Upgraded Skype Phone from Ipevo

A good while back I posted an Ipevo phone review for one I had been using to make Skype calls. I've since traveled with it a few times using my laptop and when the connection is good, it saves me a small fortune on calls.

Now there's a new and improved Ipevo Free.2 version out that adds some enhancements. I'm not going to run out and replace my current one, but if you're thinking of getting something to replace that headset you're using, you might want to consider it.

The main addition is an LCD screen, which keeps you from having to keep looking at your computer monitor while you're making calls. Plus now you can store your Skype Out contacts in it and just scroll through them and dial instead of going back to your mouse and monitor to click on a name or number. It feels like a regular phone, which is nice, and it packs a lot easier than a headset. Looks cool too--in black or white. The Ipevo Skype phone sells for $45 plus shipping.

Essential Travel Gear - Convertible Pants

Yeah, I know, these pants that convert to shorts after an unzipping may not get you onto any fashion show spots and they immediately label you as someone who "does not live here" (no matter where you are). But sometimes you have to choose function over form and suck it up. The bottom line is, they perform double duty and help you pack lighter and smarter.

It's a simple concept: you've got a pair of pants with legs that zip off. So if you're on a hike where it's 45 degrees F in the morning and hits 80 degrees F in the afternoon, as it was on my Inca Trail trip in Peru, you're set. You set off in the morning hiking in pants, then unzip the bottoms in the afternoon and you're in shorts. When it cools down at night, you're in pants again. No need to find a place to change or to carry two pieces of clothing instead of one.
There are good non-weather reasons to have something like this too. It may be perfectly fine to wear shorts in a beach area of some countries, but you'll look like a freak if you're wearing shorts around in the city a half hour away. In many developing countries, exposing that much skin is just not done in a non-vacation setting.

I twice bought a pair of these pants for under $8, but that was in Thailand and Nepal. If you're heading to one of those places, or many other backpacker magnets where there are a lot of people manning chattering sewing machines, you can wait until you arrive and save some bucks.

Otherwise, you'll pay anywhere from $30 to $70 for a pair at your local gear store or online (less for the kids version, which is also great to pack if traveling with children). Wait for a sale if you've got some time: I just got a pair from REI than normally goes for $55 and I paid $38. If you're in the U.S., check for deals on sites like Sierra Trading Post and Backcountry.com.

And now, I'm wearing them through the jungles of Costa Rica, so no posting for a while...

Site for Baggage Limits in Europe

If you plan on flying to Europe and you don't know the baggage limits in advance, you could be in for a nasty (and expensive) surprise. If you then plan to fly within Europe itself, you'll get hit again, but even worse. Unless you are good at packing really light, get ready for some shockers. The overhead bag you use at home may not fit in the overhead. The extra laptop bag you're used to bringing on a U.S. domestic flight will get counted as a second bag. That wheelie suitcase you have may take up half the baggage weight limit when it's EMPTY!

Thankfully, the person who runs this All Cheap Flights site in the U.K. has provided us with links to the baggage limit pages for airlines in Europe. So you can go in there and see how badly you are going to get hit if you don't scale down what you are bringing. Plus as high as some of these charges are, you could buy a new ultra-light bag and pay less than you would for the extra fees on one or two flights.

Peruse this practical travel gear blog you are on now for ways to travel lighter with some and smarter, but here's one key piece of packing advice: almost anywhere in the world, you can pay someone to do laundry for a reasonable price. (As in don't hand it to the butler at the Four Seasons.) Here's another piece of packing advice: almost no trip requires more than three pairs of shoes---often two is enough---and one of those could be some light and versatile sneakers.

iPod Messenger Bag with Speakers

There are some travel gear items that are utilitarian, then there are others that make you stop and go "Whoa---now that is cool!" The G-Tech messenger bag with built-in speakers is the latter. This is the kind of thing I want to carry around just to blow people's minds.

I just tried out the model called "The Professional" and it is one slick double-duty device. It actually has two tricks up its sleeve. The first is that you can plug in your iPod to the plugs inside the bag and then you plug your headphones into a female plug on the strap of the bag. So your iPod is hidden away, but through controls on the strap you can change tracks and adjust the volume. Very cool.

The real killer ap though is that you can then slink into a room, flip a switch, and have the tunes from your iPod come pumping out of built-in speakers! The sound is surprisingly good and is definitely good enough to fill a hotel room with just 3 AA batteries. (I used rechargeables and they were still pumping after three hours.) The thin speakers are light though, and built into the front pocket of the bag, so they don't weigh you down. Supposedly they are rugged enough to get soaking wet, but still work after the bag dries out. While the strap controls only work with an iPod, the speakers will work with any MP3 player or portable CD player.

How about the bag itself? It's made in China and isn't bullet-proof rugged, but it has all the right pockets and compartments, including one on the back that will hold a couple of magazines. The instructions (also from China) are technically correct but less than crystal-clear, so a spokesperson says a new web page will lay it all out with graphics and easier step-by-step hand holding. This is version 1.0, so expect more refinements and improvements going forward.

The G-Tech Professional messenger bag with speakers sells for $120 or so online, or see more information and retailers who stock it at G-Tech's site.

Treat Your Chapped Lips Right

I always seem to have about five sticks of lip balm stowed in various bags and daypacks, but the one I always buy and use by choice is Eco Lips. It's almost natural and it doesn't feel like chemicals on your lips, but it does the job. Somehow it still has 15 SPF sun protection, which I guess is where the "70% organic" comes in. But hey, better than 0%.

Some things are easy to splurge on. Yeah, you can buy some cheap petroleum lip balm from the dollar store for a buck, or you can buy Burt's Bees or Eco Lips stuff for say, $2.50. Granted the latter is 150% more than the former, but let's be real here people---we're talking about the kind of money you lose in your couch cushion for the difference. And when's the last time you went through a tube of lip balm in anything less than months? So the phrase "pennies per day" comes down to really being fractions of a cent per day.

I would send you to some online gear store link to buy it, but there are some things it really doesn't make much sense to order and have shipped to you. Petroleum free it may be, but if you get it sent to your house, you used even more petroleum than a tube of lip balm in the process. Just go buy it at your local gear store. It's probably even by the front register. (It was when I bought a new stick at REI last weekend.) The web site is pretty cool though, with weird accessories and "Eco Lips on the lips of celebrities."

Repurposed Travel Items

Here on the Practical Travel Gear blog, I like to highlight travel gadgets that serve more than one purpose. Sometimes these things are sitting right in front of you and it just takes a little creativity to repurpose them.

A recent article in Real Simple called "Double-Duty Travel Items" had a couple of good ones worth repeating. First was a kid's floatie--the inflatable things you put around a toddler's arms in the swimming pool. The second purpose? You wrap them around a bottle of wine in your bag or suitcase to keep it from breaking in transit. (Hey, toddlers and the need for extra wine go hand in hand.)

Second was the hotel shower cap. I'm not sure who ever uses these in the shower anymore, but as the article points out, they make great shoe wrappers in your suitcase or backpack.

In fact, if you are staying in a nice hotel, there's a treasure trove of items that are great for travel: the travel-sized toiletries, the dry cleaning bag that becomes a laundry bag, and the shoe shine cloth that works well as a glasses case and cleaner.

A tube sock can hold a spare laptop battery, a sarong can be a towel, a beach blanket, or a skirt. Your MP3 player can also hold key documents and contact info (just password protect them if it's sensitive, like credit card numbers.) What else are you carrying or looking at that can do more than one thing?

[photo from Babycare Direct UK]