The best thing I packed on a 13-day van trip was so useful I'd take it on any drive

• In October, I set out on a 13-day van trip across the American West.
• A car phone mount was the most helpful thing I packed on the trip.

Last year I made a mistake while traveling.

I rented a car to drive around New Zealand's Waiheke Island, but the car I rented didn't have Apple CarPlay or a phone mount.

As I swerved through the island's winding roads, instead of keeping my gaze firmly on the road, I was stuck looking down toward the floor where my phone was stationed in a cup holder. This, coupled with it being my first time driving on the left side of the road, made for a stressful few days of driving.

This year, when I started packing for a six-state, 3,000-mile road trip in a camper van, I remembered my frantic time in New Zealand and grabbed a phone car mount just as I was packing up my van.

That small item was the most helpful thing I had for the 13-day trip.

The small phone mount helped me be a safer driver

As I set out on my road trip, I was looking at more than 48 hours of driving.

It wasn't just the length of time I was concerned about. Like in New Zealand, I'd be navigating unfamiliar conditions, and while I was driving on the right side of the road this time, the Ram ProMaster van I rented was easily the largest vehicle I'd ever driven.

I took extra caution and searched for strategies to help get comfortable behind the wheel. I listened to other nomads' advice and avoided highways at the start of my trip, and took a few practice laps around my neighborhood.

The thing that helped me feel the most comfortable was having navigation directions directly in my eyesight. My phone mount made it so that I didn't have to look anywhere else but the windshield in front of me.

As days passed, and I got more comfortable driving the van, I still relied on the mount for directions and to change music. Plus, my mount also charges my phone, which was helpful since I was using my phone for long periods.

My mount was gifted to me from a friend, but similar mounts start at $17 on Amazon.

A mount is small enough to fit in any bag or suitcase, making it easy to pack

Even if I think I won't need one, I'm always going to pack a phone mount whenever I rent a car.

Older cars, like those I drove, might not be equipped for CarPlay, and sometimes car rental agencies don't give you the exact model you think you'll be driving.

Plus, mounts are often small. The one I use is about the size of a lemon, so it hardly takes up space in my suitcase.

I've learned my lesson, and I'll have it with me on all future road trips.