Video: Road Trip Essentials

If you want to plug in electronics during your trip, you might want to find a car with a built-in power outlet. Otherwise you can buy a power inverter, but make sure to check the wattage of electronics you're plugging in to make sure they won't overload the inverter. Now, if you're going to bring a cooler along, make sure you use cool packs instead of actual ice. What you wanna do is slap this right on top here, so it keeps the cool air down on the drinks. Finally, you want to find a nice shady spot for this cooler so that your drinks stay cold. Some cars have built in coolers, like the Chill Zone in the Dodge Caliber, or heated and cooled cup holders in cars like the Dodge Avenger or Chrysler Sebring. Make sure not to leave cans in hot cars 'cause they could explode. You want a GPS, not only for directions, but to use points of interest to find things like the nearest gas station or restaurant. And if your car doesn't come with a GPS like this one does, you can buy a portable one or find a phone with GPS capabilities. <v Matthew>Now on long road trips, a great way to stay sane is to listen to music. Some cars have features like satellite radio or programs like Ford Sync to play your MP3s. Also cars have auxiliary hookups that can directly connect to your MP3 player. But if it doesn't, you can use an FM transmitter. These use radio waves to play the music from your iPod through your car stereo. <v Lindsay>If you have passengers in the backseat of your car, especially if you have kids along, a good feature to have is a built-in DVD player. If your car doesn't come with one, you could also bring a portable DVD player. Having the right features can make the difference between arriving at your destination and refreshed, Or longing for home before you even hit the freeway. <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog kickingtires.net.