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Road trips were making a grand comeback even before the pandemic drove air travel to a halt. In 2019, a study found that more Americans were road-tripping than ever before.
This means you likely know someone who’s taken up road tripping as their new hobby. And if you’re looking for unique gift ideas for lovers of the open road, you’ve landed in the right place.
Here’s a collection of 25 road trip gifts carefully chosen by an avid flyer-turned-road-tripper — including 8 ideas for the perfect road trip care package.
Featured: Top 5 Road Trip Gifts
First, let’s start with my personal favorites. Here’s a collection of what I deem to be the top 5 road trip gifts on the market. From my favorite road trip duffel bag to the latest e-reader, these are the failsafe road trip gifts that every road trip traveler will love to receive.
1. PAKT BAG
The Pakt One is my personal favorite road trip gift. What I love about the Pakt brand is that its team takes bag design very seriously: The Pakt One has been perfected through 5+ years and hundreds of thousands of miles of global travel testing.
The versatile duffel has a zip-around, dual-compartment design that allows it to be packed like a suitcase. I also love that there are compartments big enough for shoes so that you don’t need to pack them with the rest of your clothing. How cool is that?
The bag comes in three colors, including the Navy (pictured here), black and grey. The material is very durable and can withstand flights and road trips alike. Trust me, I’ve put it to the test 🙂
» Buy it here: Paktbags.com, $275 | Use code “CARLA5” for an extra 5% off their holiday sale!
2. KINDLE PAPERWHITE
The perfect road trip gift for the passenger-seat rider: the new Kindle Paperwhite. Road trip passengers can download tons of books to keep themselves busy during the ride. The Kindle Paperwhite has up to 10 weeks of battery life. The glare-free display lets you read at night or in bright sunlight in a car. It’s also waterproof, making it perfect for beach road trips.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $139.99
| READ MORE: 40+ Road Trip Essentials You Can’t Leave Home Without
3. EMERGENCY CAR KIT
This AAA emergency car kit comes with jumper cables, a flashlight and first aid supplies. An emergency kit is a road trip essential, especially for long road trips in remote areas or difficult terrain. The full 42-piece kit includes everything you’d need in an emergency, including booster cables, an emergency poncho, an orange safety vest and a 2-in-1 screwdriver.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $25
| READ MORE: How To Pack For a Road Trip
4. ROAD TRIP TRASH CAN
No one likes a dirty car, especially when they’re spending hours in it every day. This portable car trash can helps keep the car clean. It even has a waterproof interior to protect the car from nasty spills.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $19.99
5. THE PAKT COFFEE KIT
Here’s another genius road trip gift from Pakt! The Pakt Coffee Kit allows your road trip-loving friends to make barista-quality coffee on the go. This makes it easy for your friend to brew his or her own cup of coffee from inside the car, the back of the van, a tent, or anywhere, really.
The travel coffee kit comes with:
- Electric kettle and dual voltage power base heats water to 205 °F
- 12 oz double-walled stainless steel travel mug and lid
- Coffee grounds container
- Collapsible stainless steel dripper that packs down to half its size
- 5 gram coffee ground scooper
- Stainless steel mesh reusable filter
It’s compact, durable and carry-on friendly. I just received one myself and can’t wait to try it out on future trips!
» Buy it here: Paktbags.com, $189 | Use code “CARLA5” for an extra 5% off their holiday sale!
20 Road Trip Gift Ideas
None of those road trip gifts feel quite right? Here are another 20+ road trip gift ideas for people who love the open road.
