There’s nothing like a trip down the open road.
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Maybe you’re drawn to a petrified forest on a road trip down to New Orleans. Maybe you’re going on a fully-fledged road trip across Iceland. Regardless, there’s a new adventure waiting on every byway, side street, and dirt road.
That being said, road trips are hard to pack for. Even more difficult is knowing what kind of road trip products will make a difference in terms of your comfort, safety, and overall happiness.
That’s doubly true when you’re renting a car abroad.
If you want a more comprehensive look at the types of road trip products that can transform your journey, start here. If not, get the lowdown with my five favorite items, listed below.
My favorite road trip products at-a-glance:
- A multi-functional charging port that won’t get in your way: CociVivre Car Charger Port
- Discreet hooks that let you hang anything in the back seat: Amooca Car Seat Headrest Hooks
- A dynamic shade that fits almost any car: PEMOtech Window Shade
- A multi-purpose bin to combat disorganization: High Road Carhop Organizer (domestic road trips only)
- A one-size-fits-all cupholder: Seven Sparta Car Cupholder (domestic road trips only)
- A support pillow that molds to your body: Qutool Lumbar Support Pillow (domestic road trips only)
Best road trips products you can pack with you to take abroad
CociVivre Car Charger Port
Don’t get stuck with a rental that has a basic charging port—one that might not work for your smartphone.
This bad boy comes with a 2.4A lightning cable, plus 2.4A USB, Type-C 3A, and PD 3A charging capabilities. That means you can also top up your tablet battery and other smaller devices.
Its cables also pull out and retract, letting you prevent disorganization. Thanks to its small size, you can pack this charger port with you for trips abroad, too. Just make sure to have access to it when you’re heading through security. It might get flagged.
Amooca Car Seat Headrest Hooks
These are a little bit clunky—so you might not be able to pack them. That being said, if you’re traveling abroad with plans to rent a car and set off into the sunset, I highly recommend bringing along a storage solution like the Amooca hooks.
They’ll make it that much more easy to hang up coats, bags, and other items from your seatback. That’s doubly important if your trunk is also full of suitcases, and triply important if you’re going to be on the road for longer than a week.
As someone who once went on a month-long romp through the Rockies in a Prius with a friend and our two dogs, headrests hooks would have been a life-changer.
PEMOtech Window Shade
The sunnier your destination, the more you need the PEMOtech window shade. It’s like a giant, hyper-thin glove that fits over your car door.
That means it’ll fit just about any type of car so long as it doesn’t have sliding doors. Best of all, this shade folds up into a tiny ball about the size of a sock—be careful not to lose it in your suitcase.
Best road trip accessories for domestic trips
In addition to the road trip products listed above, you can also add these accessories to any domestic trips you have planned. If they aren’t too clunky to pack, you can also take them on any international road trips you have planned.
High Road Carhop Organizer
This organizer is a little bit large, meaning it might not fit your car if you have a smaller model. That being said, I’d try to make it fit no matter what.
With a cooling compartment, cupholders, and multiple pockets and modular slots for Marie Kondo-level organizing, it’ll prevent your car from slowly turning into a landfill. It’ll also prevent items from slipping into the Netherworld between your seats and the center console.
Seven Sparta Car Cupholder
From the Yeti to the Stanley Cup, there’s always a new liquid-receptacle trend on the horizon. Get ahead with this one-size-fits-all cupholder.
Seriously, it’ll even store mugs and tumblers with handles. Pure witchcraft.
Qutool Lumbar Support Pillow
Don’t want to turn into Quasimodo on your travels? This lumbar support gives you two ways to maintain your posture while driving, including lower back and upper back support functions.
What I like about this lumbar support pillow is that you can also take it out of your car and use it to keep your back in a better position while working at a desk. It’s lightweight compared to other options on the market.
