If you are looking for some affordable gifts for a road tripper or wanting to add to your own packing list, look no further.
I have put together both useful and fun road trip gift ideas that are under $40 for you.
Yes, you heard me! All 30 of these unique and helpful products are in the range of $5 to $37.
Transform your travel plans into a successful trip on the open road with these must-have items.
Check out our 30 amazing gifts for a road tripper!
Disclaimer: This site contains affiliate links that will cost you nothing extra but offer me a little commission for any purchases made. Thank you so much for your support.
Gifts For A Road Tripper Under $20
Road trip games – $5 to $15
These fun road trip gifts can be used in the car or when you stop for the night.
Games can make a road trip memorable by providing an alternative to electronics for some ‘no screen’ time with your friends and family.
Ironing spray – $7
Suggested by Travel Geekery
My travels changed majorly with the discovery of an ironing spray.
Until then, I often carried a small travel iron around. Because my clothes would always get wrinkled, no matter what packing technique I tried.
The ironing spray was a game-changer. So how does it work? Let’s illustrate it on a T-shirt.
You lay your T-Shirt out on a flat surface, e.g. on a bed. You gently spray it with the ironing spray, so that it’s covered evenly.
Then you run the palms of your hands across the stretched out fabric, acting as an iron! Flip and do the same on the other side and voila!
You can either wear it right away or you can leave it for a few minutes for the moisture to evaporate.
Bear in mind that it works mostly on natural materials such as cotton.
Polyester and other artificial types of fabric can be hit or miss.
Car charger – $10
Don’t leave your driveway without one of these! Not only great for everyday errands, but a car charger is also a must-have road trip essential.
Since I grew up in a rural area, driving through big cities can be stressful; having my phone charging with google maps giving directions always relieves some navigational stress for me.
Some chargers only come with one USB port but this one has two, and just to be safe I usually have a backup charger in the glove compartment.
Reusable sandwich & snack bags – $10 to $12
Suggested by Zero Waste Memoirs
One of the most versatile things you can take on any road trip is a reusable ziplock bag!
They come in handy for so many things – from holding your favorite road trip snacks, to contain the smell of a dirty diaper, to holding all those messy fruit peels that get left behind after a roadside picnic.
Plus, alternative ziplock bags are a great way to cut down on waste as you travel.
Try this tip next time you’re taking a road trip with kids – pack some wet washcloths in a ziplock bag and you’ve got an earth-friendly way of cleaning up sticky fingers, sandy feet, or messy faces on your travels!
Opt for the Stasher bags if you can. Although they’re more expensive than some others, they’re amazing quality and truly last the distance!
Maps – $12+
Suggested by Away With Maja
One useful item to bring on any road trip is a map or atlas of the area you’re visiting.
While sat navs and phones might be all-important these days, there is nothing handier than a paper copy of the roads you’re driving on.
This is especially true if you are road tripping through remote areas where you don’t have a phone signal to power Google Maps, or if you run out of battery.
Having a road map can save you from wrong turns and countless unnecessary detours.
My road trip around the North Coast 500 in Scotland was incredible, but there were instances where I had no phone signal for hours at a time!
Having a good map will make you less reliant on technology and can make wonderful gifts for a road tripper.
Foldable camp stove toaster – $13
Suggested by Groovy Mashed Potatoes
I traveled for 20 days in a campervan through New Zealand and the handiest item I had for the kitchen was a folding toaster for the camp stove.
Having a toaster on your road trip makes breakfasts and lunches affordable and effortless.
To use it, it’s very simple. You place the toaster on top of your camp stove or a small open flame and place up to four pieces of bread on it.
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There are many easy campervan meals you can make, such as toasted sandwiches, avocado toast, or beans on toast.
My favorite morning bite is a breakfast sandwich made with English muffins, eggs, and bacon.
The camp stove toaster is very affordable at $5.29. It pays for itself when you don’t have to go out for breakfast!
Car trash bin – $13
One summer when I was doing my undergraduate degree, I did an internship on an island off the coast of North Carolina.
I had to drive half of the US (about 25+ hours) to get there. I had never driven that long or far before!
Driving there and back was a combined 50+ hours and over 3,000 miles that summer.
I realized the importance of having a trash bin for the car because otherwise, your car looks like a complete dumpster at the end of your trip!
Reusable grocery bags – $13
Suggested by Meals And Mile Markers
When traveling, it is so easy to accumulate garbage.
To ensure that your road trips don’t contribute too much garbage to the landfills, pack some reusable grocery bags ahead of time!
They make excellent road trip gifts that are also sustainable. Not only do they prevent plastic bags from littering the planet, but they have many other uses, too!
For instance, some roomy waterproof grocery bags are perfect for wet towels and bathing suits.
If you tend to buy souvenirs everywhere you visit, keeping them in one big bag is so much tidier than having 5 different small bags.
Whenever I travel, I end up filling a reusable grocery bag with stuff that doesn’t quite fit into my suitcase, as well.
You can buy these bags ahead of time, but you can also buy them at most grocery stores if you forget to pack them for your next road trip!
Tripod – $15
Suggested by Capture That Snap
One of the best items for a road trip traveler is a lightweight tripod if you want to get great photos.
