I Always Pack These 9 Gadgets on Summer Road Trips

Everyone knows spending long hours in the car gets messy, especially if you’re traveling with children. That makes a mobile cordless vacuum an absolute must for road trips. I purchased the Drecell Handheld Vacuum Cordless, and it has changed my life, especially since I transport grandkids and have a dog.

This under-$50 mobile vacuum has a brushless motor and LED light, is lightweight and cordless and has a USB-C port for power and a HEPA filter. It’s small enough to fit in a glove box but powerful enough to vacuum up dirt and keep your vehicle from turning into a dumpster on wheels.

America is a huge country with roads that vary dramatically in condition and upkeep. You’ll also encounter radically different weather, including certain types — like cold weather — that are rough on tires. You’ll want to be prepared, and a mobile tire inflator is a gadget you’ll use repeatedly. You can also use this device to inflate pool tools, sports balls and more.

I purchased the ROCGORLD R8 Portable Air Compressor. This under-$20 mobile tire inflator is light and small; it will fit in a middle car compartment or a trunk. The 150PSI tire inflator portable air compressor offers fast inflating and a digital gauge that fills your tire to exactly the right level. You can power the inflator by plugging it into a 9V car jack.

Just like tires, your battery could need a jump-start for a number of reasons. Modern vehicles offer roadside services, and you can purchase those services separately, but a mobile battery jump-starter is still a useful gadget for road trips. 

The HPBS 2000A Jump Starter Battery Pack is a $60 mobile dual-use battery pack that you can use to restart your battery and recharge tech gadgets. The device is small but powerful, with 59.2 Amp hours. It also has a digital display so that you know how much power you have. 

Most modern vehicles are equipped with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but older models may not be. One tech gadget to consider for your road trips is a wireless device to connect your phone to your car’s display or audio system. The TERUNSOUl Wireless Carplay Adapter is great for Apple users: It lets you tether your phone to the drive to listen to audiobooks and music, take phone calls and fully use your phone’s screen.

It’s not just the driver who needs to be entertained on a road trip — you may have passengers, and some may be little ones. For parents or grandparents, one of the best ways to engage children is through an iPad or mobile entertainment screens. These are a godsend when you’re on long drives with kids and grandkids. 

In addition to an iPad, you can consider an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet or the Android Portable Car TV Headrest Monitor. These gadgets keep backseat passengers entertained and make any length of a road trip more comfortable.

For any cuts and scrapes along the way, you’ll want to be prepared with a solid emergency medical kit but one with more than just Band-Aids. The $40 EVERLIT Survival First Aid Kit is a medical kit designed by army veterans and survivalists that can help with almost any difficult situation you find yourself in. The military-grade bag is made from water-resistant nylon. It has a mylar space blanket, a 3-mode tactical flashlight, a multi-function paracord bracelet (compass, whistle), flintstone, a knife, a saber card, two 12-hour glow sticks and an emergency rain poncho.

You can plug your gadgets into your car’s power outlets, but there may be times when you need power on the go. You might spend the day out on the town or be fighting for outlets in a house full of relatives, in which case having your own Plan B is ideal. That’s where mobile power banks like the Satechi Duo Wireless Charger Stand can be handy for charging your devices. I used this mobile power bank repeatedly on my cross-country road trip and when I traveled full-time.

You can drive safely, but you can’t control what other drivers do. And spending long hours driving increases the risk of accidents. That’s why it’s a great idea to have a dash cam that documents everything and makes sure you’re covered just in case. It’s another important gadget to consider if you’re thinking about setting out on a road trip.

The REDTIGER dash cam is a dual dash cam that records video up to Ultra HD 4K, has night vision technology and can be connected to a smartphone through an app. The dash cam has a built-in GPS and records the driving route, real-time speed and location details. You’ll be covered throughout your road trip.

I’ve been a fan of Bose headphones and bought a pair of the Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700 a few years ago. The Bose Headphones fit me more comfortably than AirPods, and they are helpful for multiple passengers. On my road trip across America, AirPods and headphones were great for my wife and kids (when they were in the vehicle).