Who doesn’t love a good road trip? America’s passion for road trips has a deep history dating back to the 1920s. Authors like John Steinbeck have penned poignant novels about the American road trip, and countless movies have captured the magic and misadventures road-trippers can encounter.
But before you can get to the fun parts of a road trip, you’ll need to sort out your packing list. There are a handful of road trip essentials that can make the difference between a messy, disorganized car and a smooth, fun ride. To make shopping easy, we’ve compiled a list of 12 road trip essentials below.
When you’re ready to hit the road, check out some of our road trip guides for travel inspiration.