Plus, the items I’ll never forget again

Top Road Trip Essentials at Amazon

• Flexible Cooler: Scout Stiff One Insulated Cooler, $55 (orig. $69)
• For Overnight Essentials: Bagsmart Duffle Bag, $30
• $3 Clean Slate: Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes, $3
• Stays Cold All Day: Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle, $40
• What I Wish I Had: Lofty Aim Car Seat Cushion, $30 (orig. $35)
• Keeps Garbage Contained: Hotor Car Trash Can, $10 (orig. $13)
• No Second Car Needed: Oxilam Battery Jump Starter, $60 (orig. $90)
• Comfy One-and-Done Outfit: Sampeel Two-Piece Sweat Set, $35 (orig. $50)
• Creates Extra Charging Ports: Foval Car Power Inverter, $21

After learning you can get paid to live in a National Park, I vowed to spend every summer of college doing just that. 

As an Alabamian, my options close to home were limited (and less exciting than opportunities out west), so I managed to convince my parents to let me move to Grand Teton National Park just days after my high school graduation. 

My exploration options were limited without a car, so the following two summers my friends and I made it our mission to drive more than 24 hours to Lake Tahoe and later Mount Rainier National Park. 

These grueling trips taught me what’s worth packing to make car journeys more enjoyable. Shop my top road trip essentials at Amazon from $3. 

Related: My Mom, 61, Goes on 3+ Cruises a Year — This Surprising $13 Find Keeps Her ‘Cabin Room Organized’ for Every Trip

Bagsmart Duffle Bag

$30 at Amazon

For long drives that require staying overnight in a hotel, the last thing you’ll want to do in the morning before getting back on the road is wrangle an overpacked suitcase. Instead, store just the essentials like your toothbrush and a change of clothes in a smaller bag like this. It’s much easier to find what you need without requiring you to dig through (and re-pack) a larger suitcase. 

This duffle’s soft-sided nature makes it easy to shove in nooks and crannies in your car, like under a seat. 

Lofty Aim Car Seat Cushion

$35 $30 at Amazon

One item I didn’t pack, but wish I had, was a cushion for my driver’s seat. After days of travel,  it became less and less comfortable to sit for hours in the car.

My friends and I started sitting on a bed pillow to ease the discomfort, but a dedicated cushion would have been a much more practical, sanitary, and more effective alternative. This memory foam cushion helps reduce pressure points by distributing your weight evenly and encourages better posture to prevent strain on your lower back. 

Related: My Late-Summer Packing List Easily Transitions Into Fall Thanks to These 3 Style Staples — from $19

Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes

$3 at Amazon

I always keep these wipes in my car, but they particularly come in handy on road trips when  things get dirty fast. They quickly remedied morning coffee spills, sauce packets leaking on the console, dirt smeared on the door, and more. Plus, they served as a hand-washing alternative when gas station bathrooms lacked soap or for a quick refresh before a meal. 

This canister packaging fits conveniently in a cup holder or car door, and in my experience, is less likely to dry out or leak than the resealable plastic packaging. 

Wherever you’re headed, these road trip essentials will make the journey a little smoother. Keep scrolling to shop more finds at Amazon that I swear by for long drives, including jumper cables that don’t require a second car and an easy travel outfit that’s comfy enough for car naps. 

Scout Stiff One Insulated Cooler

$69 $55 at Amazon

Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle

$40 at Amazon

Hotor Car Trash Can

$13 $10 at Amazon

Oxilam Battery Jump Starter

$90 $60 at Amazon

Sampeel Two-Piece Sweat Set

$50 $35 at Amazon

Foval Car Power Inverter

$21 at Amazon

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