The ultimate list of road trip essentials

Outbound

San Francisco, California · May 17, 2022

Planning a road trip? Whether you’re going on a day trip or trekking across the country, reference this list for items you’ll thank yourself for bringing on your journey. From music/podcast recs to yummy snacks and travel apps, we've got you covered. Need lodgings? Be sure to check out KOA before you go!

Podcasts

Listening to podcasts can feel like having friends in the car. Some are entertaining, others informative - there's a genre for everyone! Here are some of our favorites.

Road Trip Trivia (Spotify)- Trivia entertainment on topics ranging from pop culture, history, science, sports, riddles, and geography
Human/Nature (Spotify)- Inspiration to connect with nature
Vogue’s 73 Questions (Spotify)- Fun celebrity interviews
Travel Tales by AFAR (Apple)- Transformative travel stories
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark (Apple)- True crime comedy
Condé Nast Traveller Podcast: Escape Routes (Apple)- Get lost in a daydream-worthy destination
The Thoughtful Travel Podcast (Apple)- Insight on important travel topics (i.e. tourism, LGBTQIA, Languages and Accents, Making Connections, etc.)
5 for 5 Trivia (Apple)- Family and kid-friendly mystery questions
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle (Apple)- A little extra motivation or a pick me up
Not Lost (Apple)- A delightful travel escape to new destinations discussed through friendly dinner conversation

Music

Music is critical for a road trip! It sets the mood, helps you fight through seemingly endless gray skies, and overall provides entertainment. Here are a few playlists to add to your must-listen list.

Snacks

There will never be enough snacks. Add these ones to your pre-trip grocery list.

Trail Mix
Perfect Bar
Dried Fruit
Chips/Pretzels
Granola Bars
Reese’s Snack Mix
CraveBox Care Package (mix of 45 different salty and sweet snacks!)
Fruit Snacks
Green Pea Snack Crisps
Seaweed Snacks
Smart Sweets
Blue Diamond Almond On-the-Go Snack Packs
Clementines
Sea Salt Dry Roasted Edamame

Adventure/Travel

There truly may be an app for everything. These four are especially useful on the road.

The Outbound App- For finding incredible local adventures (with GPX tracks) where you can stretch your legs
Waze- For getting to your destination with the fewest delays
GasBuddy- For finding the cheapest gas prices on the road
KOA- For finding great family-friendly camping locations along your trip