These Road Trip Essentials Are Absolutely Clutch for a Cross-Country Road Trip (2024)

This affordable but durable soft cooler offers enough space for 24 cans of soda and 14 pounds of ice, while still being narrow enough to store on the floor mat behind your front seat. It's highly insulated and keeps ice frozen for 24 hours, even in the summertime. It comes in several colors and includes a convenient shoulder strap.

More: The Best Dash Cam for Some Added Peace of Mind While Driving

These reusable bags can hold up to 50 pounds, but they fold down to about the size of a coin purse. We're big fans of their colorful and cheeky designs and love that they are machine-washable.

Handy for loading and unloading your vehicle, when you're not on your road trip, you can also use them at the grocery store. It's a win-win!

If you’ve ever been on a road trip, whether it was a 3-hour drive or a 16-hour one, arguably the hardest part was the seating. Sitting for hours on end is not all that comfortable, but this ComfiLife Gel Enhanced Seat Cushion is here to save your booty.

With over 53,000 five-star ratings, it’s pretty safe to say your bum will thank you. Plus, when you’re not on the road, reviewers swear by it for use on office chairs and even during yoga.

Clif Bars are a tasty, nutritious snack that helps curb your hunger on the road. Most flavors contain 250 calories, at least 10 grams of protein, and about 5 grams of fat. They have a shelf life of a year and come in several different flavors.

This variant packs 65 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of a shot of espresso. So if you need a jolt of energy on your drive, this snack has your back.

Sleep doesn't come easily to all when there's no cozy bed in sight, but this light-blocking sleep mask is sure to help fix that. Use it on the road (passengers only, please) and/or at the hotel, motel, Airbnb, or other locations along the way. A more peaceful sleep awaits you this vacation.

More: 11 Eye Masks for Sleeping That Give You the Best Night's Rest

You know the drill: Wherever there are snacks, there needs to be hand sanitizer, especially when there's no sink for miles. This nifty holder makes accessing your hand sanitizer easier, so you can eat in a pinch when you feel yourselves getting hangry mid-trip.

No sticky, germy fingers here! Simply clip it wherever you'd like inside the vehicle — the headrest, door, et cetera — and enjoy the drive with convenience at your fingertips.

This headrest mount clasps to the arms underneath your vehicle's adjustable headrest. It keeps a Nintendo Switch secure and easily in view during those long road trips and comes in black, red, or white to perfectly match your car's interior.

The stand will work with a smartphone or small tablet. We were glad to see that it doesn't block the Switch's charging port, either.

Sure, you can use your smartphone to get turn-by-turn directions, but in rural areas where coverage is spotty, you may be left in the dark! Not to mention, using your phone's GPS will drain its battery and use up your data plan.

This Garmin offers a convenient split-screen design that shows you what lanes to be in when you approach your exit. It's easy to use, and the device receives map and traffic updates at no cost to you.

A wireless car charger helps keep your phone juiced up while driving. We love that it's easy to mount and unmount your phone, and we found its suction cup to be secure. The suction cup can also be installed on your dash multiple times.

If you don't want to stick anything to your dashboard, it's worth mentioning that iOttie also manufactures a model that mounts to your CD player or affixes to your vehicle's air conditioning vent.

Most pet owners are guilty of reusing a plastic grocery bag or Ziplock to store their pet’s dry food when traveling. This pet food travel bag is a much better alternative: It has enough space for up to 10 pounds of kibble and will help keep food fresh.

You can carry it using the included strap or by the handle at its top. We appreciate the addition of its roomy front pocket for storing treats and medication. It even has a bungee for holding a bottle of water, and there's an integrated poop bag dispenser, too.

This accessory is one of the few car chargers that can recharge a 13-inch MacBook Pro at its fastest rate (29 watts), making it one of the most powerful models available. It can recharge a Nintendo Switch, your smartphone, or your tablet, too. Best of all, it comes with a USB-C cable and costs less than $20.

More: The 5 Best USB Car Chargers That Will Fully Recharge Your iPhone In Less Than An Hour

We hear “road trip” and immediately think of blasting tunes while driving down the highway. While this is absolutely a source of fun on car trips, don’t come unprepared without having headphones for when the energy shifts and you want to watch TikToks but another person is trying to sleep.

Of course, if the ones you bring along are wireless, make sure they're fully charged and have a case to give them some extra power when the battery starts to run low.

The longer the road trip, the messier it becomes. Whether your hands get sticky from snacking or drink spillage, or you just get sweaty from the sun beating on you all day, these wipes are the best we’ve come across.

Measuring in at 8x12 inches, they’re much larger than the competition so they can help clean bigger messes. The wipes contain moisturizing vitamin E and soothing aloe vera to keep your skin feeling fresh and clean.