Photo credit: Zach Dischner
Quit smoking, lose weight, save money -- Americans make the same resolutions every new year. But while many are hitting the gym, starting new diets, and throwing packs of cigarettes in the trash, others are gearing up for a year of more travel than ever before. But traveling doesn't always mean boarding a flight to a faraway destination.
Traveling by road (road trip anyone?) is one of the best ways to adventure more often and more affordably in the new year. And best of all, road travelers have a chance to experience all of the natural beauty, attractions, and roadside diners between the starting point and the destination (if there is one). It's time to put your passport in storage, fill your gas tank, and hit the road with these must-have road trip gadgets for 2017.
PowerLine PowerCup
Every road trip sees countless coffee cups come and go, but this PowerLine PowerCup is one you'll never want to toss in the trash. The PowerCup isa mobile inverter, which safely provides USB and 120 Volt AC power from the standard 12 Volt power socket in your vehicle. The stylish coffee cup design means you don't have to find a place for a bulky inverter, because it fits seamlessly into your vehicle's cup holder. Charge your smartphone, laptop, GPS device, and other electronics while your vehicle is in motion, and you can stay on the road longer. The PowerLine PowerCup is available in 75 Watt, 140 Watt with USB, and 200 Watt with USB models.
First Alert LED Road Flares
You never know how valuable LED road flares can be until you need them. These LED warning lights are guaranteed to make traditional flares a safety device of the past. They're lightweight, compact, weather resistant, and require just three AAA batteries to remain visible in even the worst weather conditions. Whether you use your First Alert LED road flares or not, the peace of mind they provide is invaluable.
Mophie Spacestation
Taking more road trip videos than your smartphone can handle? The Mophie Spacestation is the space-saving device every road warrior needs. With 64GB of external storage space, an extra battery, and the ability to save all of your photos, videos, TV shows, movies, music, and files, you'll never have to leave any entertainment behind. And you'll be glad to have endless entertainment at your fingertips after several long days on the open highway.
Garmin Dash Cam 35
Not every road traveler is behind the wheel of a 2017 vehicle, and that's okay. The Garmin Dash Cam 35 is more than a GoPro-like camera for capturing high-definition recordings of your road adventures (although it can do that), it's a GPS standalone device that provides useful driver awareness alerts, like forward collision warnings, speed camera warnings and red light warnings. The GPS-enabled camera records your location, speed, direction, date and time to show exactly how and when incidents and accidents occurred. In addition to the serious stuff, your Dash Cam 35 will create high-definition videos of your travels, so you'll never have to compromise safety to snap photos along your drive.
Anker PowerPort Solar Lite
You'll see rigs of all shapes and sizes outfitted with solar panels along your road journey, and you'll probably be a little jealous. After all, those travelers are using the sun to power their electronic devices without having to worry about car or alkaline batteries. The Anker PowerPort Solar Lite costs just $50, and is so light and efficient, you won't even notice it inside your vehicle until you need it. It's one of few portable solar panels that can charge your smartphone at nearly full speed, so you'll never be jealous of your neighbor's solar device again.