When you get ready to head out on a road trip you should make sure your vehicle is ready to go and you and your family are prepared for a great trip. This means making sure the emergency kit is in place, the tire pressure is right, a fresh oil change has been done and you have a fully charged battery on your cell phone. Even with all of these items checked off your list you will want some additional items to help you make your trip even better and make sure your vehicle is more than ready for your road trip.
Lemur BlueDriver – This device will cost you $100 but it will send you a diagnostic report of your vehicle and set any codes and items you need. It attaches quickly to you OBD-II port which is located under the steering wheel on all vehicles made after 1996 and will give you a report to give to your mechanic. This is truly a better safe than sorry kind of device as it will help make sure you don’t have any hidden issues before you head out on the road and have to cut your adventure short.
iBolt Command Remote – For the low price of $35 you can have a small button that will easily stick to your dashboard wherever you need to put it. Why would you add a button? This little button syncs via Bluetooth to your phone and allows you to issue voice commands to your phone including skipping music or asking for directions so you can keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. This little item could be a huge lifesaver even for your daily commuting as you can easily stay focused on the road and use this item with a push of the button.
Cobra DSP 9200 BT Radar Detector – This $400 item is not just a Radar Detector but also offers you the ability to know where lasers, radars and cameras are while you are driving. This item also helps you to control your music, get directions and locate your car through your phone. The only caution here is there are some states where Radar Detectors are not allowed which means you would have to disable this feature when you are driving in those states or risk having the item confiscated from you.
Griffin iTrip Aux with AutoPilot – For $40 you can control your musical selections on your phone through the audio system of your older model car as long as it has an Aux port. This little device plugs into the cigarette lighter in order to give you the ability to play, pause and skip your music on your phone with just the touch of a button, which means you don’t have to take your eyes off the road for this device to work. Currently it’s only available to be used with iPhone models 5 and up in order to be great for apps like Spotify, Pandora and iTunes.
Lukas LK 9700 Duo Dashcam – As a $330 investment you really hope you don’t ever need the video that is stored by this device, but it can be very useful. This device has a camera that shoots video out the front and out the rear of the car in order to get both streams of video and with a built in GPS chip the location of your vehicle, speed of travel, and the date in case footage is needed for insurance purposes in case your wonderful road trip is rudely interrupted by a collision with another vehicle.
Scosche MagicMount XL – There are a ton of phone mounts out there that stick to your windshield and make it so you can put your phone on them to make use of the GPS features of your phone. The problem is these items typically are difficult to make release your phone you are done with your drive. The MagicMount for a low price of $35 uses neodymium magnets and holds your phone or tablet in place in either vertical or horizontal positioning so you can use your technology exactly how you need to in order to have the features you need in front of you and still keep your eyes on the road ahead.
Nyrius Songo Portable – For the low price of $15 you can purchase this little item which allows you to connect your phone to your older model car via the auxiliary port and create your own Bluetooth connection so you can use your music streaming apps. On a full charge this device will last about twelve hours, but the item can be charged as you go using the microUSB port which will keep the road trip sounds going all day long for you.
WeBoost Drive 4G-X Cellular Signal Booster – With so many areas in the country where it’s hard to get a good cell signal, especially for some of the minor carries, this $480 item could be the lifesaver of your cross country road trip. With a small roof mounted antenna and a booster that is located under the seat every carrier can be boosted by as much as sixty percent. This device is not specific to a certain phone system either, it boosts them all to make a great it easier for you to enjoy great signal throughout your entire road trip.
With these eight great devices by your side, and yes you will have to make a significant investment in order to have them all, you can certainly enjoy an awesome road trip across the country. Of course you don’t need them all, but you will certainly enjoy the benefit of several of them in order to have a great trip, keep your cell signal strong, ensure your car is ready to go, make it easier to stream your music and much more as you enjoy the fun of exploring the amazing expanse that is this great country of ours.
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