Summer is prime road-trip season; time to pack up the car and the kids (or not!) and head out on the highway. With that in mind, we looked to our friends at Good Housekeeping for some expert insight into the best travel essentials to make your adventures a bit more comfortable. 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 surely elevate your road-trip experience.
Our Top Picks
Best Travel Portable Coffee Maker
CERA+ Portable Electric Coffee Maker
Read more
Best Travel Gadget Radar Detector
Escort MAX 360 MKII Radar and Laser Detector
Read more
Best Travel Gadget Cooler
Koolatron Thermoelectric Iceless Cooler and Warmer
Read more
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 parents and homes for over a century, and its testing processes have become an industry standard. So we hit up our colleagues over at the Good Housekeeping Institute for some tips, just to make sure we weren't missing anything.
Relying on the expertise of the Gear Team and the testing acumen of Good Housekeeping, here are some of the Best Travel Gadgets and Tech for your next road-trip adventure. Note: Car & Driver has paraphrased Good Housekeeping's findings to reflect our purposes here; we have omitted some of the Institute's non-automotive selections and included other products more suited for our audience.
Best Travel Dash Cam
Garmin Dash Cam 57
Best Travel Dash Cam
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–like 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.
Best Travel Portable Coffee Maker
CERA+ Portable Electric Coffee Maker
Best Travel Portable Coffee Maker
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.
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Best Travel Gadget Wi-Fi Hotspot
Verizon Jetpack Wi-Fi Hotspot
Best Travel Gadget Wi-Fi Hotspot
Verizon Jetpack Wi-Fi 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 Jetpack allows Verizon 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.
Best Travel Action Camera
GoPro HERO9
Best Travel Action Camera
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.
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Best Travel Gadget Radar Detector
Escort MAX 360 MKII Radar and Laser Detector
Best Travel Gadget Radar Detector
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.
Best Travel Gadget for Portable Power
Anker 325 Power Bank
Charging ports can be a point of contention in cars and trucks, particularly when a family is on the road for extended periods. This Anker portable battery will help nip back-seat fisticuffs in the bud. The 20,000 mAh Li-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 or USB-C ports.
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Best Travel Headphones
Bose QuietComfort OverEar Headphones
Best Travel Headphones
Bose QuietComfort OverEar Headphones
Now 40% Off
If you plan to spend many hours in a packed car, you will inevitably be met with conflict when everyone disagrees on what to fill your collective ears with. These noise-canceling cans from Bose provide a convenient solution, allowing your passengers to escape to their own audio reality for a bit. Testers found them very comfortable over extended periods and really appreciated being able to switch between Quiet and Aware modes to filter outside noise.
Caveat: No matter how tempting it may be to drown out the world around you, and despite settings that allow you to control ambient noise, we don't recommend over-ear cans like these while driving. Opt for a pair of AirPods or earbuds, if you must—but be advised, state laws vary on their use behind the wheel.
When you're on the road for hours on end, a warm beverage can be key in getting your body's motor started and keeping it going. This travel mug from Ember won't just keep your beverage warm, it will keep it exactly the temperature you prefer. The temperature can be controlled from an app on your phone, and its two-hour battery life can be extended by placing it on its charging coaster.
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Best Travel Gadget Cooler
Koolatron Thermoelectric Iceless Cooler and Warmer
Best Travel Gadget Cooler
Koolatron Thermoelectric Iceless Cooler and Warmer
Staying hydrated and keeping your appetite at bay while on the road can be tough if gas-station jerky and drive-thru fare aren't your thing. Koolatron's thermoelectric cooler and warmer plugs into your vehicle's 12-volt outlet and keeps the contents as cool as 40 degrees Fahrenheit and as warm as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The 18-quart version can hold up to 23 standard soft-drink cans; the much larger 45-quart version is ideal for families.
Best Travel Tracker
Apple AirTag
Many are already familiar with the invaluable functionality that Apple's tiny tracker 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-and-forget tool.
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Best Travel Multitool
Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool
Best Travel Multitool
Leatherman Wave Plus Multitool
If you don't already carry a good multitool, it's about time you do. The Wave Plus from Leatherman is a handy everyday tool for popping bottle tops, tightening screws, opening packaging, and a plethora of other odd jobs. Out on the road, it's great for small inconveniences and quick fixes, such as replacing burnt-out bulbs, tightening hose clamps, or whatever other mishaps may arise.
Best Travel Drone
DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone Bundle
Best Travel Drone
DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone Bundle
This DJI 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 you'll realize are pretty vast. The GH Institute testers loved that it can fold away into a compact carrying case and lauded its sharp picture quality. The included Fly More Kit opens up the potential to capture professional-quality aerial shots of your car ripping through the twisties. It includes spare batteries, chargers, parts, and more.
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Best Travel Phone Accessory
DJI Osmo Mobile 6 Gimbal Stabilizer
Best Travel Phone Accessory
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 out 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 has a nice feature that allows it to rotate in a single sweeping motion. The magnetic clamp attaches easily to almost any phone.
Best Travel Tire Gauge
JACO ElitePro Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Best Travel Tire Gauge
JACO ElitePro Digital Tire Pressure Gauge
Now 25% Off
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.
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Best Travel Gadget Charging Cord
Rolling Square Keychain Charger Cable
Best Travel Gadget Charging Cord
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 your iPhone. It complements the Anker portable battery above very nicely.
Best Travel Carsickness Relief
Reliefband Classic Wristband for Motion Sickness
Best Travel Carsickness Relief
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 if you have little ones prone to nausea. The Reliefband is a drug-free remedy to general motion sickness. If it really works—and most users claim it does—it's definitely worth it.
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Best Travel Electronics Organizer
BUBM Electronics Organizer
Best Travel Electronics Organizer
BUBM Electronics Organizer
Keep your wires and other small gear organized with this neat-looking organizer from BUBM. It comes in ten different colors, and the testers at Good Housekeeping loved the compact fold-flat shape and zipper enclosures.
FAQs
How do I determine which items are essential to my trip?
A good rule, particularly with gadgets, is 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 these gadgets be daunting?
Some gadgets like a DJI drone can indeed have somewhat steep learning curves. We recommend trying out your gadgets at home to familiarize yourself with their features and controls. Apps are a requirement for some gadgets, so having those pre-loaded onto your phone 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 some of the less essential pieces and just pick them up as 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 Good Housekeeping?
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing products and providing expert reviews and advice on all types of travel gear in their labs, from luggage trackers and noise-canceling headphones to drones and mobile hotspots. The gadgets chosen for this list were evaluated by product testing analyst Selina Tedesco and updated by media and tech reviews analyst Olivia Lipski.
Why Trust Hearst Autos?
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.
From:
Justin Helton
Assistant Commerce Editor
The Assistant Commerce Editor for Hearst Autos, Justin Helton is an enthusiast with a passion for heavily depreciated autos and a penchant for philosophical debate. As a lifelong Manhattanite, he has mastered the ins and outs of classic car ownership in one of the least car-friendly cities in the world.
Expert consulted:Rachel Rothman
Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems.
