Taking a stand, against an angry mob, is not a lone-defender task, and not best done with a handgun. Drive away, or, exfil on foot, using sensible tactics. Blend, rather than fight, if at all possible. We do all have a black hoody, and a black balaclava, do we not?
I have tended to like .357 Mag revolvers, for travel, because of the relatively flat trajectory, and because I shoot specific medium-frame and medium/large-frame revolvers better than other handguns. In open areas, these factors could give me an edge. Really, the main difference between a “town” revolver, and a road-trip/rural-area revolver, is the sights and barrel length.
The pandemic has limited my ability to train, so I have largely reverted to revolvers, for all occasions, anyway. My skill level with long-stroke DA is less perishable than my skill with a 1911, and my skill with the complex, mushy Glock trigger is most-perishable.
My only out-of-state road trip, in 2020, was a quick run to Mississippi, from my home in SE Texas. IIRC, I carried a 4” Speed Six, and brought a 3” GP100, which has a tritium front sight.
Texas is so large, most of my road trips remain within the state lines, but some number of my pre-2020 trips have gone into the NE states, so I have tended to carry revolvers, usually .357 Magnum Rugers. Even if I do not plan to drive through a place like NY or NJ, an unplanned/unforeseen detour can happen. If I were to specifically plan to go into NJ, I would take into account the prohibition on hollow-point ammo.