23 Gift Ideas Road Trippers Will Love (2024 Gift Guide)
Calling loved ones of people who are often on the road... This one’s for you! Here are 23 gifts for road trippers that they’ll actually use and love.
Jonathan and I (and our dog, Lincoln) have been roadtripping regularly since 2019. We spend HOURS on the road each year, and each of us has our tried & true list of “must-haves” for long drives.
Whether someone you know is driving cross country, loves to plan weekend getaways, or just generally drives often, this guide is dedicated to useful gift ideas for loved ones who spend a lot of time in the car. For everything from short drives to long road trips, here are 23 gift ideas for road trippers, written by road trippers!
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9 Best Gifts For Roadtrippers
These are some of our top road trip must-haves!
1. Food or Coffee Gift Cards
One of the best, most convenient gifts for road trippers is a food or coffee-related gift card. If a loved one spends a lot of time on the road, you can bet they stop at a few fast-food restaurants or chains on the way.
Found everywhere: McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s
These are restaurants we’ve never had an issue finding on the road. We can usually find a Taco Bell or Arby’s along our route, too. Gift cards to restaurants that can be found just about everywhere are super useful gifts for road trippers and people who drive a lot.
Most Beloved: Chick-fil-A, Chipotle
These are our personal most beloved restaurants to stop at during a road trip. It’s always super exciting when we find a Chick-fil-A or Chipotle along our route and easily accessible! It doesn’t happen everywhere, and these restaurants aren’t as common as the ones above, but if you’re buying a gift for a road tripper who loves CFA or Chipotle, you won’t go wrong with a gift card for either. (You can also think about their favorite fast food or chain restaurants and look for one along their route!)
Coffee Lovers: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons
If the roadtripper you’re shopping for enjoys coffee, hot chocolate, or donuts, then a gift card to somewhere like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Tim Hortons is a great gift idea. We usually have no issue finding one of these on the road.
If you prefer not to buy a gift card and want a physical gift to give instead, consider putting together a snack pack. Grab a lunch box and place inside energy bars (Bobo’s oat bars, Clif bars, or Nature’s Bakery fig bars are some of our favorites), sunflower seeds or beef jerky, water, Gatorade, one or two packets of liquid IV (great for staying hydrated while traveling!!), wintergreen mints, Twizzlers or sour patch. (Just remember to skip the chocolate as it will often melt in the car.)
Snacks are the unsung heroes of any successful road trip, so this is one of our top gift ideas for roadtrippers!
2. Driving Accessories
When on the hunt for gift ideas for road trippers, you want to think about things that would make long periods in the car more fun and comfortable. Besides snacks, there are a few other road trip essentials that can make a great gift.
Driving accessories can be a good road trip gift idea, such as…
Sunglasses (these Sunski Treeline Polarized Sunglasses have a removable side panel to block the sun, which can be SUPER helpful when you’re in the car and the sun’s beating down)
Hats (also great for blocking the sun)
Lightweight layers (we love this gift idea for road trippers because it’s a road trip rule that for any one person to be comfortable, the other must be either freezing cold or sweating hot, ha!)
WeatherTech Cup Phone (a phone mount that fits in your car’s cup holder helps to keep a phone visible and secure for navigation or entertainment while driving)
3. Comfortable Clothing
When you spend hours in the car, comfortable clothing is a MUST. In addition to lightweight layers, clothing that repels stains, is odor-resistant, super comfortable, and wrinkle-resistant are incredibly useful gifts for road trippers.
These trailhead shorts from Coalatree repel stains, which is great for the time you accidentally spill a bit of Chick-fil-A sauce while driving.
The Woolx Lola Joggers are suuuper comfortable lightweight sweat pants. (Jon loves the Coalatree Evolution Joggers! He wears them all the time and gets tons of compliments on them in green.)
We both love Ridge Merino Solstice Wool Hoodies because they’re lightweight, odor-resistant, and offer good sun protection.
Merino wool clothing is an especially great gift idea for road trippers because merino wool is an odor-resistant fabric, so if your road trip spans two days - planned or unplanned - you’ve got one less thing to worry about. Rewear these, and no one will notice!
4. Travel Pillows
We bring these pillows on every road trip. However, they’re best for car camping or traditional beds and less great for sleeping in the car while driving (because they’re big and bulky).
So, if you’re looking for a great gift for road trippers (or, dare I say, for passenger princesses 👑), consider a travel pillow.
Long hours on the road can leave your neck in knots, so soft, portable cushions can make a big difference. Whether you're the driver or the passenger, a travel pillow ensures that you arrive at your destination well-rested and ready for adventure. (A travel pillow may also come in handy for a short snooze at a rest stop!)
