People who travel often love travel gadgets with a payoff that far outweighs the precious luggage space they occupy. This selection of handy travel helpers all fit the bill. Lightweight, compact and very useful, none of them puts a weighty drag on anyone’s luggage. And, at under $50, they aren’t too heavy for most budgets either.
Sonic Travel Toothbrush
Some travelers love that nice fresh, smiley feeling delivered by a sonic or electronic toothbrush so much that they will stuff a weighty charger, a voltage converter and an adaptor plug into their luggage just to have clean teeth. It’s either that or making do with wimpy little travel toothbrushes.
Not any more.
This Sonic Travel Toothbrush is one gadget gift that really pays its freight. It weighs only 2 oz – with battery, carry case and replacement toothbrush all included – and cleans teeth with 20,000 sonic micro vibrations per minute. Yet it’s so neat and compact, it can be tucked easily into a travel toilet kit.
Packable Wine Glass
It’s one of those nice travel fantasies. You’ll save money on dining out by buying a bottle of wine, cheeses and breads and find a nice picnic spot. Clever you, you’ve even remembered to pack a corkscrew.
But what about the glasses? Drinking straight from the bottle might be sexy in a Tom Jones sort of way but it’s not very romantic. And paper cups are so…well…papery.
These sturdy little PBA-free plastic glasses are virtually indestructible, weigh almost nothing and come apart (the stem unscrews from the bowl) for easy packing. They hold 10.5 oz of liquid. They come in a set of 2, with a travel pouch. Just the gift for romantic friends who like to share a bottle beside a stream or in their room.
Purse Keeper
I don’t really think that traveling in any Western European city is inherently any more dangerous than similar cities at home. Nevertheless, there is something particularly distressing and inconvenient about being the victim of petty theft while far from home. And it is true that pickpockets and purse snatchers congregate in places frequented by tourists.
The Purse Keeper is small but mighty and a great stocking stuffer. A cleverly balanced hook, it lies flat on a tabletop or counter and suspends a handbag in plain sight, so no worries about hanging it on the back of a chair or leaving it on the floor as an open invitation to thieves.
When not it use, it folds up into its carrying case and takes no more room than a compact.
Unforgettable Doorganizer
Everybody has their own little mantra of things to remember when traveling. Mine is “Tickets, passport, money, keys.” Fine as far as it goes…but I always forget my mobile phone!
The Unforgettable Doorganizer would be the perfect gift for anyone who always leaves one little – but important – thing at home or in the room when traveling.
A multi-pocket sling that hangs, like a Do Not Disturb sign on a door knob, it shouts “Do Not Forget!” and holds cell phone, eyeglasses, keys and camera with room for outbound mail, maps, tickets and itineraries. Bright red, with white embroidery, it is pretty hard to miss.
Universal Adaptor Plug
Go overweight on your luggage these days and the airlines really sock it to you. Some airlines are even considering charging passengers for their checked luggage by weight from the get go.
Knowing what bags weigh ahead of time gives a traveler more options. But, ever try weighing a packed suitcase on a bathroom scale?
This easy to use, Digital Luggage Scale could be the solution. Hook it on a luggage handle, lift and wait for the beep. The large digital display indicates weight up to 100 lbs or 44 kg.
Ogon Wallet
Technology keeps getting scarier and scarier. Everytime some new way of protecting one’s identity and credit comes along, ID thieves find a way around it. The latest hassle is the fact that radio-frequency (RFID) tags embedded in some of your credit cards can broadcast all kinds of ID details to people who, shall we say, don’t wish you well.
These neat little card cases protect travelers from that kind of identify theft by shielding RFID embedded cards from prying technology. The cases, which come in several techno metallic colors, hold up to 15 cards in sleeves that prevent damage to their magnetic strips. The Ogon Wallet slips into a shirt pocket or into someone’s Christmas stocking.
Mini Clip Microlight and Watch
I’ve liked these mini clip lights for a while. Inspired by rock climbing gear, they can clip onto a belt loop, a zipper pull or a handbag and provide a strong beam of red LED light just right for hunting around in the dark corners of a handbag, backpack or day bag. Small, lightweight and useful, they are great stocking stuffers for travelers.
This season’s models have the added advantage of an easy to read, built-in analog watch that’s water resistant to 100 feet. What a great idea!
Stainless Steel Passport Case
Help your most security conscious (or paranoid) pals protect themselves from ID thieves reading the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags in their passports with this stainless steel passport case. New US Passports have apparently been designed to incorporate a thin metal lining that will prevent unauthorized information access when the passport is closed. But, for the traveler who is still worried, this protective case should do the trick. And, for those who are more relaxed about the whole subject, it’s still a very smart looking travel case that will keep a much used passport in pristine condition.
Seatback Organiser
No more scrambling to find a pen to fill out a landing card. Anyone who has ever tried to stuff everything they might need on a long flight into a typical seatback pocket will appreciate this thoughtfully designed organizer. It hangs from a tray table lock and provides easy-to-access room for magazines, spectacles, moisturizer, pens and pencils, headphones, books, DVD players. There are padded pockets for an iPod, cellphone and eyeglasses and a mesh pocket for a toiletry bag, snacks or water. The bottom tucks out of the way in the seatback pocket. The whole thing zips closed to pack in a carry on bag.
[source:about.com]
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at
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