Road-Trip Essentials: Best Travel Tech and Gadgets, According to Experts

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This article was updated with new products and information in May 2024.

Road trips are more popular than ever, but fear not, road trips are nothing like the old days. No more navigation with paper maps, travel without air-conditioning, or hours with terrible radio reception. We live in a world where apps provide up-to-date routes and traffic info, devices keep us connected everywhere, and streaming services like Spotify offer hours of listening enjoyment no matter the distance.

With all that in mind, we looked to our colleagues at Good Housekeeping for some expert insight into the best travel tech and gear to bring your road-trip adventures into the 21st century. Whether you need to keep your little ones occupied with Wi-Fi connectivity or capture your special moments in a particular way, these products will elevate your road trip.

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We all have our own ideas about what tech we need and which gadgets and devices we enjoy, so the Gear Team could have simply thrown together a list of some of our favorites. But Good Housekeeping has been testing and evaluating products for over a century, and its testing has become an industry standard. So we hit up our colleagues over at the Good Housekeeping Institute to make sure we weren't missing anything.

Relying on the expertise of the Gear Team and the testing acumen of Good Housekeeping, we're bringing you recommendations for some of the Best Travel Gadgets and Tech for your next road-trip adventure.

Note: Road & Track has paraphrased Good Housekeeping's findings to reflect our purposes here; we have omitted some of the Institute's nonautomotive selections and included other products more suited for our car-loving audience.

The Best Road Trip Gadgets & Tech

CERA+ Portable Electric Coffee Maker

Don't settle for whatever truck-stop cup of joe you come across while on the road. The CERA+ portable coffee maker will allow you to indulge your inner coffee snob wherever you are. It can perform cold or warm brews, and its rechargeable battery allows you to make several cups, no matter the type of coffee you choose.

Verizon MiFi 6620L Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot

Wi-Fi on your road trip can be a game changer. For those who lack the luxury of integrated Wi-Fi found on many newer cars, the Verizon Jetpack allows customers to connect up to 15 devices to their personal Wi-Fi network in more than 200 countries. During Good Housekeeping's testing, the battery showed impressive all-day life. As a plus, it includes an extra USB port for charging other devices.

Garmin Dash Cam 57

Dash cams can be a fantastic tool for recovering damages, beating tickets, or recording incredible situations. The Garmin 57 mini dash cam takes the functionality up a notch with a Swiss Army knife–level list of features. It can record in 1440p and features incident detection, forward-collision and lane-departure warnings, and a cool option that lets you turn hours of driving into a time-lapse video. Best of all, it measures just about 1.0 by 2.0 inches.

BougeRV Portable Car Cooler

Having survived many camping trips and tailgates thanks to the BougeRV portable car cooler, we had to put it on our list. Eliminating the hassle of needing ice has been phenomenal, and the cooler is sizable and holds so much beyond cans or bottles.

This cooler has been the go-to for chilling sandwiches, Red Bull, water, and a veggie tray on an annual drive from New York City to Atlanta. It has run for four days straight and was easy to charge at any hotel along the way. There are plenty of cute car coolers out there for all needs.

Escort MAX 360 MKII Radar and Laser Detector

Even if you don't consider yourself much of a speeder, having an additional layer of protection against hefty fines is a wise move. The Escort MAX 360 will keep you covered, just in case you lose track of your speed over hours of cruising. It's loaded with features, including dual antennas for increased range, 360-degree awareness, an easy-to-use app, and many more we don't have the space to list here.

GoPro HERO9

GoPro has been offering compact action cameras since 2004, and the HERO9 is perfect for road tripping. It's durable and waterproof up to 33 feet, allowing you to take it with you just about anywhere. It shoots in 5K, so you're guaranteed sharp, high-quality memories once your trip is over. GoPro also offers an array of accessories for attaching it to a helmet, your chest, your car—even a toddler.

BUBM Electronics Organizer

Keep your wires and other small gear organized with this neat-looking organizer from BUBM. It comes in 10 colors, and the testers at Good Housekeeping loved the compact fold-flat shape and zipper enclosures.

Anker 325 Power Bank

Charging ports can be a point of contention in cars and trucks. If you've ever had multiple people on a trip, you know. There is a way to alleviate this headache. This Anker power bank will help nip back-seat fisticuffs in the bud. The 20,000-mAh lithium-ion battery allows you to charge up to two devices at a time via dual USB-A ports, and it can be recharged through either its micro-USB port or its USB-C port.

Rolling Square Keychain Charger Cable

Rolling Square's keychain charger is the perfect accessory to keep alongside your keys or in your glovebox. It offers multiple outputs and inputs including USB-C, USB-A, micro-USB, and even a lightning port for an iPhone. It complements the Anker portable battery above very nicely.

