Christmas Shopping For Your Favorite Traveler Practicality Is Essential Element Of These Gifts
Most of us have a closet full of clever but impractical travel gizmos that never seem to make it into our suitcases when it’s time to hit the road. Beguiling impediments, I call this stuff.
What follows is a list of real-world suggestions for the traveler on your Christmas list. There’s nothing trendy or hot here, just items that have repeatedly proven their worth to me over the years. I can vouch for all this stuff: It’s all useful, sturdy and, generally, inexpensive. Nothing here costs more than $100.
These gift ideas are available through many sporting goods stores, catalogs or through the manufacturer itself:
Universal sink stopper. Just a rubber disc about the size and shape of a CD. Budget hotels often remove sink stoppers to thwart people like me from washing out dirty socks in the sink. One of these does the trick. Under $3.
Eagle Creek combination travel locks. For suitcases, duffels and backpacks. I love these because you don’t need to fumble around for a tiny key, and a cunning spring-loaded trigger keeps them securely on your luggage even when they’re unlocked. $7.
Flashlight. A useful antidote to those European hotel light timers designed to plunge the hallway into darkness while you’re halfway between the elevator and your room. The Mini Maglite is a good choice. It’s small, lightweight and built for abuse. Takes two AA batteries. About $10.
Eagle Creek Undercover Neck Pouch. A safe place to store your passport, travelers’ checks, credit cards, airline tickets, etc. $10.
Membership in the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. This group provides access to American-educated, English-speaking doctors in 125 countries for a standard fee. Membership is free, but a donation of from $25 to $50 is appropriate. Write to IAMAT, 417 Center St., Lewiston, N.Y. 14092, or call 716-754-4883.
Cheap digital watch. These double as an effective travel alarm clock, and most models are easy to reset when you cross time zones. Plus, they’re less coveted by thieves. Mine is the Timex Marathon, which costs $28.
Swiss Army knife. Beware of overgrown models festooned with every tool known to man, short of Internet browsers. Buy the smallest knife that has what you need. In my case, it’s the “Climber” model, with a couple of blades, scissors, can and bottle openers, tweezers and the most frequently used tool, a corkscrew. $27.
Tevas: Originally designed for whitewater guides, these adventure sandals are standard equipment on warm-weather trips from Lahaina to Loreto. There are some fancy, expensive models, but I find that the basic no-frills model is just fine. $29 at most sporting goods stores.
Patagonia Baggie shorts. A must for warmer climes, these do quadruple service as walking shorts, swimsuits, tennis shorts and running shorts. You pay more for the Patagonia label, but these are the best. They’ll outlast many of the cheaper knockoffs by several seasons. $35.
A newsletter subscription. As publications go, these aren’t cheap, because their costs aren’t underwritten by ads. But their information is unbiased, well-researched and often not available anywhere else. The Consumer Reports Travel Letter is one. Subscriptions are $39 per year (12 issues). Write to Consumer Reports Travel Letter, P.O. Box 53629, Boulder, CO 80322-3619. Best Fares Discount Travel Magazine focuses on cheap fares and other travel bargains. $59 a year (12 issues). Write to Best Fares Magazine, 2817 Kingswood Dr., Grapevine, TX 76051.
Royal Robbins Billy Goat pants. Lighter than blue jeans and every bit as tough, they look presentable enough for evenings out in the city and come in several dirt-disguising colors. An elastic waistband helps them adjust to wild fluctuations in daily exercise and pasta intake. $46 at REI.
Mini-binoculars: Useful for spying on birds in the Galapagos, examining gargoyles in Paris or inspecting erotic temple carvings in Katmandu. Ours are made by Bushnell and cost me $60 two years ago. Camera and discount stores stock several similar models in the $80 to $100 range.
Lightweight hiking/trail running shoes. A cross between a hiking boot and a running shoe, these are great for everything from endless museum crawls to pub walks in the Cotswolds. They’re even sort of stylish, in a GenX/bike messenger way. Many brands are available; they generally cost $80 to $100.