Shop on Amazon here and here
5. Car Cooler
Road trippers love and need a good cooler, particularly if you prefer cold drinks or packing your own meals on the road. The best car coolers are durable, portable, and capable of keeping water bottles, drinks, fresh fruit, and sandwiches cold for an entire day.
Shop the Coleman Banyan Soft Cooler on Amazon
Shop the RTIC Soft Pack Cooler on RTIC Outdoors | Shop on Amazon
Shop RTIC Backpook Cooler on Amazon
Shop the YETI Roadie Cooler on Amazon | Shop on REI
6. Slip Ons
Road trips are all about comfort, and there’s one truly luxurious gift idea for road trippers that takes this to an entirely new level.
Shoes. For. Rest. Stops.
Can you imagine??
If you’ve taken a long road trip (and especially if you’re someone like me who makes a lot of stops), then you understand the rush of quickly putting on your shoes for an impromptu stop at a rest area or gas station.
What if you had an outdoor-friendly pair of slip-ons to use for these moments instead? This is one of those next-level road trip gifts that would be great for a road tripper who’s driving cross-country or planning a long drive!
Shop Teva Re-Ember Slip On Shoes on REI | Shop on Amazon
7. Audible or Spotify Subscription
Snacks are one form of entertainment during long road trips; Audiobooks, playlists, and games are another. Help your roadtrippers keep boredom at bay with a Spotify or Audible Subscription.
Another great gift idea for road trippers is to create a playlist for your loved ones or buy them an audiobook you think they’ll love. Audiobooks are one of our favorite ways to pass the time on the road! Check out our top road trip playlists, games, and audiobook ideas here.
Gift an Audible Subscription here.
8. Portable Trays
This one’s especially great for kids, people who work on the road, or long roadtrips with friends and family. A portable tray is a convenient accessory for long drives, providing a stable surface for eating, working, or entertainment while traveling in the car. Plus its compact design allows for easy storage when not in use!
Shop steering wheel trays on Amazon
Shop kids’ trays on Amazon
9. Custom Souvenirs
This gift idea is especially great for loved ones who’ve recently completed a road trip. Consider gifting them a custom souvenir, like a map of their road trip route, Mixtile photos from their adventures, a Shutterfly photo book, or something similar.
Etsy has AMAZING options for outside-the-box souvenirs, such as personalized ornaments, photo map collages, adventure maps, and customizable travel maps (like these or these). Consider gifting your loved one a map of their route, framing a photo for them that you know they love, or gifting a scrapbook for them to keep notes about memorable stops.
6 Useful Gifts for Road Trippers
Road trips are fun and adventurous, but long drives also require some extra preparation. These practical and useful gift ideas for roadtrippers help make the journey smooth and more enjoyable. These are things you probably don’t want to buy for yourself but are incredibly useful on the road!
10. Garmin Messenger
This gift idea is great for the roadtripper and the giftee :) Keep track of your loved ones on the road, even as they adventure off the beaten path into more remote areas.
The Garmin INREACH® Messager, with texting capabilities in no-service areas, utilizes satellite communication technology to send and receive text messages, providing loved ones with a reliable means of communication even in remote locations where traditional cellular networks may not reach. This feature ensures connectivity and peace of mind for roadtrippers and their friends and family back home, allowing everyone to stay in touch and have access to emergency services while exploring off-grid destinations.
Shop on Garmin | Amazon
11. Car Roof Storage
A rooftop cargo bag is a spacious and weather-resistant storage solution that attaches to the roof of a vehicle, providing extra space for luggage and gear during road trips. If you’re hitting the open road in search of adventure, a rooftop cargo bag allows more room for things like hiking boots, snowshoes, or rock climbing gear. Or if you’re planning a longer road trip, a rooftop cargo bag is amazing for packing more and freeing up interior space in your car.
We use our rooftop cargo bag all the time, giving us more space inside the vehicle and also offering us extra space for nights of car camping!
Shop on Amazon
12. Headlamps
Headlamps are practical and versatile gifts for road trippers, campers, and hikers, offering hands-free illumination for navigating dark trails, setting up campsites, and even nighttime packing.
Our friends surprised us with headlights when we went camping together in 2022, and we’ve been using them all the time on our roadtrips ever since! Whether for car camping, packing in the dark, or chasing beautiful sunsets on hikes, headlamps are a super practical and useful gift for road trippers who love the outdoors.
13. Car Power Converter
A car power inverter is a portable device that converts a vehicle's DC power into AC power, allowing travelers to charge their electronic devices like laptops, smartphones, and cameras while on the road.
