17 Fun and Useful Gifts For Road Trippers

If you’re looking for gift ideas for an avid road tripper, look no further! This list offers a great mix of useful and fun gifts for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. After road tripping between all 50 states for 3+ years, I’ve compiled a list of some things that are fun or useful on the road.

Prices are from December 2024 and subject to change.

Useful Gifts for Road Trippers

Travel Cooler

$54 and up

Everyone needs a good cooler for the road! It’s perfect for carrying along snacks and drinks, or for transporting a fun food item that you bought while traveling. Personally, I love packing my own food on road trips to save money and avoid fast food. I like a soft sided cooler because it’s much easier to fit in the car than a hard sided one. We often find ourselves squeezing in the cooler on the floor in the back seat, and a hard sided cooler would be too large and bulky.

I like this soft sided cooler from REI because it’s affordable and the inner portion can be removed for easy cleaning. If you have a higher budget, YETI coolers tend to be much higher quality, but are also more expensive. This one is leak resistant and stays open while you’re using it.

Sturdy Canvas Tote

$35

A reliable tote bag is another one of those items that everyone needs! We have all arrived at the grocery and forgotten our tote bags, so it’s super helpful to have an extra one in the car. Plus, tote bags have so many uses for road trips, such as storage for carrying snacks or as as carrier bag for an impromptu farmers market or a beach day.

This classic L.L. Bean tote is structured and is great quality, plus it comes in many different colors. It’s a wonderful item for any road tripper to have on hand.

A Portable Jump Starter

$50

A portable jump starter is extremely useful to have on the road. Instead of relying on another vehicle to jump start a dead battery, you can do it yourself using this battery pack. We always have this on hand in our car! The battery pack is also safe and water resistant.

A Road Atlas

$22

It’s always helpful to have a road atlas on hand! You never know when you might need a physical map as a backup. It’s great for safety, and fun to look at. This North America atlas has been updated for 2025 and includes detailed maps of all 50 US states, the Canadian provinces and Mexico.

Gift Cards for Gas

A gift card to a gas station is a great gift for anyone - the cost of gas can really add up when you’re road tripping a lot!

Which gas station you pick really depends on the region. If you’re in Pennsylvania or Ohio, Sheetz is a great choice (my favorite gas station chain in the US!). Other great regional chains include Wawa (east coast), Bucee’s (generally in the south) and Love’s (all across the US).

Car Chargers and Adaptors

$9 and up

We could probably all use another cord to have on hand so that the driver and passenger can always be charging their phones while on the road. Better yet, give them one of these useful little adapters that will allow you to turn your USB C cable into a USB. These are extremely useful to have on hand for traveling, since you never know what type of plugs will be available.

Garmin InReach Messenger

$300

This is the most expensive gift on this list, but it could save someone’s life. The Garmin InReach Messenger acts as a satellite phone and can be used to call for help in an emergency when there is no service. It can also be used to check in with loved ones. It’s a great item if your road tripper travels often to remote areas and does a lot of hiking or backpacking. Keep in mind that there is a monthly subscription fee in addition to the item itself.

AirTags

$18 and up

An AirTag or bluetooth tracker are super useful items to have on hand. You can add them to your car keys, backpacks, pet collars or bags. If your road tripper also flies a lot, it’s really smart to have these in any checked luggage. If they’re an Android user, Tile trackers are a great alternative to AirTags.

Fun Gifts for Road Trippers

Guide Along Audio Tour Bundle

$6 and up

If your road tripper visits national parks, these audio tours are fantastic! Guide Along has tours all over the US and beyond, and they’re always adding more. Each tour can be downloaded for offline use and then will play on your car as you drive around. They recommend stops, provide travel tips and talk all about the history of the area, important geology and more.

A few of their tours include Acadia, Yellowstone, Hawaii, Rocky Mountain and many more. You can also purchase bundles by region, which saves a lot of money.

A Spotify Premium Subscription

$12 per month

If the person you’re shopping for doesn’t already have a subscription to Spotify, this is a great idea! It’s always great to have the exact music you want playing while you’re driving long distances. Spotify is also a great place to listen to podcasts.

Bucket List Scratch Off Cards

$65

Reach International Outfitters has bucket list scratch off cards for about half of the US states (and more keep getting added). It’s a fun way to come up with ideas of things to do in different areas! If you know someone does a lot of road trips around a certain state, this would make a great gift.

National Park Sticker Water Bottle

$46 and up

A sticker water bottle is fun, cute and useful! Wondery Outdoors has water bottles where you can add stickers for each of the US national parks. They also have water bottles for all 50 states, beaches, day hikes, Colorado Fourteeners and more. Plus, it’s always smart to have a water bottle that you keep in your car!

Use code LYDIAWEIGEL20 for 20% off your order from Wondery Outdoors.

National Park Trivia

$18 and up

Pass the time during long drives with some trivia! This deck of 390 questions has inquiries about all of the 63 US national parks and includes topics ranging from culture to astronomy. It’s a fun way to test your knowledge or learn something new.

A Keychain from The Wander Club

$25 and up

For the traveler who loves tracking where they’ve been, a keychain from The Wander Club is a great gift! You can collect tokens in multiple categories, including US national parks, countries, MLB stadiums and more.

Outdoorsy Blanket

$99 and up

It’s always great to have a durable blanket to spread out for outdoor picnics or hang outs! Rumpl makes some of the cutest blankets on the market, with logs of national park designs on their puffy blankets. Their puffy blankets are also great quality and durable while still staying soft.

International Snack Subscription

$26 and up

Good snacks are a must for a successful road trip, and it’s always fun to try something new. There are a few different companies that will send monthly boxes full of snacks from different countries. One such company is Universal Yums. Typically, you’ll be sent a box from a different country each month and can try snacks from places like South Korea, Greece, India and more. This is the perfect gift for foodies!

America the Beautiful Pass

$80

An America the Beautiful Pass provides adventure all year long! Ths pass provides amazing value for anyone who frequently visits national parks. It’s a great gift for someone who values experiences over things.

Final Thoughts

I hope this gift guide gives you some great ideas! This list is helpful for anyone who spends a lot of time road tripping around the United States.

For More Hiking and Outdoor Tips, check out these blogs:

• Hiking Gifts for Her
• How to Spend More Time Outdoors
• 15 Beginner Hiking Tips
• The Ultimate Day Hike Packing List
• The Best Women’s Hiking Clothing
• A Guide to the Best Vegetarian Food
• 9 Ways to Avoid Crowds in National Parks

Thanks for Reading!