Travel Stain Remover

If you're the type who spills things on your shirt on a regular basis, you might want to pack this Oxi Clean travel size stain remover.

When I was backpacking around the world for years on end, I didn't care too much about how my clothes look. First, buying new stuff was so cheap in a place like Bangkok or Delhi that it didn't cost much to switch out the wardrobe every few months. Plus when you had someone else do your laundry, they usually whacked the stains out of the travel clothes by say, beating them on a rock.

When you're on a regular vacation though, or traveling on business, a glob of goo on that nice blouse or tie can be a bummer. So I've been testing out this Oxi Clean Spray-a-Way job to see if it would be worth taking along. It's only the size of a breath freshener spray and weighs about as much, so it passes the small and light test. It's also pretty cheap: list price of $4.99 or two for $6.99.

The key thing is, does it work? I have to say I'm impressed. I'm not sure what's in the stuff, and probably don't want to know, but it does the job. During a particularly slovenly two weeks, I managed to subject shirts to 1) barbeque sauce, 2) strawberry juice, and 3) blood. (I can explain officer--really!) The stain remover came through on all of them with flying colors. It got a good bit of it out on contact, then the rest came out in the wash.

Small, light, cheap, and performs as advertised. Right up my alley.

Pick Some Good Traveling Shoes

A lot of people have no problem picking out a backpack, then filling it with the right clothes and travel gear. Then they get to the shoe decisions and have a panic attack. You can't stuff six pairs of shoes in a pack for a long journey where you're carrying everything around yourself. But there are so many situations to prepare for!

One-trick ponies aren't going to cut it: you need shoes that perform well under a variety of conditions. I've been trying out a pair of Tecnica Escape OXT shoes and I wish I'd had a pair of these babies when I was doing year-long jaunts around the world. They're very light, like a sneaker or trainer, so they won't weight you down in the pack or on your feet. But they feel sturdy and supportive, partly because there's a nylon cord system that runs from the laces through the midsole.

They look slightly pleather-ish, but that's because they are...waterproof! So if you're sloshing through Bombay during rainy season or hiking up a muddy path through the Andes, your feet won't be soaking wet after step one. Through the wonders of technology they're breathable though, so you won't drive everyone out of the guesthouse when you take them off at night. They perform like a sneaker too, so you could use these for walking, running, or a spin on the treadmill.

The Tecnica Escape OXT comes in men's and women's versions and lists for $85. Find them at your local travel gear store, or go directly to TecnicaUSA.com.

An Air Mattress That Really Works - AeroBed

I've been through three air mattresses in the past ten years and have slept on a few others. They're just the ticket when you've got more guests than beds or you will be one of those guests that outnumber the beds somewhere else. Or if you're going camping and don't feel like sleeping on roots and rocks, an air mattress can be a godsend - if it's made well.

Of course blowing them up is no joy and neither is carrying along some extra machine just for that purpose. So the AeroBed Premier Classic is worth the small step up from the cheapie models. You just plug it in and let it rip. The thing inflates itself in "less than 60 seconds," but in my test the twin version was ready to lie on in half a minute. It's not all or nothing either: the inflate and deflate controls are surprisingly precise, and on a device you can mess with while you're still laying down. When you're done, no pinching a little tube to let the air out. You press a button and "whoosh" it's done.

It has an "official Seal of Approval from the Orthopaedic Research Institute," for supporting your back well. All I know is, it's quite comfortable. So if you've got some people crashing at your house from a free crash pad service or you're heading somewhere that requires an extra bed on the floor, one of these will ensure a good night's sleep in the process.

The AeroBed also scores points by including a carry bag for easy transport and storage. Once in the bag, it could potentially fit in the overhead compartment of a plane and won't take up much space in the trunk of a car. It comes with a fleece mattress cover too.

The Aerobed Comfort Zone is available in Twin ($99.99), Full ($159.99) and Queen ($199.99) sizes and you can sometimes find it on sale at the major big box retailers or at Amazon. For more info go to www.aerobed.com.

A Water Bottle with Style - SIGG's Maha Collection

SIGG's line of hip water bottles make it cool to skip the bottled water.

