Lean on These Fashion Essentials If You're Packing Light For a Road Trip

Whether you live in a big city or small town, love big outdoor adventures or low-key leisurely activities, or favor the beach or the mountains, there's one commonality when it comes to summer — the road trip! Wherever you're headed and whomever with — family, friends, both?! — road trips are a beloved pastime that invariably promotes deep bonding and lifelong memories.

A few fun facts! On average, an American family will spend nearly 23 hours on road trips per summer, and last August, Americans drove 2.1 billion miles, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Road trips are consistently the most popular type of travel year-over-year, and a record 42 million people hit the road last Fourth of July weekend, according to AAA.

As one of the most time-honored and choice traveling experiences, one drawback remains — rising gas prices which can give travelers pause about taking the open road. That's where Old Navy comes in. In addition to a robust assortment of packing essentials for any road trip in the brand's Vacation Shop, the iconic American retailer is giving away free gas in popular destination spots in five states to power family road trips leading up to the July 4 weekend.

Yes, you read that right. Old Navy is filling up tanks to help Americans celebrate the nation's birthday during the summer's busiest travel weekend. Here's how it works:

In the week leading up to July 4, Old Navy will aid road trippers by taking over five RaceTrac gas stations in Orlando, Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta, and New Orleans and surprising and delighting social fans with gas cards. (Click here to learn more about how you can score one.)

So, whether you're beach-bound, escaping to a resort, exploring a new city, or hitting tons of stops on an epic journey, scroll to shop all the packing essentials you'll need. Then, *hopefully*, you'll be one of the lucky recipients to score a tank of gas courtesy of Old Navy. Hit the road!