1. CAR CHARGER
No matter the length of the road trip, a two-port car charger is a road trip essential. Road trip travelers are likely using the GPS on their phones quite often during their trip. That can quickly eat up their phone battery, which is why it’s important for them to pack a car charger. This way, they’ll always ensure their phones stay charged and their navigation maps up and running.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $11.99
2. REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE
A reusable water bottle is a travel essential for every kind of trip. It’s so important to stay hydrated while traveling, especially when road tripping in remote places. Bringing your own water bottle can help you cut back on plastic waste, too. This Avana water bottle is a personal favorite of mine. It’s sturdy and holds 32 ounces of water, plenty to last a few hours on the road.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, starting at $39
3. CAR PILLOW
Every passenger-seat road tripper will appreciate having a comfortable, neck-supporting pillow for those long days on the road. The OstrichPillow Go pillow is made from memory foam and can fit into a small travel bag half its size, which comes included with your purchase.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $59.99
4. COZY ROAD TRIP BLANKET
A cozy blanket is a great road trip gift for cold-weather destinations. It’s always good to have a blanket on hand for picnics, car naps, and when everyone in the car can’t agree on an ideal A.C. temperature.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $26
5. UV CAR WINDOW SHADE
This UV window shade is a road trip essential on sunny days. It can help protect car passengers from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $14
6. ROAD TRIP COOLER
Keep snacks and drinks fresh in CleverMade’s portable road trip cooler. The cooler is leakproof and collapses into a flat bag, making it easy to pack away in your luggage.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $26
| READ MORE: 40+ Best Travel Gifts For Her
7. BAG HOOKS FOR YOUR CAR
These useful back seat hangers can be strapped onto any car seat to keep bags and purses out of the way Genius, right?
» Buy it here: amazon.com, $7 for a set of two
8. TRAVEL HAMMOCK
A travel hammock is a great road trip gift for campers and hikers. These durable hammocks are the perfect excuse to sit back and relax after a long day on the road.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, starting at $22.99
9. QUICK-DRYING TRAVEL TOWEL
A quick-drying microfiber towel is another road trip essential I never travel without. It can be especially useful for coastal road trips, making it easy to dry up after a spontaneous swim.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, starting at $8.49
10. COMFORTABLE LOUNGEWEAR SET
Comfortable car clothes are a must for long road trips. Loungewear sets make for the ideal road trip outfit — and, let’s be real, there’s no limit on the number of sweatpants someone can own after the year 2020.
» Buy it here: amazon.com, prices range
11. COLUMBIA HIKING BOOTS
A sturdy pair of waterproof hiking boots are the perfect road trip gift for outdoor-loving travelers. These Columbia best-sellers have an Omni-grip rubber outsole that provides extra grip across a wide variety of terrain.
Buy it here: amazon.com, $89.95
12. GOPRO HERO9
GoPro cameras are made for adventure travel. They’re compact, durable and, now, completely waterproof. The GoPro Hero 9 will help travelers capture all their best road trip moments.
Buy it here: amazon.com, $349.99
8 Gifts For Your Road Trip Care Package
Instead of giving a single gift, you can also build a road trip care package with smaller road trip essentials like sunscreen and hand sanitizer. Here are 8 items to include in your road trip care package.
1. FIRST AID KIT
It’s always a good idea to travel with a first aid kit around. This road trip-friendly first aid kit comes with bandages and bandaids of all sizes, alcohol wipes, CPR face mask, tourniquet and more.
2. EMERGEN-C VITAMIN C
Traveling can take a toll on the immune system. And there’s nothing worse than getting sick on a trip. Emergen-C vitamin C packets help keep colds away for a worry-free vacation.
3. HYDRALYTE
Since we’re on the topic of staying healthy, let me introduce you to Hydralyte packets. Simply slip one of these into a water bottle for a burst of hydration. Staying hydrated on the road helps stave off headaches, muscle fatigue and dizziness.
4. LIP BALM
Lip balm is always the best care package stuffer. Bonus points for chapstick with SPF to protect lips from harmful sun damage.
5. HAND SANITIZER
Don’t forget to include hand sanitizer in your road trip care package.
6. BUG SPRAY
Consider including a bottle of bug spray for road trippers that spend. a lot of time outdoors.
7. TYLENOL
Whether it’s a headache or a sprained ankle, Tylenol can always come in handy on a road trip.
8. SUNSCREEN
Don’t underestimate the sunshine that comes in through the car windows. Here’s an environmentally friendly sunscreen option to include in your care package.
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