26 Road Trip Essentials That’ll Make The Drive So Much Easier

A set of headrest hooks for maximizing space (think: no more pocketbooks taking up leg room or the middle seat). Plus, you can hang your purse right next to you and drive peacefully knowing the entire contents of your bag won’t spill onto the floor with every speed bump.

A copy of Mad Libs on the Road reviewers swear is an affordable and super entertaining way to curb all “are we there yet?” whining. It functions the way any Mad Lib activity does: Choose random verbs and nouns to fill in the blanks — a hilarious story and keepsake in one.

An adjustable ~garbage can~ to toss the food wrappers, receipts, and heaven-knows-what-else will accumulate. Picture it now: a world in which your passenger seat isn’t cluttered with coffee-to-go cups.

A sun visor box so that you can stop rummaging through your glove compartment for centuries-old fast food napkins that you will then, wow, use to clean your nose. This convenient accessory keeps tissues within arm’s reach (and some reviewers even use it for disposable face mask storage).

A tiny Bluetooth FM transmitter adapter if your car isn’t old, it’s just…an antique. Hands-free calling and *finally* getting rid of that annoying aux chord are yours for the taking: Plug this into your utility port/cigarette lighter, connect your cell, and voila. So long having to listen to radio talk shows too early in the morning because you can’t stream Spotify.

A portable cool mist humidifier you can stash in your cup holder for a blast of ~aromatherapy~ whilst hitting the brakes every three seconds due to awful traffic. If that seems excessive (which it doesn’t), know that this can literally be placed anywhere — a bathroom, a bedroom, a closet, a WFH desk, etcetera.

Single serving Cafe Bustelo instant coffee packets for when you have about 500 miles (and maybe 500 more) to go and a quick caffeine boost is necessary.

A pair of blind spot mirrors to increase your field of vision whilst attempting to squeeze into that teeny tiny parking spot. It’s not ideal, but it’s the first thing that’s opened up after a half hour of circling around the same 10-block radius. Good luck!

A portable pack of soap sheets that will certainly come in ~handy~ because rest stop toilets — and the decorative dispensers that never contain soap — shouldn’t have to feel like the enemy.

Drop Stop car gap fillers (as seen on Shark Tank!) with all of your mid-day McDonald’s runs in mind. French fries falling into the abyss that is the cracks in your seat? No longer a problem with this genius neoprene invention ergo, no more lingering fried food smell for the duration of your road trip.

A Rain-X glass treatment for the rain, sleet, and snow that would otherwise collect on your car window and reduce visibility. This basically works to repel water and makes windshield wipers feel all but unnecessary.

A W&P water bottle perfect for when you’re hitting the open road thanks to a scratch-resistant silicone sleeve (no scratches or sweating), a durable glass construction that can take a lot of wear and tear, plus a narrow base that fits inside conventional cup holders. And the design? A minimalist work of art. I want to model my aesthetic after the below.

A memory foam seat cushion with an ergonomic design and gel layer that prevents bad posture and provides ultimate support. If your tush tends to hurt after a mere three seconds of sitting, this will take your road trip from “this is taking forever” to “wow, these last five hours breezed by.”

A travel tray perfect for the kiddos in the backseat. This collapsible accessory is equipped with a detachable cup holder, iPad viewing stand for Cocomelon marathons, side storage pockets for toys and other knickknacks, plus a dry erase drawing surface base.

A double USB charger because the driver’s phone is needed for GPS, the passenger’s phone is needed to control the music, and having either one of those die in the middle of your four-hour journey? Smells like “absolutely not.”

A waterproof seat cover hammock if your doggo is prone to shedding or, in my case, slobbering all over your brand new leather seats. Save yourself the headache of having to wipe away snot and muddy paw trails. Trust me.

 A reverse backup camera because we spent our youth romanticizing Bella Swan’s old red pickup truck but, OMG, have you tried parking a car like that? Two words: not fun. This universal camera laughs in the face of parallel parking (plus makes your car feel as if it were made in this century).

A collapsible multi-compartment organizer so that you can drive without hearing that loose seltzer bottle knocking against your trunk. Pack away all essentials (blankets, snacks, the works) with peace of mind knowing it’ll actually all stay in place.

A 10-foot charging cable because raise your hand if you’ve ever had a backseat passenger hover way too closely to your transmission in the name of juicing up their iPhone. Just hand them this instead.

An essential oil air freshener you’ll get in a pack of three scents: black diamond, ocean breeze, and jasmine. Recycled air during a seven-hour road trip will have never felt so luxurious (or aesthetically pleasing).

A 45-treat CraveBox complete with delicious snackies to keep you full and fueled. Think everything from CheezIts and granola bars to the crème de la crème of your middle school vending machine: Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies.

A console side pocket if your cup holder has inadvertently become a piggy bank for all the loose change that never presents itself when needed (cc: 15-minute parking meters) but is somehow always…there. This provides a permanent home for your cell, coins, and other random tchotchkes that would have otherwise fell victim to the dark hole that is between your seat cushions.

A pack of six cable clips because tangled wires are heartbreakingly annoying when you’re not driving, so fishing for the right cable when you’re also trying to navigate a highway? Not ideal. This’ll keep everything firmly secure and in place.

A universal phone mount that’s surprisingly sturdy, offers 360-degree rotation, *and* has adjustable side support to make sure your cell stays in place the entire ride.

A stick-on shade because the AC may be bumping but your arm still feels like its on fire due to that beaming sun. This takes care of that worry in a jiffy *plus* gets rid of the need for popping on your aviators.