

If music isn’t your thing or you need a break from rockin’ out, download a couple of audiobooks or a bunch of episodes of your favorite podcasts. Load up your phone with plenty of tunes ahead of time in case you’ll be driving through areas with limited service. What’s a road trip without music? A good playlist will keep your energy up and will help the miles fly by. Make the drive fun with the following entertainment essentials, and keep your day hiking essentials in your trunk too so you’re always ready for a spur of the moment hike, should you need them. Road trips are all about having a good time, right? Right. If you’re just packing a few cold drinks and snacks, a small, lightweight cooler like REI’s Cool Haul 24 Soft Cooler is a good, versatile option.


Healthy snacks are a road trip essential that will stop the hanger from creeping in and help you avoid gas station temptations like chips and candy (no judgment though if you want to indulge!) Some of our favorites are: Here are our essential road trip supplies and snacks to help you eat healthy on the road. What’s a road trip without snacks? Packing up a few of your favorite snacks and a couple of essential picnic items so you can enjoy the journey is always a good idea. Gas Buddy is a helpful road trip app that will help you find the cheapest gas prices so you aren’t wasting money when you fill up. The iExit App can help you determine the best areas to take a pit stop on major highways while you’re traveling. It lets you save locations on the go, find destination points along your route, and locate lodging, gas, restaurants, and more. The Road Trippers App is a handy one too.
MUST HAVES FOR LONG ROAD TRIPS OFFLINE
AllTrails+ allows you to save hikes and download maps for offline use when you’re out of cell service, navigate on the trail so you don’t get lost, and more. Road Trip Appsĭownloading a couple of apps before you head out will make road trip planning easier and will help you find things you’re looking for on the road, like campsites, rest stops, amenities, and more.ĪllTrails is great for finding nearby hiking trails on the go. If your headlamp and camera come with car-compatible chargers, bring those along too. You’ll be surprised how quickly your phone battery will drain when using navigation mode and a variety of apps on your phone so it’s good to be able to charge from your vehicle. Leggings and a down puffy are a must for road trip evenings. Van Life Packing Checklist – packable, versatile clothing options for on the road.What to Wear Hiking – comfortable, lightweight clothes and layers that you can wear road tripping and hiking.For more info and specific suggestions, check out these blog posts: While crazy patterns can be fun, I prefer to pack solid prints that will go with everything. For one, you’ll want to have clothing that won’t wrinkle, will retain its shape (think, a little bit of stretch), and wicks away moisture so you feel clean. Packing for a road trip means filling your bags with versatile, well-fitting, and durable clothes that allow you to do a little bit of everything. The BioLite Headlamp 330 is a go-to piece of nighttime gear that’s ultralight and rechargeable with a USB cable. Whether you’re reading in bed, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or rummaging around your car, you’ll want a headlamp nearby. Just be sure to download the map for the region you’re going to be traveling in ahead of time so that it’ll work offline.
MUST HAVES FOR LONG ROAD TRIPS FREE
It’s a helpful free app that you can use to navigate and find sights and amenities even without cell service. If you don’t want to purchase a GPS, download Google Maps for offline use or use the app instead. GPSĪ GPS is handy for navigation when you don’t have cell service. I’ve found some of my favorite roads and campsites using the Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas. A paper map is always handy for road trips. My favorite paper maps are the Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlases which detail public lands, camping areas, National Parks, and more. For that reason, carry a paper map. A paper map is also better than phone apps for telling the difference between a well-graded gravel road and a gnarly 4×4 road.

Hopefully some of your itinerary will take you off the grid and out of cell phone service. Further down, we’ll share a few of our personal road trip favorites too! Paper Map You probably don’t want to leave home without the most basic road trip essentials below. Road Trip Essentials for Navigation, Saftey & Comfort
