ReadyHarbor

Road trip

A long drive in the morning and the car is not ready

What you actually need for road trip — 5 things to cover, each with a pick.

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A car charger that can actually keep up

Navigation with the screen on drains a phone faster than a slow charger fills it. You arrive with a phone at nine percent and no map.

What to check
  • Look at the wattage, not the number of ports
  • Check it matches how your phone fast-charges, and that the cable is long enough to reach where you actually put the phone

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A phone mount you can reach

A phone in a cupholder is a phone you look down at. A mount at eye line is the single biggest safety difference on a long drive.

What to check
  • Vent mounts are quick but block airflow; suction mounts need a clean flat spot
  • Check it holds your phone with its case on

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A lumbar cushion or seat support

Car seats are built for an hour. At hour three your lower back is doing work it was not designed for, and it is why you arrive tired rather than just bored.

What to check
  • Memory foam holds shape longer than fibre fill
  • Check the strap actually fits round your headrest or seat back

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A cooler bag for the footwell

Stopping for food is where the time goes. A bag with drinks and real food in it turns three stops into one.

What to check
  • Check the shape fits a footwell or a back seat rather than only a boot, and that the lining wipes clean

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A tyre inflator or pressure gauge

Under-inflated tyres are the most common thing wrong with a car about to do five hundred miles, and the easiest to fix in two minutes on the drive.

What to check
  • A plug-in inflator does the whole job; a gauge only tells you
  • Check the inflator runs off the car socket and has a long enough hose to reach a rear tyre

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

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