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November / December 2006 email.
November / December 2006
Article
Gifts for Travel Ease, Comfort, Health, Safety…and Style
Searching the web for “travel gear” is a lengthy journey in
itself with stop, after stop, after stop. After awhile the
products start to reappear with regularity. A few key sites can
cover most any need for men’s and women’s apparel, luggage, and
travel aids for health, safety, and taming electronic gadgets.
In fact the 39-pocketed bomber jacket from Travelsmith
seems to qualify as apparel, luggage and electronics tamer…all
in one. The jacket includes pockets for PDA, cell phone, and
MP3 player, and a channeling system to contain and direct cords
and ear buds. Other pockets handle maps, guidebooks, camera,
passport, tickets, and glasses. Let’s see that’s 9 pockets, 30
more to go. And, it costs only $199.50.
Actually Travelsmith is a great site to visit if you
are looking for clothing that packs and wears well and has some
good style to it.
Here are a variety of travel gift items of particular
interest…
Travel Apparel
Velvet Shirt. Travelsmith. This “ Velvet Shirt
Adds Instant Romance. It shimmers by candlelight, drapes
gracefully after being packed for days, and invites admiring
glances from handsome strangers.” $69.50.
Travel Blazers. Travelsmith. If the bomber
jacket/carry-on combo is a bit much for you, Travelsmith also
offers good-looking blazers for men and women with extra zip
pockets inside for security. The men’s has a total of 10
pockets while the women’s has 6. From $159.50.
Travel Denim. Travelsmith. Denim that is half
the weight and takes half the space of regular jeans. From
$59.50.
Disposable underwear. Travelsmith. Yes for
under $10 for a pack of five, you can buy biodegradable women’s
or men’s underwear or unisex socks to wear and discard as you
travel.
100% wrinkle free. Magellan’s. Attractive
shirts for both men and women are guaranteed to be 100% wrinkle
free. Not wrinkle resistant, but wrinkle free! $59.
Sports apparel. Patagonia. Here you can shop
by sport for the appropriate outfit: skiing, fly fishing,
paddling, rock climbing, surfing and more. And Patagonia offers
e-fiber clothes, “environmentally friendly fibers.”
Insect Repelling Garments. ExOfficio. BUZZ OFF™
garments repel mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and
midges or no-see-ums, says the ExOfficio website. The
revolutionary new product, the copy continues, combines
Permethrin, a man-made form of a natural insect repellent found
in the Chrysanthemum plant, with a new patent pending process.
The perfectly presentable apparel includes shirts, shorts,
pants, scarves, socks, and hats. The repelling ability of the
clothing is said to last through 25 washings.
Silk Map Scarf. Goinginstyle. Imagine
strolling the streets of Florence using your silk scarf as a
guide. These 18 by 18-inch square scarves contain up-to-date
maps that can actually help you navigate. Choice of locations
are: Paris Metro, London, London Subway, Rome, Provence, United
States, Hong Kong, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Barcelona, Spain & Portugal, Florence, Brussels, Hawaii, NY
Manhattan. $17.95.
Travel Take-Alongs
Travel-size products and Care packages. Minimus.biz.
Want shampoo, shaving cream and mouthwash in TSA acceptable
containers? Here is the place to go. You can buy them
individually or find a kit that fits your needs. The site also
features food and drink in small and lightweight packages,
laundry products, and first aid materials.
They also offer prepackaged kits to send to military abroad
or to youngsters off to college from snacks to medical supplies
to laundry packs. And, for those who want to be ready for
anything, Minimus suggests The Ark III Survival Kit which
includes all you need to stay alive for three days for just
$18.99.
Really attuned to travelers, the site includes a free quart
zip lock bag on request (to meet air travel guidelines) or will
allow you to skip the hassle by shipping your items directly to
your hotel.
For businesses and organizations, wholesale bulk pricing is
available.
Alarm clock and more. Campmor.com. This High
Gear Traildrop features in one small package a compass,
thermometer, clock, two alarms, two times zones, the date, and
time, and a backlight, all for $29.95. Meant for clipping on as
you hike, it could be useful for any kind of travel.
Travel Tray. Magellan’s. It folds flat for
packing but opens up to sit on a hotel dresser and corral your
loose change and other stuff, keeping it safe from slipping
behind furniture forever. $8.85. Good group gift.
Watch magnifier and light. Magellan’s. For
both men and women, this iBeam Watch with a magnifier and
built-in L.E.D. flashlight makes reading menus, maps, and the
time easy in low light. $79.
Clothes repair tape. REI.com. Designed to fix
rips in clothes, this clear tape is said to work fine on all
synthetics. Just $3 a roll.
Flat Vases. Travelsmith. Brighten up your
hotel room with real flowers using this set of three vases that
pack flat but open up to become leak proof containers. $14.75
Flat Water Bottle. Tilley Endurables.
