'TIS THE SEASON TO COVET TWENTY INDISPENSABLE LUXURIES FOR THOSE WHO TRAVEL ENOUGH TO CALL AIRPORTS HOME.
(FORTUNE Magazine) – Face it: With all the traveling you do in a year, there's barely time to pack, let alone shop for the gadgets that will make your journeys more pleasurable and productive. Herewith, FORTUNE offers the best of the travel crop--plus phone numbers for quick and easy purchasing. Bon voyage. 1. Travelpro BusinessPlus Rollaboard, $229.95. You've seen thousands of these wheeled suitcases--mostly being dragged through the airport by flight crews. And you've snickered. But aside from its honest-to-God ease of use, this particular model has a padded laptop case hidden inside that zips open separately so you can get at your computer without disturbing the rest of your bag. It even provides a handy fold-down desk/shelf, should you be unlucky enough to wind up stuck at O'Hare this December and need to get a little work done (800-962-4943). 2. Braun Travel Alarm Clock AB-313vsl, $39.95. Jet-lagged? Tired enough to forgo the breakfast buffet? Just yell "Shut up!" and Braun's voice-controlled miniclock will let you go back to sleep. Other perks: a snooze function that repeats at four-minute intervals, an illuminated dial, a pocket light (helpful when stumbling in the dark), and a world time-zone chart (800-272-8611). 3. Arte & Cuoio Leather Golf Travel Set, $375. Three pounds of solid Italian putting pleasure--a necessity when you're a plane ride away from your favorite green. A full-size leather-handled steel club with aluminum head separates into sections for easy packing; for hotel-room practice, the three included balls are presumably a lifetime supply (800-218-4918). 4. Psion Series 3c Palmtop Computer, $599. Some still laugh at the idea of a palmtop (see Digital Watch), but this British wonder's latest offering will convert even the toughest detractors: The Psion 3c packs two megabytes of memory, Microsoft Word-compatible word processing software, Lotus and Excel compatible spreadsheet software, digital voice recording, and easy-to-decipher organizer and Rolodex software. You can also back up its contents to your own desktop, or you can load from your desktop onto the Psion (800-997-7466). 5. Orvis Cigar Holder Flask, $39.50. Orvis, the fly-fishing and shotgun specialist, brings its double-barreled sensibility to its conversation-stopping new pewter cigar holder and shot flask. Perfection, unless you need to nip more than an ounce at a time (800-541-3541). 6. Sony MDR-NC10 Noise Canceling Headphones, $199.99. If the sound of droning jet engines, air conditioners, or any other white noise gives you a migraine, despair no more. These compact ear-bud headphones reduce 70% of such interference. This is accomplished by sending an equally strong canceling signal to meet incoming signals, but all you need to know is the sound of silence (800-222-7669). 7. Motorola StarTAC Cellular Phone, $1,000-$2,000. If you're going to carry one, you might as well go for the best, which is also to say smallest (for more reasons, see Digital Watch). At 3.1 ounces, the StarTAC's closer in size to a credit card than a phone. For kicks, you can even set it to vibrate instead of ring (800-331-6456). 8. Brioni Robe, $350. Simply put, this 100% Egyptian cotton handmade robe feels like butter. Founded in 1945 in Rome, Brioni intends "to create a piece of art" with each garment. This featherweight masterpiece folds to a neat 11-by-12 inches and can be rolled even smaller. Expensive bliss (800-218-4918). 9. Cascade Designs Back Rest, $29.85. Let's not get into the aging process, let alone one's fitness level. With built-in lumbar support, Cascade's back pillow beats the airlines' offerings, plus it rolls up into an innocuous three-inch tube and disappears without embarrassment into your briefcase (800-962-4943). 10 and 17. Globe Corner Bookstore maps and travel books, $2-$30. Need a map of Tibetan footpaths by tomorrow? Plotting a course across Tierra del Fuego? Globe Corner Bookstore, a renowned Boston establishment catering to travelers since 1982, carries more than 7,000 common and rare worldwide maps, including U.S. Geological Survey topographical and aeronautical charts. For tenderfeet, Globe will also provide more subtle help, such as a copy of the Travelers' Guide to African Customs and Manners. It's one title in a series of five on global etiquette; the others help travelers avoid nasty faux pas in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East (800-358-6013). 11. Leatherman PST II, $49.95. For those indulging in the more rugged sides of business travel, engineer Tom Leatherman has designed a compact pocket tool with pliers, scissors, a can/bottle opener, four screwdrivers (including a Phillips), wire cutters, ruler, and--no comment--a diamond file (800-847-8665). 12. Magellan's Cloud-Soft Inflatable Pillow, $9.85. Sure, it looks stupid. But would you rather sleep without neck pain or worry about what strangers think (800-962-4943)? 13. Packable Trench Coat, Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.95. While the water-repellent nylon is pure function, we're darned if it doesn't actually have good form too (several co-workers fought over the gray version shown here). Plus, it folds into its own travel pouch--and doesn't wrinkle. Men: black, olive, khaki, or navy; women: tan, red, black, or gray (800-421-9002). 14. Escort Solo Cordless Detector, $199.95. The last thing you need when you're rushing around on the road is to get caught doing it. Here's the tonic: Slip this pocket-size, battery-powered, 5.7-ounce fuzz-buster onto any car visor and keep the bacon off your back. The device offers 360-degree protection and detects five-band radar, laser--and even hazards such as ambulances, fire trucks, and road crews up to two miles away (800-433-3487). 15. Down Travel Comforter, Hammacher Schlemmer, $119.95. Why be jealous of those arrogant snoots in first class? Pull out a perk even they don't get: a body-size white European goose down comforter, which tucks neatly back into its own 17-inch-square pouch (800-421-9002). 16. Citizen PN60i Portable Printer, $399. No, it's not a ruler. Weighing in at 1.5 pounds and measuring ten inches across, this wireless portable printer produces laser-quality pages in black and white or color. Also stands in as an excellent straightedge when not in use (800-477-4683). 17. See item No. 10. 18. Canon ELPH, $400. This microscopic, 6.3-ounce autofocus zoom-lens camera is as good for spy photos as it is for the occasional vacation. It relies on Kodak's hypernew APS system, meaning that it uses quick-load 35-mm film cassettes, which offer no-fuss film handling, contact sheets instead of negatives, and a multitude of printing possibilities. Don't worry about the technology's longevity: By the time this gimmick wears out its welcome, you'll be ready for your next camera (800-652-2666). 19. Toshiba Portege 650 Notebook Computer, $4,499. Let's get straight to it: 4.8 pounds, 16 megabytes of RAM, a 1.26-gigabyte hard drive, and an integrated 28.8 kbps (kilobits per second) modem. This baby can even run full-motion video if you get bored with the in-flight movie. A word to the wise: Wait a month until the faster 660, which has an integrated CD-ROM drive, hits the market for $800 more (800-999-4273). 20. Louis Vuitton Porte-Valeurs Cartes Credit, $195. The mother of the monogram is rereleasing a classic design, Damier, created in 1888, that's still chic today (in part because it blessedly doesn't have LVs printed all over it). There's a whole pricey line; a good entry point is the passport-holding billfold shown here. Louis took the pattern off the market in 1996 because he was disgusted that competitors were copying it. Hurry before history repeats itself: In a few months you'll be able to buy cheap imitations on the street in New York (800-285-2255). |
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