# Our First 1,200 Kilometres: The 10 Things That Got Us There Calm > Three days, two nights and a car that had never left the city. What we packed for the drive, where each thing earned its place, and what stayed in the boot. > > Canonical: https://editorgoods.com/best/first-long-road-trip/ > Published by EditorGoods · Updated Apr 18, 2026 · Prices checked Oct 17, 2026 (USD) > Area: Car · Scene: First Long Road Trip · 10 products > **Short answer:** For a first long road trip, the things that matter are the ones for the moment something goes wrong, and the ones for hour three, when nothing has gone wrong and the passenger is miserable anyway. On our three-day, 1,200-kilometre drive the Baseus Mini 12V car tyre inflator (about $34), the UTRAI portable jump starter (about $57) and the Road Pal memory foam headrest pillow (about $19) were the three we would not leave behind again. The whole ten-item kit for two people came to about $210, or about $91 for just the two emergency items. Prices checked October 2026. ## A car that had never left the city We had owned the car for four years and the furthest it had been was a garden centre forty minutes away. In early October we decided to drive it 1,200 kilometres to a wedding, over three days, with two nights in cheap hotels on the way. Neither of us had done a long drive since we were children in the back of someone else's car. A week out we realised we did not know what to do if a tyre went soft, whether the battery would start the car on a cold hotel-car-park morning, or how a passenger survives three hours in our passenger seat. So we bought for four moments, and went. This is the drive, with the things we brought appearing where we needed them. ## The night before — what if something breaks The night before we left we stood in the driveway with the boot open and a torch and realised that the spare wheel was a can of foam and a sticker. The first four things we bought were all for that feeling. ### The inflator that stopped itself The Baseus Mini 12V car tyre inflator, about $34, is a compressor the size of a thermos flask that plugs into the car's 12V socket. You set a target pressure on its screen, screw it onto the valve, and it runs until it reaches that number and stops. On the driveway it took a tyre from 28 to 34 PSI in about two minutes; on the second morning it did the same thing for real in a hotel car park after a slow leak. It is loud, and the lead reaches the rear tyres on our hatchback with nothing to spare; in a long car you might have to move it. **Baseus Mini 12V Car Tyre Inflator (150 PSI, Digital)** — **$34.09** - A compact 12V compressor that plugs into the car socket, takes a target pressure on its screen and stops when it gets there. Takes a soft tyre back up in a few minutes on a hard shoulder without guesswork. - Worth knowing: It is loud and the lead is only so long; on a big SUV you may need to move the car to reach the rear tyres. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-baseus-mini-tyre-inflator/ ### The jump starter we charged and hoped not to use The UTRAI portable jump starter, about $57, is a power bank the size of a paperback with a pair of short clamps that plugs into itself. It starts a car with a flat battery on its own, without a second car or anyone else's cables, and charges phones the rest of the time. We did not need it, but the second morning was two degrees and the engine turned over slowly enough that we were glad it was under the seat. It needs topping up every few months while it sits in the boot; a flat jump starter is just a heavy brick. **UTRAI Portable Jump Starter Power Bank (12V)** — **$56.66** - A jump starter the size of a paperback that starts a flat car battery without a second car or cables to another driver's engine, and charges phones the rest of the year. The one item that turns a dead car park into a ten-minute delay. - Worth knowing: It needs charging every few months while it sits in the boot; a flat jump starter is just a heavy brick. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-utrai-jump-starter/ ### The gauge that made the slow leak obvious The digital tyre pressure gauge, about $12, is a pocket gauge with a lit screen that reads the pressure in a second. Checking all four tyres in the driveway found one at 28 when the others were at 34, which is how we knew about the slow leak before it was a flat on a motorway; checking again at every petrol stop became a two-minute ritual. It runs on a coin battery and will not warn you before it dies; we have a spare in the glovebox now. **Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge (LCD, Backlit)** — **$12.29** - A pocket gauge that reads the pressure in a second and lights up, so checking four tyres at a dark petrol station is a minute's job rather than a squint at a stick gauge. Reads in PSI and bar. - Worth knowing: Replaceable coin battery; keep a spare, because they do not warn you before they die. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-digital-tyre-pressure-gauge/ ### The kit for the nail in the tread The tyre puncture repair kit with pliers and a valve tool, about $11, is a small bag of rubber plugs, a reamer, an insertion tool and a pair of pliers for pulling out whatever went in. With the inflator above it means a nail in the tread is a roadside repair and a drive to the next town, rather than a tow. We practised once on an old tyre at home, which we recommend, because the reamer takes more force than you expect. It is for the tread only; a cut in the sidewall needs a new tyre. **Tyre Puncture Repair Kit with Pliers and Valve Tool** — **$11.05** - A small bag of plugs, a reamer, an insertion tool and pliers that lets you fix a nail in the tread at the roadside and drive on with the inflator above. Fits in the spare-wheel well with room to spare. - Worth knowing: It is for tread punctures only; a cut in the sidewall needs a new tyre, and practising once at home is a good idea. