Travel stocking stuffers - small travel gifts guide includes a pocket world atlas, keychain size wifi finder and gourmet backpacking food packets. Stuff your student traveler or backpacker's stocking with some practical gifts.
1. Pocket World Atlas
Photo courtesy Maps.com
Pocket sized world atlas has a 64-page travel section with time zone maps, air routes and climate conditions, plus a gazetteer with nations' forms of government, currency, language, weather, banking hours, and international dialing code, medical advice and travel warnings. Twenty major city center maps are a big travel help; find political maps, too, which can be interesting or crucial.
2. Universal Electric Adapter With Surge Protector
© Kathleen Crislip
Why do you need an electrical adapter? Travelers usually need different plugs than the ones they've got in order to plug into the wall and get the juice. The All-in-One Adapter with surge protector is the best international adapter, hands down. At $20, it's a screaming deal, and one unit covers several countries -- easier than hauling a bunch of separate plugs.... Finish reading the review and compare prices.
3. Teeny Travel Book Light
Screenshot courtesy My Light
A truly little bitty book light -- perfect for travel because it's so tiny. And the price is tiny, too -- about $3 without batteries (needs three triple A's). Sweet little travel stocking stuffer. Read reviews and compare prices for different travel book lights.
4. Keychain Sized Mobile WiFi Finder
Photo courtesy Mobile Edge
Flashpackers and travelers wanting will find this keychain sized wifi detector bonus -- use it instead of booting up to locate a wifi hotspot. Imagine lugging an open laptop around a foreign city, watching a stumbler program while you stroll and looking for a place to get online. Not. Now, imagine clicking on the wifi hotspot locator in your pocket and finding a connection... Read the review and compare prices.
5. Backpacker's Gourmet Food Packets
Photo courtesy Backpacker's Pantry
Know your backpacker will eat well with quick gourmet food from Backpacker's Pantry:Beef Stroganoff With Wild Forest Mushrooms (beef, sour cream sauce, noodles and a wild forest mushroom mix)
Southwestern Smoked Salmon Pasta (a two ounce smoked salmon fillet, packed in its own pouch, with a citrus dill chipotle cream sauce and Rotini pasta
Dishes like these can be found at Backpacker's... Read more about backpack food.
6. Luggage Retrieval Tags - Bag ID Tags
Excellent travel supplies from Magellan's -- luggage tags that help your traveler's luggage follow them, even around the world. Slip an itinerary copy into the tag's holders -- the tags' exteriors are printed with instructions (in eight languages) meant for baggage handlers, who (hopefully) open the itinerary and can then send misplaced bags on to the traveler's next stop. Bright yellow tags make finding bags at luggage pickup easy, too (you can id your bags without buying tags, too -- read more in tips on avoiding lost luggage).7. Inflatable Travel Neck Pillow
Photo courtesy Walkabout Travel
Travelers need an inflatable neck pillow no matter what -- this ain't just for stodgy suits in biz class. It's handy for sleeping in airports and train stations and, of course, in airplane seats: keeps the head from falling forward and helps avoid that mega drool thing on the shirtfront that happens while you develop the world's worst neck crick. Better to drool on the neck pillow. My fave inflatable travel neck pillow is a very simple and cheap one from Walkabout Travel Gear -- check prices and features of some other inflatable neck pillows, too. (Read more about travel neck pillows and see photo.)
8. "Safe Skies" TSA Luggage Locks
Photo Courtesy Safe Skies
The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) can clip luggage locks, sift through stuff and send a bag on unlocked. The torch logo on these Safe Skies luggage locks tells baggage screeners that they can open bags and relock without clipping the lock. And the company will replace a lock if it does get cut. Four-dial heavy duty combo locks come in five cool colors to help with luggage ID. I've tried 'em; I like 'em.
Also handing forlocking a pack's zippers while carrying it in the streets -- read more about using luggage locks and avoiding lost luggage.
9. "No Jet-Lag" Tablets
Jet lag can really play havoc with a traveler's schedule, especially if only a day or two is planned in a destination. No Jet-Lag homeopathhic tablets, endorsed by National Geographic Traveler, help jettison jet lag symptoms like sleeplessness by working with circadian dysrhythmia. Definitely rock my transcontinental world. 35 tablets -- good for about 50 hours flying time.
10. Prepaid International Calling Cards
With a prepaid international calling card, your student traveler can call home in an emergency. A GSM phone is a better idea for a roaming traveler's long-term needs, but an emergency phone backup plan is always good. Minutes available for the money you spend on a prepaid phone card will vary wildly, but with a prepaid phone card tucked in a wallet, a student traveler always has at least a few minutes of international call time. Cards available for calling the US from many countries.
