Summer road trip season is here. Roll down the windows, crank up the radio, and take to the open road—but first, make sure you’ve packed these 11 road trip essentials. All items are under $100, and range from life-saving to fun.
11 Summer Road Trip Essentials Under $100
Image Gallery
AAA 64 Piece Premium Traveler Road Kit
Every summer road trip should be movie-montage perfect, but unfortunately, emergencies do arise. Be prepared with this compact 64-piece Premium Traveler Road Kit from AAA. The experts at AAA know exactly what you need for almost every road trip disaster, and have compiled solutions into this handy kit. Just throw it in the back of your trunk and you’ll always have it when you need it. The zippered bag includes a 45-piece first-aid kit, booster cable, flashlight, batteries, and more.
AAA 64 Piece Premium Traveler Road Kit
Every summer road trip should be movie-montage perfect, but unfortunately, emergencies do arise. Be prepared with this compact 64-piece Premium Traveler Road Kit from AAA. The experts at AAA know exactly what you need for almost every road trip disaster, and have compiled solutions into this handy kit. Just throw it in the back of your trunk and you’ll always have it when you need it. The zippered bag includes a 45-piece first-aid kit, booster cable, flashlight, batteries, and more.
Tech Armor 3-in-1 Charging Cable
If your car is divided between Apple and Android users, you need Tech Armor’s 3-in-1 cable for your summer road trip. This three-foot-long cable has both micro USB and lightning-compatible chargers attached, so you can easily switch between an iPhone and a Samsung without cluttering up your car with a bunch of different cables.
Klean Kanteen Reflect Bottle and Reusable Straws
Next time you grab an iced coffee or soda to go, consider this fact: Americans use approximately 500 million straws every day. That’s a lot of plastic destined for the landfill. Help preserve the environment on your summer road trip by packing Klean Kanteen’s Insulated Reflect bottle and reusable straws. The stainless steel bottle is better for you and the environment (no paint, no plastic), and it will keep your drink cold for up to 40 hours. The reusable straws are stainless steel as well, with a silicone tip, and come with a matching lid for the Klean Kanteen bottle, plus a special scrub brush to make cleaning easy.
Kleenex Go-Anywhere Pack
Never fumble around for a box of tissues (that’s been rolling around somewhere on your car floor) again. These portable packs have a handy snap strap and sealable lid so that you can attach it to the back of a car seat or a visor for easy access.
Leki Sub 1 Folding Chair
Be ready for a picnic or simply to kick back wherever you may end up on your summer road trip with the Leki Sub 1 Folding Chair. This lightweight chair weighs less than 2 pounds and folds down to be smaller than most purses, so you can easily store it in the trunk. It unfolds just as easily. Bonus: the chair’s carrying case can be attached to the front of the Sub 1, filled with ice, and used as a cooler.
FlipStick
A portable power pack is essential to keep in your car in case of emergencies—since if both your automobile and your phone die, you could be in real trouble. The Flipstick is very small, so it can fit in your center console or glove compartment, and it has a built-in micro-USB, lightning, or Type-C connector, so you don’t have to worry about finding a cord to charge your phone. It holds enough power to fully charge your smartphone.
Fix-A-Flat
Don’t rely on a tow truck when you have a small tire puncture—keep a can of Fix-A-Flat in your car and seal tread area punctures of up to 3/16” in diameter. If you’ve accidentally run over a nail, this inexpensive fix could save you both money and time.
Motion Sickness Relief Bands
Motion sickness can put a damper on summer road trip fun fast. If you tend to suffer in the car, pack an acupressure wrist band to help relieve motion sickness symptoms. These ones, by Sea-Band, have great reviews, and don’t have any sleepy side effects like Dramamine.
StatGear SuperVizor Auto Escape Tool
Designed by a New York City Paramedic, this life-saving tool hooks onto your sun visor so it’s always within arm’s reach in case of an emergency. This stainless-steel gadget can cut your seatbelt or punch through your windshield so you can escape a car quickly, even if the doors and windows don’t work.
Spoonk Acupressure Mat Travel Size
This Acupressure Mat can be rolled up and used as a pillow in the car, or laid flat and used to give yourself a massage after a long drive. The hemp mat targets acupressure points to help relieve muscle tension and pain, and can even help you sleep better—which is critical when you have a long day of driving ahead of you.
Therapedic TruCool Travel Pillow
When it’s your turn to be the passenger on your summer road trip, get comfortable with the Therapedic Tru Cool Travel Pillow. This small pillow packs in a lot of comfort, and works great when leaning against a car window. It has a performance fabric cover and mineral nano technology to help keep you cool, even in a car without air-conditioning.
More from SmarterTravel:
- 8 Things You Need for a Road Trip with Your Pet
- 11 Ultra-Packable Dresses for Summer Travel
- 9 Essential Travel Products for Spring
Caroline Morse is excited for her summer road trip. Follow her on Instagram @TravelwithCaroline and Twitter @CarolineMorse1.
Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
Australia: Upscale, 8-Night Cairns, the Gold...
Down Under Answers
vacation
$3899+
Greenland: Luxe, All-Incl. 11-Nt Exploration Small-Ship...
Swan Hellenic
cruise
$3289+
Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental
$19+