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Gifts for globetrotters
Armchair travelers
For the person who needs some inspiration, there are three new books from Lonely Planet. “The Perfect Day” ($7.99) is a pocket guide with itineraries for spending a glorious day in 100 cities around the world; “Blue List” ($19.99) is filled with best-of lists and recommendations, from best local bars to most amazing natural phenomena to “tourist traps worth the crowds”; and “A Year of Adventures” suggests a half-dozen things to do for every week of the year, from bobsledding in Lake Placid, N.Y., in January, to running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, in July.
Travel + Leisure magazine has just come out with a hardcover book called “100 Greatest Trips” ($35) with itineraries around the world, from “Down East Feasts” in Maine to learning to paint in Florence, Italy, to touring South Africa’s wine country. An index offers details on where to stay, eat and shop.
For young armchair travelers, there’s “101 Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12,” by Joanne O’Sullivan (Sterling/Lark Books, $9.95). It lists everything from once-in-a-lifetime destinations to ideas for local forays like visiting a landfill, an artist’s studio, a working farm or an ethnic restaurant. Other categories for consideration include a trip to a fort, a subway, or a cave.
The book also provides specific recommendations, such as places to see wildlife migration, including Nebraska’s Platte River, where sandhill cranes gather in late winter and early spring. The book comes with stickers so kids can rate the ideas as “Top 20,” “Wish List,” “Way strange,” or if they’ve already been there, “Loved it” or “Yawn fest.”
Outdoor types
A portable metal grill turns any campfire or bonfire into a stovetop. A model that folds into a silver tube and weighs 20 ounces is $28 from the Travel Smart newsletter, 800-327-3633.
For the traveler who seeks out places that are far from city lights, SkyScout is a pricey but perfect gift. You aim the camcorder-sized gadget at a star, and it tells you what you’re looking at. See the information on a small screen or hear a description through ear phones. You can even enter a search for a star or planet by name, and arrows in the viewfinder will direct you to it. SkyScout weighs a pound, uses global-positioning technology and runs $399.
Frequent flyers
Help out the frequent flyer in your life with one of these products.
- A semicircular travel pillow that goes around your neck and allows you to nap or relax while sitting upright without getting a sore neck. You can buy these in drug stores for about $10. They’re inflatable and pack flat.
- Luggage locks, made by Travel Sentry, approved by the Transportation Security Administration, about $20 and available where luggage is sold.
- Personal care products in TSA-approved 3-ounce sizes. Put together a collection - toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo - and throw in a box of one-quart zip-top plastic bags so the traveler on your gift list can make it through the carry-on line at the airport. Pick the items up at a drugstore or check out www.minimus.biz/. They offer pre-made kits and care packages along with gift certificates. For the latest in carry-on restrictions, visit www.tsa.gov/.
- A sturdy, padded bag for a laptop, like the $70 Notebook Backpack from Targus. Note that the TSA recently issued an advisory asking air passengers to take their laptops on board rather than checking them, due to the risk of damage.
- A handheld hanging scale so luggage can be weighed in order to comply with airline rules; $9.50 from www.travelsmartnewsletter.com/.
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