A tripod can be used not only to improve your photography but also to take photos that include all friends and family that are joining you on the trip.
Nobody needs to be left out of the photo again! I like to use the Joby GorillaPod as the legs are flexible and can be wrapped around things like tree branches, railings, or anything similar.
This ensures that there is never a situation where you can’t get a great shot!
The Joby GorillaPod comes in a variety of sizes so it’s usable for any camera size.
Travel pillow – $15
Having a way to rest in the car is crucial, whether it be for the kids that need to nap or if you have multiple drivers that take turns driving.
There are so many unique designs for travel pillows nowadays, but my favorite is the Travelrest ultimate pillow.
It is inflatable therefore making it lightweight and small when storing iit.
I like that it is great for both road trips or flying.
Audible membership – $15
Not all road trips are created equal. By this, I mean that some areas that you drive through could be stunning but other times it could be a very boring drive on a highway.
Having an audible book playing in the car is a great alternative to music.
Plus, you could always listen to a book about your destination, making you appreciate the place even more.
Bamboo coffee cup – $16
Suggested by France Bucket List
One of the items which traveled with me on all my road trips in France is my reusable bamboo coffee mug.
It is beautiful, easy to clean, environmentally friendly, and it also allows me to avoid wasting hundreds of single-use coffee cups.
Actually, in some places, they propose a small discount on the coffee if I use my coffee mug!
The mug is made of bamboo whilst the cover is made of silicone and it has a drinking hole and a straw hole.
I love my bamboo coffee mug! This bamboo coffee mug is big enough (400 ml) for driving long distances.
It keeps the coffee perfectly hot for a long time until the next stop on the road.
Hiking day pack – $18
Suggested by This Rare Earth
When I’m on a road trip, one thing I always do is watch for interesting and unique areas to stop and hike along the way.
Because of this, in addition to my larger bag or suitcase, I always bring a small day pack for hiking – and it usually comes in handy.
No matter if I am hiking in the desert or the mountains or somewhere in between, a daypack is a must.
A small day pack allows me to carry only the necessities: water, camera, snacks, etc., and leave everything else I don’t need behind in the car.
I bought my first day pack years ago, and now it has become a non-negotiable item on any trip.
Shower wipes – $19
Suggested by Skiing Kids
These are my all-time favorite must-have items to take on road trips.
We used to travel with just baby wipes, but as our kids got older and our adventures got more intense, they just weren’t good enough anymore.
That’s when we started to use shower wipes, which are so much better than just baby wipes.
They can handle the odor from a mountain biking teenager, the dirt from a toddler who’s been hiking in the desert all day, and work wonders on our post-ski sweaty bodies.
We can feel presentable enough to go out to eat after a long day on the ski slopes when we don’t have fast access to a shower.
Backseat organizer – $19
Some would consider a backseat organizer to be a nice add on but if you have a car full of kids then you know it is one of the road trip essentials!
As an aunt to 4 crazy kiddos, I can attest that having these will be so helpful to keep toys and snacks organized.
Gifts For A Road Tripper Under $40
Travel journal – $22
A place to write your thoughts and feelings during a trip can be an amazing way to capture your trip accurately.
A travel journal is one of many great gifts for a road tripper because it makes you intentionally stop to enjoy the places and to write about it.
Plus, road trips can sometimes be a blur later on so journaling will document your specific route.
Not only does it feel good to process your experiences, but it gives you a record of your trip to look back on in future years.
Portable power bank – $25
Car chargers are perfect for when you are driving, but a portable power bank comes in so handy for the adventures that you do along the way.
Taking a hike or touring a city during the day will mean you need a portable power source.
If you are visiting places with extreme temperatures, I highly recommend a power bank.
Both the scorching sun and cold can make your phone battery work harder and be used quicker.
Packing cubes – $25
Suggested by Smudged Postcard
I used to read about the craze of packing cubes and I wondered what all the fuss was about.
Why buy a bag to put into another bag?
But then I went on a road trip with kids and discovered that it’s very difficult to locate a tiny pair of socks in the boot of my car.
So, based on all the rave reviews, I decided to give packing cubes a try.
After just one trip, I was completely converted. We don’t even bother with suitcases on our road trips anymore.
We simply put the packing cubes straight into the car. It is so much easier to find everything and each family member has their colored cube.
When you get to a hotel, cubes don’t need to be unpacked, they can go straight into a draw as they are.
The only thing I don’t like about them? The name – they aren’t cubes, they’re rectangles.
Solar power charger – $25
Suggested by Live A Wilder Life
As a full time traveling family, we’ve learned a lot about what to bring whenever we hit the road.
Since we take road trips with a toddler and spend a lot of time in National Parks, we always bring our solar power charger so we can have a fully charged phone.
We love knowing that even if there’s no access to electricity, our phones will be able to work.
It helps us to feel safe and connected when we’re doing long days driving.
We put it out on the dashboard and load up the charger so that it’s always ready when we need it.
I love the charger we use because it’s durable, has a flashlight, can charge four devices at once, and can charge an iPhone up to 8 times before it needs to be recharged.
