Top 5 Road Trip Essentials

With the heightened risk of contracting an illness on a commercial flight, many people are opting to take road trips to enjoy a vacation. Last year, AAA forecasted that Americans would likely take 700 million road trips over the summer months. Of all travel volume affected by the worldwide pandemic, "car trips or driving will see the smallest decrease in travel volume of just 3 percent year-over-year, while air travel will be off by about 74 percent."

When taking a road trip, how light or how heavy you pack will of course depend on where you are going and how long you will be staying. But here, we would like to explore the 5 top road trip essentials including compression socks for car travel that will greatly benefit you and your road trip companions- no matter where the road takes you.

Must-have road trip accessories checklist

1. Be prepared to go offline

Depending on where you travel, you will either need a great roaming plan or be prepared to go offline. Sometimes, cell phone booster towers are constructed in very remote areas, but you can lose cell phone service at certain altitudes and in forested areas. A portable Wi-Fi device is the best option for family travel because they allow 5 to 10 people to connect to the internet, even in remote locations.

When all attempts of staying connected fail, make sure you carry along a good book or two, and some fun travel games that can make the miles seem much shorter.

Another way to be prepared to go offline is to have paper maps or a downloaded map of the places you will be traveling. Downloaded maps use OpenStreetMap data, and they include GPS functionality offline and without cell service.

2. Healthy snacks and water

The best snacks for a road trip should be easy to carry along, tasty and healthy. Still, the favorite go-to road trip snack would be cold cut sandwiches or classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. For healthier sandwiches that feature less sodium and nitrates, consider using avocado, black bean paste, or cheese on whole-grain bread.

Don't forget to sack plenty of crisp, fresh veggies which are much more enjoyable when dipped in hummus, artichoke dip, or low-fat cheese dip. To round off your travel snack bags, consider protein bars, grapes, string cheese and boiled eggs.

Of course, plenty of bottled water is a must. The best choice for long trips would be electrolyte water that helps balance the body's fluids and your body's pH levels. Low electrolyte levels in the body can cause fatigue, numbness, tingling and muscle cramping - all of which you want to avoid when sitting in a car for long periods of time.

3. Best compression socks for long drives

If you're going on a road trip, consider wearing the best compression socks for long drives. This includes those brands of compression socks that have graduated pressure that increases from the ankle upward to the calf. They should not be too tight and made of blended cotton fabrics are better at wicking away moisture to keep feet dry.

Wear compression socks while driving long distances to keep legs energized by boosting blood circulation. Other benefits of wearing compression socks while driving include:

• Prevent aching leg muscles
• Decrease leg swelling
• Helps avoid blood clots
• Safer driving experience

4. Create a classic road trip playlist

A road trip is all about making memories, even while in the car driving. Nothing works better at forging long-term memories of life experiences more than music. Before you hit the road, create a classic road trip playlist of all your favorite tunes, even those from your younger years. You can either pick a theme for your playlist, like songs with state names included or even make a mixtape of horrible music - just for laughs.

The best road trip music is up-beat or has lyrics that everyone can sing along with. You'd be surprised how singing and bopping along to music can pass away otherwise boring road trip hours.

5. Don't forget your favorite camera!

Finally, don't forget the camera. And of course, everyone has a camera on their phone, but consider something more fun - like a Polaroid camera for instant results. Also, having a point and shoot camera on a road trip will save your phone's battery. Keep the camera set out on the car seat, so anyone can take a quick snapshot when they see an interesting sight.

Taking pictures with an actual camera makes the person taking the shot feel more like a photographer. Having one camera for all your road trip photos makes it easy to create a great photo book when you return home.

For everyday compression socks in fun colors that are great for road trips, visit Dr. Motion online or at your favorite retailer.

Disclaimer: This article provides information solely for educational purposes, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, and other materials contained herein. This article is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.