The problem with a lot of travel gear clothing is is makes you look so dorky. Sure, type-A rock climbers and camping mountain bikers may love all that shiny synthetic stuff and day-glow jackets with 14 pockets, but what about us regular travelers? Maybe we don't want to look like a travel outfitter ad every time we step outside.

I'm all for a reusable water bottle, but those neon nalgene ones aren't exactly stylish and I always feel like I'm paying a 98 percent profit margin on what is basically a shaped hunk of plastic. So I got downright giddy when I found this Maha (as in Maharaja) bottle from Swiss company SIGG. It's light as a feather, but feels much sturdier than a plastic bottle--each is made from a single piece of aluminum, with no seams. There's a thin epoxy layer on the inside though, so it doesn't taste like a can an there's no "taste transfer" from one beverage to another. So it won't taste like Gatorade when you're on to something else.

And finally, some style! With a vague nod to more exotic lands, these bottles come in red, blue, or purple. They retail for about 20 bucks and should last you years on end. If one gets crushed under a boulder or something, it's completely recyclable--just throw it in with the beer cans. You can find the Sigg Maha bottles in a lot of physical gear stores, but are just getting out there online it seems except at REI. Save the Earth by buying one here at ReusableBags.com.

Franklin 12-Language Translator Gadget

Phrase books are great if you're going somewhere with one language, but who wants to carry a whole collection of them around Europe? Franklin Electronic Publishers
sent me this 12-language translator to try out and it would be a nice solution for a pan-European trip.

It has an attractive design that looks like a miniature paperback book, with all of the buttons covered when it's closed. Open it up and there's a sizable screen plus a thumb keyboard with all the letters laid out qwerty style. The display is very old-school: it looks like an electronic Rolodex I had in the early 1990s. A simple monochrome screen with plain text. I assume this keeps the battery use low though, so it won't crap out on you in the middle of a trip.

There's a sizable learning curve involved to figure out how to work it, so set aside some time on the plane trip on the way over. For the basic translation, you pick the "from" language and the "to" language and then go at it when you need a translation. The translator supplies a few suggestions and common phrases. You can enter accent marks, but the device usually figures it out for you without them. When I put in "banyo" in Spanish for example, the translator figured out that I meant baño.

There's a whole phrase database that you can browse through to see common expressions like you would find in a phrase book. If you want to order a "glass of white wine" in Budapest for instance, it tells you to ask for "egy pohar feherbor" (I've left out the accent marks here). Where this falls short compared to a phrase book, of course is that you have no idea how to pronounce that and will probably end up showing it to the waiter.

Other functions would come in handy if you wanted to spend the time programing it: the machine will give you the local time in different cities, it has a phone list where you can input important numbers, and there is a currency converter. A calculator and a few very rudimentary games round out the offerings.

The Franklin 12-language translator won't blow you away with its features, speed, or readability, but for $79 retail, it would be worth carrying along if you're visiting a lot of different countries in Europe. Get it at Amazon for $79.

PowerStation Traveller for Car Charging

Are you a road warrior off to new meetings in your car every day or two? Or do you seem to spend as much time in traffic as you do at home? Then you might want to check into this PowerStation Traveller bag for charging up multiple electronic gadgets at once.

This item is a one-trick pony, but it solves a specific problem of our age: one or two places to plug in three or more gadgets in a vehicle. Older cars usually only have one socket--the old cigarette lighter--while most newer cars have two. But that's not enough for a lot of people, especially those with a few kids in the minivan.

This handy tool lets you share one socket for three items. You lay the items in the bag, use the sliders to keep them from moving around, then plug into one socket from the bag. You can leave it open beside you or zip it up and forget about it, with all there devices charging up as you drive. The 5-foot cord will also reach to the back seat. When it's time to leave the car, you just pick up the one bag instead of fumbling with three gadgets and their cords. The bag has a hand strap, a shoulder strap, and an estra pocket.

The PowerStation is pretty low-tech. There's no voltage converter or adapters, so you already have to have a car charger cord for your item to use this. There's an A/C adapter available separately though if you want to plug it in at home also.

I'm not sure why "Traveller" is spelled with two L's in the name since the item is made in China and distributed by a U.S. Company, but let's chalk it up to a trademark issue. If this makes your life easier, get it for $32.99 plus shipping at CableOrganizer.com. (Scroll down to the second item.)