What You Need to Safely Road Trip During a Pandemic

The question: What's the number one way Americans are traveling this year? 

Survey says: road trips! 

According to a poll from Expedia, "85% of American travelers are likely to take a road trip this summer." A big part of that is due to safety concerns and social distancing measures. However, on a more positive note, it means more people than ever are setting out to see the beauty featured within the contiguous United States of America. And believe you me, there is a whole lot of beauty. 

So once you've locked in where you want to go and what you want to do, you'll want to be sure you're taking a few safety precautions to keep you and those around you safe and healthy. With that in mind, we've come up with a handy list of the products you need to keep your car (and crew) safe and having fun.

You'll obviously want to bring some masks with you. If you plan on exercising during this road trip, we know the perfect ones. If you're more interested in disposable masks, there's no shortage on Amazon. That said, if you want something with some character and personality, Redbubble is a great place to look.

Another obvious one (but hey, we'd be remiss if we didn't call it out). There are plenty of options available on Amazon, but since you're in a car, something small and portable is the way to go. Check out this set from Healing Solutions. Small enough to fit in the glove box and strong enough to keep germs at bay. Hate the idea of having little plastic bottles everywhere? Check out this nasal sanitizer (think hand sanitizer for your schnoz).

You touch so many things in your car that you'll want to wipe down after hitting a rest stop or grabbing a bite to eat: the door handle, seatbelt, radio, phone, steering wheel...the list goes on. Pick up a portable bag of wipes from Jike that are literally described as "great for disinfecting on the go," which is basically just saying these wipes are easily storied in your glove box or go-to car bag. 

If you're wiping down the inside of your vehicle, you won't need to wear gloves in it. That's a bit much. But going into heavily-used rest stops and high-trafficked areas, a set of disposable synthetic vinyl gloves definitely won't hurt.

A portable stove is a lot of fun to bring on a road trip. If you're not in a hurry, it's easy to map out a spot (free park, hiking area, etc), bust out the stove, and make a meal while exploring the area -- or explore the area first, build an appetite, and then cook. I love this Primus stove for the large cooking area and simple design. The benefit of bringing a stove is simple: you'll be able to limit your time in grocery stores AND cooking is a lot cheaper/healthier than stopping for fast food.

And of course you're going to need a portable cooler -- one trip to the store can pack this up for a few days, limiting your exposure to supermarket people. I'm a huge fan of the OtterBox Trooper 20. It's incredibly easy to carry, is equipped with an accessory mounting system, and will keep ice up to 3+ days without leaking. Plus, when combined with the portable stove, you can throw a picnic literally anywhere you want. As long as it's legal. We should probably mention that.

Your car's going to get messy on a road trip. It's facts. Even the most clean person will waver at some point. It might be old coffee cups or clothes or just general detritus, but it will happen. However, there are things to help. Enter: the back seat organizer from Lusso. There's enough space to hold all your cleaning products (wipes, gloves, masks, etc) plus room for more fun stuff like your iPad or collection of Twilight books.

That's right. This is how much I love my bidet (it's a SFW article, don't worry) and I think everyone should own one. Since you can't exactly bring your home bidet with you, grab a portable bidet from Tushy that can go incognito in your tote or bag. It's discreet, compact, and if used correctly, won't need to be cleaned in the public restroom's sink (thank god).