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-tyre-puncture-repair-kit/ We did not use it. The slow leak was a valve, and the inflator and the gauge got us to a garage that fixed it for the price of a coffee. ## Hour three — the passenger's neck and the sun The first three hours of the first day were fine. Then the motorway turned south-west, the sun came round to the passenger's side, and the passenger, who had been dozing, woke up with a crick in their neck and the sun in their face and did not speak for twenty minutes. ### The pillow that held a head up The Road Pal memory foam headrest pillow, about $19, is two thick foam wings on a bar that clamps to the headrest posts and swings in to meet the side of your head. With the wings in, the passenger could doze without the slow slide towards the window that ends in a jerk and a sore neck. It adjusts for height and angle and took a minute to fit at a services. It only works on headrests with two exposed posts; ours have them, and a lot of newer cars with sculpted seats do not. **Road Pal Memory Foam Headrest Pillow (Adjustable Wings)** — **$19.15** - Two thick memory-foam wings on a bar that clamps to the headrest posts and swing in to meet the side of your head, so the passenger can doze without the slow slide towards the window. Height and angle both adjust. - Worth knowing: It only fits headrests with two exposed posts; fixed or sculpted headrests leave nowhere to clamp it. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-memory-foam-headrest-pillow/ ### The curtains on the back windows The side window car curtains, about $10 for a pair, are black cloth curtains on slim rails that sit along the top edge of the rear side windows. They draw across when the sun comes round and tie back when it does not, so there is nothing to put up and take down at every stop. On the second afternoon, with the sun low on the left for two hours, the passenger reclined the seat, drew the curtain and slept. Fitting the rails took a careful ten minutes at the hotel, and the driver's side has to stay tied back or the mirror is blind. **Side Window Car Curtains on Rails (2 Pack, Black Cloth)** — **$10.29** - A pair of cloth curtains on slim rails that sit along the top of the rear side windows, draw across when the sun comes round and tie back when it doesn't. They stay fitted, so there is nothing to put up or take down at each stop. - Worth knowing: Fitting the rails is a careful ten-minute job, and the curtains must be tied back on the driver's side to keep the mirror view clear. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-side-window-sun-shades-2pk/ ### The cooler that kept us out of the services The 13-litre insulated tactical cooler bag, about $20, is a stiff-sided bag with thick padding and a leakproof liner that lived behind the passenger seat. Filled with ice from the hotel machine each morning, it held drinks and the previous night's leftover sandwiches cold until the evening, which meant we stopped at services for fuel and a walk rather than for a $9 sandwich. Thirteen litres is about a dozen cans and a lunch for two; a family would want something bigger. **13L Insulated Tactical Cooler Bag (Leakproof)** — **$19.69** - A stiff-sided insulated bag that holds two days of drinks and sandwiches cold on the back seat and stops the car being hostage to service-station prices. Thick padding and a leakproof liner, so melted ice stays inside. - Worth knowing: Thirteen litres is for two people, not a family; it takes about a dozen cans and a lunch. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-13l-tactical-cooler-bag/ By the time we stopped for fuel at the end of the first day, the passenger was speaking again. The petrol station brought its own problem. ## The petrol station — phone, music, the one socket Our car is old enough to have one 12V socket, a radio and an aux hole, and the phone had been riding in the cup holder, face up, reading the map to nobody. At the first fuel stop, with someone waiting behind us, we tried to sort the phone, the music and the charging all at once and did none of them well. ### The mount that put the map where we could see it The Joyroom universal suction phone mount, about $12, is a suction cup with a telescopic arm and a spring clamp that puts the phone at eye level on the windscreen or dashboard. We fixed it to the dash with the lever and it held for the remaining 900 kilometres, over every expansion joint and one very bad stretch of roadworks. The clamp takes a phone with a case on. Suction cups do not like dusty dashboards; wipe the spot first and press the lever harder than feels polite. **Joyroom Universal Suction Phone Mount (Dashboard/Windscreen)** — **$12.05** - A suction-cup mount with a telescopic arm that puts the map at eye level on the windscreen or dashboard and holds it there over a thousand kilometres of expansion joints. Spring clamp fits most phones with a case on. - Worth knowing: Suction cups hate dusty dashboards; wipe the spot first, and press the lever hard. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-joyroom-suction-phone-mount/ ### The receiver that gave an old radio Bluetooth The UGREEN Bluetooth aux receiver, about $13, is a small plug that goes into the car's USB port for power and the aux socket for sound, and turns a radio-and-aux stereo into a Bluetooth one. It paired once at the services and after that connected itself every time we started the car; it has a microphone, so the two calls we had to make on the second day were hands-free. It needs an aux socket, which our car has and a lot of slightly newer cars do not. **UGREEN Bluetooth Aux Receiver (USB-Powered, with Mic)** — **$12.74** - A small receiver that plugs into the car's aux socket and USB port and gives an older stereo wireless music and hands-free calls. Pairs once, then connects itself when the car starts. - Worth knowing: It needs an aux input; a car with only a radio and a CD slot is out of luck. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-ugreen-bluetooth-aux-receiver/ The phone charged off the one 12V socket with the plug we already owned, which was the last problem solved. We drove the rest of the way with a map we could see and music we could change without taking a hand off the wheel. ## Arriving — the floor of the back seat We arrived at the first hotel at eight in the evening, opened the back door, and everything we had brought for the drive fell out onto the car park: cables, the gauge, the empty cooler, two chargers. The second day we did something about it. ### The organiser that made the boot a boot The collapsible 600D Oxford trunk organiser, about $22, is a stiff-walled fabric box with compartments that took the inflator, the repair kit, the jump starter, the cooler and the bag of cables and kept them apart. From the second morning the back seat floor was empty and we could find the gauge at every stop without emptying the car; the reinforced handles mean the whole thing lifts out at the hotel in one go. The walls keep their shape with heavy things inside and slump with light ones, so the inflator went in a corner. **Collapsible 600D Oxford Trunk Organiser (Multi-Compartment)** — **$22.45** - A stiff-walled collapsible organiser with compartments for the tools, the cooler and the bag of cables, so the boot stays sorted across three days of stopping and unpacking. Reinforced handles, so it lifts straight out at the hotel. - Worth knowing: The walls are stiff but not rigid; it keeps shape with heavy things inside and slumps with light ones. - Link: https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-collapsible-600d-trunk-organizer/ We got to the wedding on the third afternoon with a tidier car than we left with, one tyre fixed for the price of a coffee, and a passenger who had slept through two of the worst hours. We drove home the same way a week later and used everything except the repair kit, and we are glad it is there. ## What we'd leave at home > **What we'd skip if money is tight** > > Skip the puncture repair kit if the car has a real spare wheel, and skip the Bluetooth receiver if you can live with the radio for three days. That brings the kit to about $186. After that, skip the cooler and buy lunch. Do not skip the inflator, the jump starter or the gauge: those three are the difference between a slow leak being a story and being a tow, and they come to about $103 together. ## Everything in this story | # | Product | Moment | Price (USD) | Link | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Baseus Mini 12V Car Tyre Inflator (150 PSI, Digital) | The night before — what if something breaks | $34.09 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-baseus-mini-tyre-inflator/ | | 2 | UTRAI Portable Jump Starter Power Bank (12V) | The night before — what if something breaks | $56.66 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-utrai-jump-starter/ | | 3 | Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge (LCD, Backlit) | The night before — what if something breaks | $12.29 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-digital-tyre-pressure-gauge/ | | 4 | Tyre Puncture Repair Kit with Pliers and Valve Tool | The night before — what if something breaks | $11.05 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-tyre-puncture-repair-kit/ | | 5 | Road Pal Memory Foam Headrest Pillow (Adjustable Wings) | Hour three — the passenger's neck and the sun | $19.15 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-memory-foam-headrest-pillow/ | | 6 | Side Window Car Curtains on Rails (2 Pack, Black Cloth) | Hour three — the passenger's neck and the sun | $10.29 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-side-window-sun-shades-2pk/ | | 7 | 13L Insulated Tactical Cooler Bag (Leakproof) | Hour three — the passenger's neck and the sun | $19.69 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-13l-tactical-cooler-bag/ | | 8 | Joyroom Universal Suction Phone Mount (Dashboard/Windscreen) | The petrol station — phone, music, the one socket | $12.05 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-joyroom-suction-phone-mount/ | | 9 | UGREEN Bluetooth Aux Receiver (USB-Powered, with Mic) | The petrol station — phone, music, the one socket | $12.74 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-ugreen-bluetooth-aux-receiver/ | | 10 | Collapsible 600D Oxford Trunk Organiser (Multi-Compartment) | Arriving — the floor of the back seat | $22.45 | https://editorgoods.com/go/roadtrip-collapsible-600d-trunk-organizer/ | Everything here comes to about $210. Prices in USD. ## Frequently asked questions **What do I actually need in the car for a first long road trip?** Something for a flat tyre, something for a flat battery, a way to see the map and a way to keep the passenger comfortable. Our kit for two people came to about $210, and the two emergency items — the tyre inflator and the jump starter — were about $91 of that and were the two we were most glad to have. **Is a cheap tyre inflator good enough to rely on?** For topping up a soft tyre and for the drive to the nearest garage after a plug repair, yes. The one in this story cost about $34, plugs into the 12V socket and stops itself at the pressure you set. It is not a workshop compressor and it is slow on a big tyre, but that is not what a road trip needs. **Do I need a jump starter if I have never had a flat battery?** On a long trip, yes, because the first time happens somewhere you do not know anyone with cables. A pocket jump starter costs about $57, starts the car on its own, and charges phones the rest of the year. Charge it before you go; one that has sat flat in a boot for six months is a brick. **How do I keep the passenger from going stiff on a long drive?** A headrest pillow with wings that hold the head upright, and curtains or shades on the side windows so the low sun is not in their face for an hour. Those two cost about $29 between them and did more for the second day than anything else we brought. **How long before the trip should I order?** Two to three weeks. Most of this ships from overseas and takes one to three weeks, and you want an evening at home to charge the jump starter, test the inflator on a tyre in the driveway and pair the receiver before you rely on any of them.