Rechargeable flood light – $25
A floodlight might not be the most glamorous of gifts but it is helpful.
Having a light like this is perfect for finding items in the car trunk/boot or fixing dinner over the fire if you’re camping.
One of the main reasons to have it is emergencies like using it to flag down help from the road, giving light to change a flat tire, or marking the sight of a car accident until help arrives.
Hammock – $30
Suggested by Happy When Abroad
Since I have been the proud owner of the comfortable double hammock, I will never go on an outdoor adventure without it again.
The hammock can easily accommodate two adults and is the perfect place to relax, read, take a nap, or cuddle.
And all in the great outdoors! The material of the hammock is super light and very soft.
As it can be easily packed into the small stuff sack, it does not take up much space in the car or the backpack.
With the simple system of straps and carabiners, you can set up the hammock in less than three minutes.
All you need are two sturdy items, preferably trees, and your relaxing outdoor vacation can begin!
Car essential oil diffuser – $30
There are so many smells that stink up the car on road trips, but the worst probably being fast food.
That lingering smell is terrible and can be hard to get rid of.
Having a compact essential oil diffuser for the car is an amazing gift for a road tripper because you are not buying disposable air fresheners and essential oils are made from natural sources, not harsh chemicals.
Plus, essential oils last for so long, making them the gift that keeps on giving!
Power inverter – $30
Suggested by Beeloved City
If you are going on a long road trip and planning on camping, taking a power inverter with you will come in very handy.
This little object is a true lifesaver! On one side you will find a cigarette lighter plug and on the other a “normal” socket.
You can easily plug it into the cigarette lighter and it will convert the 12V to 110V or 230V which is the voltage required for electronic devices.
You can use it to charge batteries, laptops, and any other electric equipment you may have.
This item comes in extremely handy when road tripping in a pretty remote region such as Outback Australia where you can drive hundreds of miles in the desert.
With it, you don’t rely on power sockets at your accommodation, you can charge everything you need while driving!
Vacuum insulation thermos – $31
Suggested by A Tiny Trip
Our absolute must-have for a road trip is the Kleen Kanteen insulated thermos! Before every trip, we pack a bag of snacks, water bottles, and more.
Those stay in the back seat, while the Kleen Kanteen gets filled with hot coffee and goes in the cup holder by the driver!
The coffee stays extremely hot for a long time keeping our driver-focused and happy.
It stays so hot that sometimes if we have an early morning trip, we will make the coffee the night before and leave it ready to go. It will still be warm in the morning!
Portable coffee maker – $31
Suggested by Food And Drink Destinations
For the coffee addict who travels often, having that most important first cup can be a challenge.
Where’s the nearest coffee shop? Does the Airbnb or hotel have a coffee maker?
To eliminate this worry, we travel with a Bialetti Moka Express portable coffee maker.
Made in Italy, it’s lightweight, compact, and easy to pack. All these features make them excellent gifts for a road tripper.
Best of all, the Bialetti Moka Express works on a variety of stovetops including gas and electric.
This comes in handy when staying at your accommodation and you’re unfamiliar with the kitchen situation.
It also works in small campervan kitchens or on camping stoves.
Unlike other types of travel coffee makers, the Bialetti doesn’t require a paper filter to use.
While this might seem insignificant, it’s one less thing to have to purchase and pack.
Air compressor – $32
For most rural road trips, an air compressor can come in handy if you get a flat tire or notice that one tire is leaking slightly.
Having one on hand might not be a permanent solution to fixing a leaking tire but it can help you get to a place where it can be fixed.
This is important if you find yourself in a remote place that doesn’t have cell reception.
First aid kit – $33
Even when I’m not on a road trip, I make sure to always have a first aid kit in the car trunk.
You never know when you will need it so I just leave it in there all the time.
This means you have one less thing to pack the road trip too!
Ultralight foldable camping chair – $33
Depending on your accommodation and how long and how far your trip is, a camping chair can be a great gift for road trippers.
It might not be too useful if you are planning on staying in Airbnb or hotels, but perfect if you are camping or doing van life.
Filtered water bottle – $36
Suggested by Munni of all Trades
Traveling on the road across India can be tough. While there are plenty of water sources available, I would always end up purchasing bottled water.
No matter how expensive, I would fear all the germs that were likely to be present in regular water.
During my last Kerala trip, I threw away at least 15 single-use plastic bottles.
I made a conscious change to invest in quality products that make my life better and also had a positive impact on the environment.
Lifestraw Go perfectly fits in my new lifestyle. It is a BPA free bottle with a microfilter membrane that can purify at least 4000 liters of water.
It can carry 1 liter of water, is easy to clean, and can protect against 99% of chemicals, dirt, bacteria, parasites, and microplastics.
The best part is when you buy a Lifestraw, you support a child with one year of clean drinking water.
Theraplume outdoor blanket – $37
Having a blanket on hand is always a good idea for any emergency, especially if you are traveling in remote areas with freezing temperatures.
This outdoor blanket is designed to withstand whatever you can throw at it along your road trip.
If you are camping, going to the beach, or having picnics. It is also great for anyone needing a nap in the back seat.
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