Ember Temperature Control Travel Tumbler

Our early-morning road trips would not be possible without this Ember temperature control travel tumbler. It keeps coffee or tea hot for hours, and it's easy to charge on its wireless pad for all-day toastiness. The two different lids are a great new feature. The only real downside is that it does not reheat liquids, so it's not ideal for coffee that has already cooled down or gone cold. But made from durable stainless steel to endure many road trips, it is well worth the money. At 16 ounces, this version is the largest size Ember produces and is a must.

Apple AirTag

Many people are already familiar with the invaluable functionality that Apple's AirTag provides. It can be used to track anything from your valuables to your luggage and even your car, right from your phone. It does require you to use Apple's digital ecosystem, but its overall functionality could just be enough to convert Android users. Its one-year battery lifespan makes it an easy set-it-and-forget-it tool.

JACO ElitePro Digital Tire-Pressure Gauge

Before and after long drives, it's important to keep tabs on your tires, as they are the only thing keeping you and your family on the road. Investing in a quality tire-pressure gauge is key, especially if you drive an older car that doesn't come equipped with a tire-pressure monitoring system. JACO's gauge is calibrated accurately to professional ANSI 2A standards and offers a full lifetime warranty.

Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool

Leatherman's Wave Plus is a handy everyday tool for popping bottle tops, tightening screws, opening packaging, and a plethora of other odd jobs. It's usefulness is immense, well beyond a trip. Out on the road, it's great for small inconveniences and quick fixes, such as replacing burnt-out bulbs, tightening hose clamps, and other mishaps that may arise.

DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo

This DJI Mini 3 camera drone will elevate your ability to log your road-trip memories. When you're no longer limited to the ground, the photo and video opportunities are vast. The GH Institute testers loved that the drone can fold away into a compact carrying case and lauded its sharp picture quality. The included combo kit opens up the potential to capture professional-quality aerial shots of your car ripping through the twisties. Spare batteries and chargers are also included.

DJI Osmo Mobile 6 Gimbal Stabilizer

The DJI Osmo gimbal is a nice piece of kit to keep handy if you're even remotely serious about capturing solid images of you and your flock while on the road. Even if you're solo tripping, it's an excellent way to capture photos or videos of your car in action. During testing, the gimbal held the phone stable, and it has a nice feature that allows it to rotate in a single sweeping motion. The magnetic clamp attaches easily to almost any phone.

Reliefband Classic Wristband for Motion Sickness

Lots of us are burdened with the unfortunate affliction known as carsickness. This can get pretty messy on long drives, particularly when little ones are prone to nausea. The Reliefband is a drug-free remedy for general motion sickness. If it really works—and most users claim it does—it's definitely worth it.

Marshall Minor IV

Having survived our road trip around Chicago just a week after their release, Marshall's Minor IV earbuds are now a true travel companion. If space is at a premium, you'll need to be smart about your private sound-delivery system. These are ideal for drowning out unwanted noise from passengers and general road kerfuffle. Customize the perfect sound balance through Marshall's app. Grabbing a Bluetooth speaker for time away from the vehicle is a good idea too.

Caveat: We don't recommend using these while driving. But if you must, be advised that state laws vary on their use behind the wheel.

FAQs

How do I determine which items are essential to my trip?

A good rule, particularly with gadgets, is that if you can't name around two-thirds of the buttons on your device, you probably won't use it (or at least to its fullest potential). Carry only what you might need and use.

I'm new to road tripping. Will all of these gadgets be daunting?

Some gadgets, such as a DJI drone, can indeed have somewhat steep learning curves. We recommend trying your new tech at home to familiarize yourself with the features and controls. Some gadgets require apps, and installing them on your phone before a trip can save time and hassle.

Can I buy stuff on the road?

Lots of gear can be a hassle to keep track of, so sometimes it is more efficient to forgo less essential pieces and just pick them up if you need them. Rechargeable electronics are a great solution—they keep working and alleviate the need to carry around or purchase extra batteries.

Why Trust Hearst Autos?

With many years of road-trip experience from both the driver and passenger perspectives, we've used almost all of these items ourselves. As for the ones we haven't, we trust our colleagues at Good Housekeeping for quality recommendations and suggestions.

Hearst Autos combines the talent, resources, and expertise of three of the largest, most influential automotive publications in the world. We get our hands on each and every product we test. Most are purchased; some are supplied by manufacturers. If we're unable to test a product or category ourselves, we'll sometimes turn to noted experts such as the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Hearst Autos doesn't need to game SEO algorithms for traffic or promote lousy products to earn a buck. We're far more concerned with our legacy, our reputation, and the trust that our readers have in Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track to deliver honest opinions and expert evaluations. Read more about our product testing and evaluation process here.

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