Collapsible taste free, lightweight Tilley water bottle is
guaranteed for life. Squish it in your bag or freeze it and use
it as an ice pack. Keeps beverages cold and hot. The bottle
folds flat when empty and can be rolled up to fit practically
anywhere. It holds 1.0 litre of liquid and expands to 3" deep.
$7
No Rinse Shampoo and Body Wash. REI.com. Yes,
lather up and don’t rinse off with these products that come in
2-ounce containers for just $1.25 each. Website says they were
created for astronauts. You do need a towel, though.
Moleskine Travel Journal. Travelbooksandmaps.
Said to be the journal of choice of Hemingway, Chatwin, and
Picasso, these Moleskine notebooks have a cardboard bound cover
with rounded corners and an elastic closure. An expandable inner
pocket made of cardboard and cloth contains the Moleskine
history. The basic notebook with squared pages. Pocket size: 3½
x 5½", 192 pages. $10.76
Waterproof Journal. walkabouttravelgear. "Rite
in the Rain" Journal is made of unique all-weather waterproof
paper. No special pen required -- you can write even in a
rainstorm. 48 pages, line ruled, 4 5/8 x 7 inches. $6.00
For Electronics
Emergency cell phone charger.
Travelsmith. Not much bigger than the AA battery that
powers it, this little device give you up to 2 hours of talk
time on one battery. Includes charger, battery, and cell-phone
connectors for most models. $25.
Hand-powered emergency charger
ProTravelGear. SideWinder Hand Powered Emergency Cell Phone
Charger weighs just 2.5 ounces and gives 6 minutes of talk time
for a two minute charge. Comes with a Nokia main cable and 4
adapter tips to fit the most popular phone models from several
major manufacturers: Nokia, Audiovox, Kyocera, Motorola,
Sony/Ericsson, and Samsung. $24.95
Airplane Comfort
Extra seat cushioning. Magellan’s and
others. The 1st Class Sleeper claims to turn your cramped
coach seat into a lap of luxury. It is an inflatable "bed in the
clouds" that's endorsed by chiropractors and orthopedic
surgeons. You place it against the back of your plane seat and
inflate with 10-12 breaths. Your neck, shoulders and spine will
be kept in alignment, said to reduce stiffness and pain. May
also be folded in half and used as a lumbar pillow. Rolls up for
easy storage and includes drawstring pouch. . (12 x 3" folded;
18 oz) $29.85
Best Seat. Magellan’s. This 18 x
18 inch cushion fits on your airplane seat and alternates air
pressure beneath you where your body comes in contact with the
seat. The result is better circulation and less bottom fatigue.
$225
Airplane pillow, blanket and more.
ProTravelGear. Rest Easy packet includes pillow, pillow
case, headrest cover (2), blanket, earbud universal headphones
and clear drawstring carry bag. Blankets can be personalized
with company name or logo. $9.95
Airplane Seat Covers. ProTravel Gear.
The JET SEAT by Nice Flights is a lightweight, cotton,
economy class airplane seat cover. Price: $29.95
Kid’s animal travel pillow.
Traveloasis.com For airplane or car, these cute critters
make resting cozy for kids. Contoured pillow cradles head and
neck in soft support. 11 choices include frog, lamb, rabbit,
hippo, lion, and puppy. $11.95.
For Your Pet
Roll-up dog bed. Campor.com.
Called the Ruffwear Mt. Bachelor Pad, this bedroll for dogs
opens up to 3 x 4 ft. to keep your pup cushioned and warm
anywhere for just $49.95. Campor also offers travel dog bowls, a
dog pack so your pet can help you carry stuff, paw boots for
tough terrain, and a nite collar with an L.E.D. for making your
pouch visible in the dark.
For Your Health and Safety
Electronic Travel Medical Records. Pro
Travel Gear. With Portable Health Profile from Critical
Access, individuals or families can store vital medical
information on their home computers and carry that information
on a key chain, wallet or purse. Each Portable Health Profile
comes with detailed medical software, which allows individuals
to store: Photos, Fingerprints, Emergency Contacts, Medications,
Medical Images, Surgeries, Hospitalizations, Family History,
Review of Systems, and more. Comes with: medical software
profile, 64MB USB flash drive, mini CDR and case, USB extension
cable, key chain & lanyard, EMS alert sticker. Price:
$49.95-99.95
Do It Yourself
Clothing patterns with pockets. Saf-T-Pockets
Patterns. This clever website offers those who can sew
patterns for making travel clothing with safety pockets sewn
inside. The site also has sewing supplies and a few travel
gifts including a women’s watch that starts out flat as a ruler,
but with a slap curls around your wrist. A timepiece and
measuring tape in one $19.95.
Key Travel Websites
General
Others:
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