Get creative and you can bring a smile to the face of an intrepid traveler with these gift ideas.
Before I leave for a foreign country, I make sure to learn the most important words and phrases of their language – hello, goodbye, thank you, and where is the bathroom. Everything else I can find in a dictionary/ phrase book. The new electronic versions are more fun. Magellan’s has two versions. One is a talking translator that actually speaks and displays the information, at $199, the other just displays the info silently, without speaking, and costs $39.85.
Magellan’s also has a selection of see-through organizers that will help speed your way through airport security lines. My favorite is the ‘dry case’, a large and super-thick version of the Ziplog bag, with a carry-handle. I use these to protect my camera when I go scuba diving or whitewater rafting, and to keep my paperback novels and magazines sand-free at the beach. From $15-$20 depending on size. www.magellans.com.
I have a collection of water bottles for the gym and to attach to my backpack, but none of them fit inside a jacket pocket. That’s why I love the Platypus water bottles. Unlike round and hard-sided Nalgene bottles, these are soft-sided and flat, so I can tuck one in my ski parka or my city handbag. Campmor has these little gems for $6-$9, depending on size, which range from nine ounces to 80.
Campmor also has a serious selection of water filters and purifying devices for the wilderness and backcountry hiker and camper, and a great idea even for the rest of us who adventure in hotels far away from home. Take the question out of questionable water with a bottle of iodine tablets, called Potable Aqua, for $4.99. Katadyn makes a filter that fits into any standard water bottle for $39.95, and a more serious version that pumps 1.5 gallons a minute and costs $85. www.campmor.com.
Eddie Bauer has a well-designed set of compact metal utensils that nest into a unit about the size of an Ipod. Fork, spoon and knife hang off a clip-on lanyard, and there’s also a bottle opener. Remember to put this in your checked luggage, not as carry-on. It’s $19.50. www.eddiebauer.com
Every intrepid wanderer should own a classic safari jacket. It should be made of a fabric sturdy enough to resist thorns and mosquitos, and good looking enough to wear around town, too. Travelsmith has the genuine article, complete with inside zippered pockets to keep passports and credit cards safe. The safari jackets are $109.50 for women and $129.50 for men’s sizes. www.travelsmith.com
For friends who would rather have their luggage waiting for them at their hotel than on the baggage carousel at the airport, give them a gift certificate to SportsExpress, which will ship skis, golf clubs and such to just about anywhere in the US and Canada, Caribbean, Great Britain and Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. www.sportsexpress.com.
Gifts galore, for yourself or your other favorite adventurer.
