know about some of the extras that you might be missing out on?
Then step forth as we outline 10 of the most useful road trip accessories that your inventory might be missing at present.
1. Smartphone Car Mount
In this day and age, no road trips are complete without having to refer to a smartphone and its near-instantaneous satellite navigation capabilities (see Google Maps). Often, you can just prop a phone up against the dashboard without too much fuss.
However, if you are embarking on a more cross-country road trip, then you might need to use something a bit more stable backing to support your phone. Gone are the days of constantly needing to refer to maps, though potentially gone are all your potential days if you are not careful on the road.
2. GPS
A smartphone is about as useful as a first aid kit these days - in fact, many people would struggle to implement any sort of first aid without referring to an online resource. Anyone who has ever owned an iPhone, though, will know that unless you are willing to use your car's auxiliary power outlet, you are likely going to run out of charge at some point.
Enter the GPS, the original satellite navigator specifically designed and manufactured for the job. As gadgets go, this is one of the best road trip accessories for the job, allowing you to make plenty of road trip memories without worrying the whole time about whether your phone's charge is going to make it to the next oasis.
3. Rooftop Tent
Picture this: you are out in the sticks - and I mean really far out - and you suddenly pop a flat tire on yourself. Night falls quickly out here and your car is not too comfortable. What will you do while you wait for the maintenance man to come and offer you salvation from the desert darkness?
Why, you will use a rooftop tent, of course, to prop yourself up on a smooth and comfortable surface to wait the long hours of the night until the morning of salvation after car camping without a power bank. This is, then, one of the best car accessories money can buy, besides first aid kits of course.
Why waste money on roadside motels when you can use budget travel tips such as this?
4. Reusable Water Bottle
You know what they say: hydration is key. It really is boggling to think about just how much of an impact hydration can have on your sanctity and peace of mind. Your usually steady and logical reasoning can go out of the window if you are under a sun that is too hot without the salve of a suppository of water at your side.
It is, indeed, vital that you keep such a suppository at your side as often as possible, and for goodness sake use a reusable water bottle. Why should the planet have to pick up after your slack?
5. Reusable Coffee Cup
If, however, you are the kind of road tripper who prioritizes an intravenous supply of coffee over staying hydrated, then please at least consider purchasing a reusable coffee cup. If you are really passionate about coffee, then chances are you already have one, or at least know someone who does.
You can be as creative as you like with them too, customizing them to your heart's content. Why not let the whole world know just how passionate you are about coffee with a personalized message in bold black text against a white background that is just as easily stained with coffee?
6. Roof Cargo Box
Looking to take those national parks by storm? But what if your car can't fit all the tools that you feel you might need along the way?
Never fear, for you can very easily increase the storage capacity of your car by a considerable margin after installing a cargo box on the roof. Perhaps you once looked down on the kinds of family cars that were thus equipped, though it is doubtful that you will after having experienced the power it can offer you - literally allowing you to pack an extra car power inverter if you really feel you need it.
7. Car Vacuum
Anyone who has recently embarked on one knows just how messy camping trips can get. Now more than ever it seems as though we all have a lot to get rid of when we leave the city limits and disembark from the watchful eyes of sanity where road trip games are aplenty.
Such a mess is easily remedied by using a car vacuum (which funnily enough doubles as a car cooler if you are intoxicated enough - use at gas stations for extra points).
8. Cooler Box
What would a road trip be without excessive and unnecessary amounts of binge drinking? Heck, whatever the local laws, get the driver involved and see how long it takes before people start regretting the fact that the designated driver is a recovering alcoholic.
Of course, things would be far less merry if the drinks were not cool, so keep the peace by refrigerating the drinks in a cooler box, won't you?
9. Travel Pillow
If you are lucky enough not to be beleaguered with the responsibilities of driving the whole time, then you are likely going to be able to catch at least a few winks from time to time. If you are the kind of person that struggles to get to sleep in a moving vehicle, then chances are you going to benefit from the use of a travel pillow considerably.
Many a neck and spine have been morphed beyond recognition by the illogical structural properties of car seats when used as resting places. Don't let yours join the hordes of those judiciously affected.
10. Steering Wheel Tray
Finally, why not dine and recline with some dignity by using this steering wheel tray to convert your driving space into a dining space? You are the driver, after all, you deserve to rest and relax with some respect.
Using the two hooks up top, you can anchor this gadget onto the steering wheel, allowing you to perch your food on the tabletop surface. Better yet, you can eschew the use of satellite navigation and prop your old-school roadmap atop it to get a better sense of the flat plain that you are driving across.
Final Words
So, there you have it! Hopefully, you are now feeling ready and able to step out into your car and rev it up on the wide open road.
FAQs Road Trip Accessories
WHAT ESSENTIALS DO I NEED FOR A ROAD TRIP?
You can scarcely go wrong by taking a fully-fledged first aid kit - no matter where you are going, you never know what could happen. Some might suggest that a GPS is also essential, though this depends on how well you know the place that you are traveling through. No mammal can do without water at some point, so make sure to bring a reusable water bottle so you are not cuckolding the environment.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING ON A LONG-DISTANCE TRIP?
This depends on the kind of terrain that you are traversing, though you can scarcely go wrong with bringing a first aid kit of some kind and a receptacle of water. If you are planning a longer trip, you might want to bring a rack in which to store more items for the road, specifically the kind you can fit onto the top of a car's roof. Nowadays, you can even find tents that fit onto the top of cars in this way, perfect for those looking to save a buck or two by eschewing road-side motels and the like.
