Must-Have Car Accessories for Road Trips – Make Every Journey Better!

Preparing for a road trip means planning out exactly what you’re going to bring with you, even if you have to make space for it. The must-have accessories listed below should be at the top of your packing list for a safe, enjoyable, and memorable journey, regardless of your destination. Free up valuable space in your road warrior with a long-lasting car air freshener from Drift that effortlessly fits onto your visor and infuses the air with premium scents. 

Emergency First Aid Kit

You can never be too careful when you’re on the road, especially if you plan on traveling more than an hour or two away from home. An emergency first aid kit ensures you’ve got the medical supplies you need to address minor injuries, at least until you can get professional help. You can easily find these kits online. 

Alternatively, if you want to create your own emergency first aid kit, you’ll need some key supplies. Bandages, alcohol wipes, sterile gauze, tweezers, and disposable sterile gloves are just a few examples of the first-aid supplies you’ll need. You should also pack waterproof matches, a cell phone charger, a roll of duct tape, a compass, emergency flares, potable water, and non-perishable food. 

All-Season Floor Mats

Memories aren’t the only thing you bring back with you on a road trip. All the dirt, snow, sand, and mud you trek through can easily find its way into your vehicle, but with all-season floor mats, you can easily wash away the dirtier reminders of where you’ve been. Plus, these types of mats also help maintain your car’s resale value.

Long-Lasting Car Air Freshener

Some travelers rely on an unbeatable soundtrack to set the mood for their road trip, but it also helps to create an ambiance with a long-lasting car air freshener. Drift luxury car fresheners come in three varieties: Wood, Stone, and Metal. Each is sourced sustainably from alder wood, organic stone, or alloy metal infused with essential and fragrance oils. 

Using Drift’s premium car fresheners—which last up to 30 days—couldn’t be easier. Simply place the scented block on the provided visor clip or in the Metal car freshener body and enjoy. With the Metal car freshener, you can easily adjust the scent intensity to suit your preferences. 

Cooler

The best road trip snacks don’t have to be cold, but it’s always good to have a cooler on hand as you cross off stops on your journey. Coolers can easily hold provisions for meals on the go and keep refreshing drinks cool as the miles fly by. If your ice melts off and needs to be replaced, it’s easy enough to stop at the nearest gas station. 

Portable Jump Starter

The last thing you want to wake up to is a dead battery, so it’s a good idea to have a portable jump starter with you on your road trip. These handy devices power up your battery so you can keep going, whether that’s to a local auto parts store to pick up a replacement battery or on to the next stop on your itinerary. 

Road Trip Games

After you hit your first few destinations, it might take a few hours to get to the next several on your list. Road trip games can make the miles pass by with ease, or even help you relax once you get to your stop for the night. Many popular games have travel variants that make some good old-fashioned rivalry possible away from home. 

Car Trash Can

The more time you spend in your vehicle, the more trash you’re likely to create. A car trash can ensures everything disposable goes into a single receptacle so you can easily dump it when you get to a rest stop or gas station. Plus, it’s a great way to keep the clutter down as you travel along. 

Wet Wipes

It’s not until you don’t have access to water—or, more specifically, running water—that you find yourself in need of some H2O to clean up a sticky mess. Wet wipes solve this problem quickly and efficiently. 

Trunk Organizer

Stacking up all the accessories listed above creates an issue you can solve with one or more trunk organizers. Designed with the Tetris master in mind, these organizers are a boon to travelers packing odds and ends. They’re also handy for organizing groceries on the trip home. 

Road Atlas

Smartphones and GPS devices can help you navigate when you get service, but when it’s time to go back to basics, a road atlas can be worth its weight in gold. You can easily find an updated road atlas online and stow it in a driver or passenger seatback pocket if and until you need it. 

Fleece Blanket

It doesn’t matter if you’re road-tripping in the dead of summer in the hottest state—a fleece blanket can prove more useful than you think. While you may be tempted to buy the fluffiest and softest blanket, a rugged fleece blanket is a multipurpose tool you won’t leave the house without. This blanket can help keep the wind out of your face, the rain off your neck, and the hypothermia from setting in. 

Off-Road Tool Kit 

Beyond the tools necessary to change a tire, you’ll also want to pack an off-road tool kit. Designed to accommodate most jobs you might encounter while on the road, this tool kit includes everything you might need to make do before limping to the nearest town for repairs. 

Infuse Your Road Trip Memories With Premium Drift Scents

No matter what time of year you decide to go on a road trip, it’s best to be prepared by packing the right gear. Use the list of must-have car accessories above—including a long-lasting car air freshener from Drift—to ensure you’ve got everything you need before you head out. Join our Scent of the Month Club to receive a fresh scent every month and keep your wandering nose happy.