Posted on August 11, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard

When planning a road-trip with US car hire it’s all too easy to pack up the car with everything but the kitchen sink.  Twelve pairs of flip-flops and nine guidebooks later, you’ll find legroom at a premium.

How do you decide what’s essential?  What can you not leave the house without and why didn’t you think to bring one of those?  These are the questions that Rob Lovitt, travel writer at msnbc.com has been pondering.  He’s come up with a list of gizmos and gadgets that will have you on easy street in no time.

If you haven’t booked your US road trip car yet, you may like to check out our fantastic US car hire offers for August:

Orlando car hire from €103 per week

Prices quoted are based on a 7-day rental of a mini/economy sized vehicle.