If you’re a photographer, there’s nothing more frustrating than your camera battery dying just before you’re about to take an incredible shot. Backup batteries are helpful, but so is having a way to charge your camera on the road. As a bonus, this car charger can also charge your phone, laptop, and other electronics to make sure you’re always connected to your loved ones (and your trusty GPS)!
Shop on Amazon
14. AAA Membership and/or Roadside Emergency Kit
This might be one of those gifts that’s not the most fun thing to receive but is incredibly useful for people who drive a lot. Gifting an AAA membership provides peace of mind to road trippers with access to roadside assistance services, including towing, tire changes, and fuel delivery.
A roadside emergency kit also equips travelers with essential tools and supplies, such as jumper cables, a flashlight, water, a first aid kit, layers, an old t-shirt, umbrellas, GPS, and an extra phone charger, offering added security and preparedness for unexpected situations while driving.
15. Gas Gift Cards
Gas gift cards are another useful and thoughtful gift for road trippers as they help offset the cost of fuel, a significant expense during long journeys. Providing financial relief at the pump, gas gift cards enable travelers to explore more destinations without worrying about budget constraints. (Plus, you can fuel up on extra road trip snacks during your stop!)
3 Fun Road Trip Gifts for Friends or Couples
Driving the open road with a loved one is a wonderful way to create lasting memories. The journey becomes not just about the destination but the shared experiences along the way. Here are three thoughtful and fun gifts perfect for couples, friends, and families venturing on road trips together!
16. Polaroid Camera
This is one of my favorite road trip gift ideas for roadtrippers! Whether on a romantic getaway, girls’ weekend, or a family vacation, bringing along a Polaroid camera is a fun way to instantly capture moments and create physical mementos of your journey. You can literally create treasure souvenirs as you go!
Shop Fujifilm Instax Camera on Amazon
17. Rove Dash Cam
A Rove Dash Cam, or a durable video camera that can be mounted to the hood of a car, can capture stunning footage of landscapes and sights you pass on the road. It’s an excellent way to document your road trip so you can relive the adventure again and again!
Shop Rove Dash Cam on Amazon
18. 3000 Questions
These conversation-starter flash cards are a special way to connect with road trip companions during a long drive. They prompt discussions about dreams, memories, and the future, fostering deeper connections while on the road.
Road trip games or conversation starters like these are a great way to break up a long drive with multiple forms of entertainment, such as audiobooks, music playlists, and fun conversations. Ask one another questions like “What one word in the English language would you like to lock in a box before throwing away the key?” or “What are the three things in your life you’re most proud of?”
Get to know one another better while passing the time in a fun and personal way!
Shop 3000 Questions on Amazon
5 Road Trip Stocking Stuffers
Looking for a little something to fill out a stocking for a roadtripper in your life? Here are five stocking stuffer ideas that make great gifts for roadtrippers!
19. Soap Sheets
Soap sheets are compact and convenient for road trips, camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures, providing a portable and mess-free solution for cleaning your hands on the go. Pack them in your bag or keep them in your car for stops at rest areas!
Shop on Amazon
20. Travel-Size Hand Lotion and Sanitizer
Travel-sized hand lotion and hand sanitizer are essential items for road trips. With their compact size, they easily fit into bags, pockets, or glove compartments, making it easy to keep your hands clean and comfortable along the journey!
21. Sauce Dip Holder
Sauce dip holders (you know, to hold all the Chick-fil-A sauces for easy dipping!!) are practical accessories for long drives. These convenient holders mount into vents to hold dips and sauces, helping roadtrippers enjoy meals on the go without the mess.
Shop on Amazon
22. Bag Hooks
Bag hooks are another convenient accessory for road trips, offering a space-saving solution by hanging bags or purses and freeing up floor space in the car. Bag hooks also ensure essential items are within easy reach, keeping must-haves organized and accessible throughout the journey.
Shop on Amazon
23. Compression Socks
Compression socks are designed to improve circulation and reduce swelling, making them beneficial for long car drives where sitting for extended periods can lead to discomfort and stiffness in the legs and feet. By applying gentle pressure to the legs, compression socks help prevent fatigue and promote better blood flow, reducing the risk of leg cramps and enhancing overall driving comfort.
Shop Compression Socks on Amazon
Happy Road Tripping!
Road trips are our favorite way to travel, explore new places, and annoy bond with loved ones.
We hope you enjoy these 23 gift ideas for road trippers and people who drive a lot. Cheers to making memories and having more fun on the road!
Planning a road trip? Check out our Ultimate Road Trip Planning Guide here.
Browse all of our road trip itineraries here.
