#Best cross country road trip vehicle how to
#Best cross country road trip vehicle portable
#Best cross country road trip vehicle plus

In spring 2022, Therm-A-Rest released a slightly redesigned version of the pillow. I sleep on my side and back, and I found it exceptionally comfortable compared with camping pillows I’d used in the past, although I did have to supplement it with a flannel shirt when I wanted to sleep on my side. But this is a travel pillow, of course, so it will never feel like your home pillow, which is all part of the fun somehow.

#Best cross country road trip vehicle plus

Similar to a smartphone, the DriveSmart 55 allows multi-touch gestures, such as pinching or spreading for easier zooming on a map this feature is a clear step up from the resistive displays of less-expensive units, which allow only single-finger gestures and require you to tap on the plus and minus buttons to zoom in or out.Īt night, the pillow unrolls and expands into a decent bed pillow, though side-sleepers with larger frames may say it has too little padding. The DriveSmart 55’s extensive points-of-interest database helps guide you to an area’s best sites and businesses through integrated Tripadvisor ratings, Foursquare listings, a database of sites from the History network, and US national park directories (something that other brands’ models don’t offer). Like the best GPS units, the DriveSmart 55 can also connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, which lets you send destinations to the device, get incoming messages on screen, and receive extra trip and traffic info.

But should your journey take you off the beaten path (and out of your coverage area), we suggest the Garmin DriveSmart 55. We do have guides to infant car seats, travel car seats, booster car seats, and water bottles for kids-all things that are of particular interest to families on the road.įor most shorter trips, a smartphone can provide all the navigation assistance you need. This guide isn’t specifically geared toward families, though most of the picks would be useful to a family traveling by car. (And he lives in South Dakota, where things are spread out, so he’s always prepared.) We cover everything from checking your tires and dipsticks to knowing what you should do if your car starts smelling like rotten eggs for seemingly no reason.

#Best cross country road trip vehicle how to

That’s why we asked Christopher Smith, a veteran automotive journalist with a penchant for restoring fixer-uppers, to help us put together some advice on how to prepare your car for a trip.

However, even if you have the best gear in the world, it’s always best to address small problems before they become emergencies. These items will help you have a successful road trip, regardless of region or weather.

#Best cross country road trip vehicle portable

Our hope is that the recommendations in this guide will help you see more and explore farther down the road than you thought possible.īelow, you’ll find recommendations for cargo boxes, binoculars, coolers, emergency beacons, a first-aid kit, a folding blanket, an ice scraper, an instant camera, inverters for your electronics, a multi-tool, phone mounts, a portable jump starter, ratchets and tie-down straps, a road atlas, stain remover, a stowable daypack, sun shades, sunglasses, a tire-pressure gauge, a toolkit for cars, a travel game, a travel pillow, water jugs, windshield water repellent, wipes, and so much more. In addition to performing our own research and testing, we consulted with half a dozen engineers, mechanics, and other experts to bring you these picks. Photo: Caleigh WaldmanĪfter traveling for 1,500 miles, through four states and six national parks, we think we have a good grasp on what makes an excellent road trip.