Travelers always appreciate handy travel gadgets, whether received as gifts or as a treat they buy themselves. Now that airlines - and governments - keep tightening baggage weight restrictions, the best travel gadgets have to earn their passage - balancing genuine utility with the space and weight they occupy. These clever travel gadgets definitely fit the bill.
Travelers can leave all their other chargers at home when they travel with this pocket-sized device. It charges mobile phones, iPods, Blackberrys, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets, PDAs. Power Monkey is a clever, powerful new device that can charge a mobile phone with 96 hours of standby in 30 minutes, charge
an iPod with 40 minutes of play time, run a digital camera for up to 1,600 extra pictures. It comes with a 110-240 voltage adaptor, plus four adaptor plugs to recharge it from mains power in 150 countries. It also comes with 11 connectors for most mobile phones, USB devices and digital cameras. The only thing it can't handle - yet - is an iPhone. This is such a great idea. I want one for Christmas.
Soft memory foam shapes itself to the wearers ears for comfort and top sound quality, but the real benefit of these new earphones, from Hearing Components, is in their superior noise reduction. Forget about jet engine noise - and the phones even have a volume control to customize audio sound. The NR10 earphones come with two slim and two standard replacement earplugs as well as a padded storage pouch small enough to slip into a pocket. Extra replacement earplugs are also available.
Inspired by mountaineering clips, this tiny LED light provides 36 hours of hands-free bright, adjustible light - low, medium and high beam plus slow and fast blinking modes. It clips onto a zipper, a key chain, a day bag, a shirt pocket or a cap. Perfect for finding a keyhole in the dark or a pen in the corner of a bag. It only weighs half an ounce and comes with batteries included.
Independent travelers can prove they were really there with this extendable, hand held tripod. A 7 inch long, aluminum and polycarbonate telescoping wand extends to 18 inches so that the traveler can include him or herself in the picture or video. It has a universal mount for all cameras and camcorders and a mirror for previewing shots. Really keen photographers can even use it for shooting over other people's heads in a crowd, or around a corner. It comes with mini-table top tripod legs, a pocket clip, carrying case and wrist strap. And the whole thing weighs in at only 4 oz.
It's one of those moments everyone dreads. You're in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, you've found the map with the tiniest route numbers possible, you've even got a magnifying glass on your keychain. The only trouble is, there isn't a street light in sight and the light in your car is nowhere near bright enough to read by. This compact 3X pocket magnifier is the perfect gift for the intrepid traveler. Once the magnifier is extended, a bright LED light comes on automatically. Small enough for a pocket or handbag, it comes with two, replaceable batteries and weighs just 2 oz.
This ultra-compact umbrella opens to a really useful 38" arc, yet once it's folded it will fit into a handbag -- or a man's back pocket. It's hard to believe that an aluminum shaft, ribs and a comfortable rubberized handle all fit into a 6.5 inch long shape that is only a little over an inch thick. A great stocking stuffer for the travelers on your list - especially if they are heading for the unpredictable weather of the UK.
To the casual observer, this watch, with its leather strap and gold-toned case, looks like an ordinary time piece. But closer inspection reveals two faces. So, before he leaves, a traveler can set one for home and one for his destination. That way he doesn't have to fiddle with a watch when he's tired after a long journey. Unlike some dual time watches that you need an engineering degree to operate, this one sets just like an old fashioned wind-up watch. It has a quartz movement that the maker promises is accurate up to three minutes over a year. Very handy for a traveler. And it comes in a ladies version as well.
This is one of those clever little gifts, put together by designers who must like puzzles and perfect for the man who can't have too many doodads on his Swiss Army Knife. About the size of a credit card, though it is 5/8" thick, this traveler's tool holds scissors, stapler, a hole punch, two screwdrivers, a letter opener (so no pesky paper cuts on the road),a pen, paper clips and a one-meter rule. After all, you never know when you're going to need to punch a hole while traveling, do you.
There are a lot of these multi-colored baggage handle wraps around. They first came on the scene about a year ago and now they are everywhere. There's no escaping the fact that they are really useful for spotting bags - especially for travelers claiming their baggage after a transatlantic flight on a jumbo or super jumbo jet. This set of four, from L.L. Bean, in gold, red or blue is particularly comfortable and long wearing. They're made of sturdy nylon webbing and have an ID tag sewn inside.
The first new development in tripods in ages, Joby Gorillapods are small and multi-jointed so that they can swing from trees - really. Three multi-segmented, flexible legs can grip a branch, doorknob, rock, or uneven surface. The joints bend and rotate 360 degrees and the bottom, rubber segment is larger so that the whole thing can be used like a conventional tripod on a flat surface. The SLR-Zoom version can support up to 6.6 lbs. of camera weight and there is a smaller Gorillapod for compact digital cameras as well.
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