Travel Tips
Last-Minute Gifts for the Traveler in Your Life
Looking for last-minute gifts for the traveler in your life? Gadget guy Phil Baker rounds up some top items for road warriors and casual day-trippers alike.
I’m always on the lookout for the latest computer bag that’s designed to carry a notebook and all the other stuff we lug along with it.
I’ve been trying products from two different companies that, while far different in their design approaches, are excellent choices.
Cargo Bag from Waterfield – This intelligently designed bag is one of the best I’ve come across for an all around case that’s light enough for travelling, yet with a surprising large capacity to carry most of your essentials. It has a large top-zippered compartment with lots of inside pockets and a front flap that unbuckles to reveal more pockets including a deep interior pocket which can hold a pocket camera, and an e-book reader.
On the outside front flap is a huge zippered pocket for receipts, boarding passes and other items, including your phones and change when you pass through security. While the bag appears relatively slim, that’s deceiving, as it expands as you fill it up. The main compartment can hold a notebook, a set of Bose headphones in its case, and a couple of books, chargers, magazines and several files folders. What’s special about this bag is it’s made from quality, heavy duty materials with excellent workmanship, all made in San Francisco. You can choose different sizes and colors as well as the closure hardware-either an aluminum seatbelt buckle or a para-gliding harnesses buckle.
Each bag is made to order and delivered in a few days. Service and support are exceptional. Optional accessories are available including a computer sleeve and case for wires and adapters. About $179; www.sfbags.com
Check out some of Peter’s recommendations in Early Holiday Unwrapped: Great Gifts for Travelers.
Booq Boa Case – Booq takes a different approach with its bags. The Boa Case L has a huge capacity that will let you fill it up with more items than you can possibly carry.
The designs are clever and contemporary with bright red interiors trimmed in orange, while maintaining a business look with its black exterior. There are a huge number of pockets of all sizes, three with magnetic closures, and several outside. The bag opens up so you can see most of the interior all at once, which is good, since you may forgotten where you stored your items. All of their bags are striking designs using curved shapes and angled walls that set it apart from the typically conservative rectangular black computer bag.
If there’s one complaint it’s the tiny zipper pulls that make them harder to pull. Booq also makes a similar-sized backpack, the BOA Flow M, designed to lug your computer, DSLR camera, and lots more. $150 to $200; www.booqbags.com.
Get more recommendations from Phil Baker with his roundup of the Top Travel Gadgets & Gizmos of 2009.
mypressi Twist portable espresso maker – I love great espresso and cappuccino, and use a Vibiemme Domobar Super Espresso machine at home. The Twist is intended to bring that experience on the road with you.
It consists of a spherical chamber and handle. Inside the chamber is a basket in which you add ground coffee, then tamp it down and fill the chamber above with hot water. Pull the trigger on the handle to activate the N2O cartridge; that provides the pressure to extract the coffee. The results were good, but, the flavor was less intense than from a professional machine. Still it may be the only way to enjoy espresso in your hotel room without calling room service. $169; www.mypressi.com.
Samson H2 Handy Recorder – This professional digital recorder lets you record high-quality stereo at conferences, lectures, concerts and interviews. It records on SD cards so there is no time limitation. The four microphones are sensitive enough to pick up sound from far away. It has a backlit screen, and displays recording levels, time, and battery life. $179; www.samsontech.com
Flip MinoHD video camera – Flip is the most successful video camera ever because of its simplicity of use and great results.
The new model from Flip takes up to two hours of HD video, has a larger 2-inch outdoor viewing screen, better controls, and a brushed metal finish (although you can design your own exterior, if you prefer).
Take your movies and plug it into your computer and the preloaded software installs and uploads your movies in seconds. You can then easily edit and share with others. It’s small enough to carry with you anywhere. $230; www.theflip.com.
Logitech S315i Portable Speaker – Travel with this thin, lightweight speaker system anywhere to enjoy music from your iPhone or iPod.
It’s one of the best-sounding speakers at its price and takes up no room in your suitcase. The device Runs on batteries and AC. About $100; www.logitech.com
By Phil Baker for PeterGreenberg.com. Visit Phil on the Web at https://blog.philipgbaker.com, and check out his book, From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas into Money.
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