Powermonkeys, Humidifiers and Bheesties...oh my!

           I hate being sick. Almost as much as I hate being pale. And I hate being pale. Not that paleness doesn’t look good on some people. For those of you pull it off, kudos. But I just simply don’t feel like a human unless I’m tan. Something about the healthy glow you get, the vitamin D, or the feeling that the sun is baking all disease out of your body. I admit it; I am a total sun worshipper. And I’m okay with that. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will have to live in a tropical location for the rest of my life in order to stay sane. Moving to Alsace, where I have yet to actually see the sun, does not do wonders for one’s complexion; let me tell you that. In fact, the sun shines so little in this glorious corner of France, that we must all take vitamin D supplements. Go figure.

Way cooler than the one I have.

            But back to my main point. I despise being sick. Why do I bring this up? Because I am, at this precise moment, a complete and total incubus of viral plague. For over 5 days now my body has been battling some nasty, unknown virus that is hell-bent on destroying me. I can’t even summon the energy to change my clothes (most of which, at this point, are probably covered with VapoRub and Robitussin). If I get up to make a cup of tea, by the time I’m finished, I’m too exhausted to even drink it. But it wasn’t all so bad until I aged myself about 60 years. How did I manage this feat, you ask? Well, as I write this, I am staring into the face of the humidifier hard at work in my room, trying to give me back some semblance of humanity. Now maybe you all have different views on who uses a humidifier, but in my experience, I’ve noticed that it’s pretty much all 80-year-old men. Good thing I’m 22.

            However, amidst the piles of tissues, empty bottles of cough medicine, Vaporub containers, and countless Tylenol PM pills on my bed, there is some incredibly exciting travel paraphernalia. And that, my friends, is what I have decided to write about this week on my blog.

First, I must apologize. I know that I promised to write all throughout this vacation, and I have not. I planned to originally, but my little stint with disease has put quite the kink in my plans. Second, I am going to stop complaining right now and move on to bigger and better things (like maybe down to the couch). Either way, the following is a list of simply the coolest travel gear available to you this holiday season. Some of this stuff I own, some of it I covet, but nonetheless, it is all pretty sweet.

The Bheest.

       1.     The Bheestie Bag: By far the coolest travel accessory I found amongst my Christmas presents. This ingenious invention removes moisture from your electronics and restores them back to life. So for example, let’s say you are a giant klutz (like me), and you happen to drop your digital camera into a mug of beer at Oktoberfest (believe me, these things do happen). All you need to do is take your camera, place it in the Bheestie bag, seal the bag tight, and leave the camera in there for 1-3 days. Afterwards, you take the camera out, and it should be completely resuscitated. Apparently this Bheestie bag has revived cell phones, watches, ipods, pdas and cameras that have gone swimming, taken a spin through the washing machine, or been soaked by rain. The way it works is by using powerful, water-absorbing beads that are enclosed inside a pouch within the bag. http://www.bheestie.com/

Despite its size, gives off great sound.

       2.     Macally Podwave Portable Stereo Speakers for iPod: For all you music lovers out there, this travel gadget is pretty cool. These tiny, portable, battery-operated speakers allow you to enjoy your iPod music anytime, anywhere, with anyone. Weighing less than 3 ounces, they are incredibly portable, and give off great sound. They plug right into the headphone jack of your iPod or mp3 player, and are operated by one AA battery. According to Macally, these babies can play continually for up to 8 hours, so there’s no longer any need to stifle that soundtrack to your life. If you find yourself bored in a train station, or in a bleak hotel room, just pop the speakers in, and you’ll be jamming with friends in no time. http://www.macally.com/en/product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=128

      3.     Universal Power Adapter: As any frequent traveler knows, a power adapter is an important accessory. There’s nothing worse than arriving to your hotel and realizing you won’t be able to charge your Blackberry during the entire trip because you don’t have the right plug. With this gadget, you will be able to plug into British, European, Japanese, and Australasian outlets. That pretty much covers everywhere in the world…right down to Nauru (I didn’t even know this was a place), the Channel Islands, and Malawi. And yes, not to worry, it will also work on your frequent trips to Pakistan. For the complete list of countries, check out the website: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/9751/#tabs, it is quite impressive.

Quite possibly the coolest invention ever.

      4.     Powermonkey Portable Charger: Okay now this is seriously cool. And if you don’t covet this item after I tell you all about it, you’re seriously weird. Anyway, I find that generally the way the world seems to work is that we are never near an outlet when our gadgets run out of battery. Even if you have your handy universal power adapter, if you can’t find an outlet, you are in trouble. Well not anymore! This is where the Powermonkey portable charger comes in. This handy little device gets charged up from a normal AC power outlet, and then you can stash it to use on the go. It can hold a standby charge for up to one year, and comes with a range of add-on adaptors to fit a variety of electronic devices (including iPods and Blackberrys…score!). It’s very small, lightweight, and great for any trip that outlasts the stamina of your electronic devices (i.e. transatlantic plane flights). Basically, when your iPod, cell phone, or anything else runs out of battery, plug it into the Powermonkey charger, and it will charge it back up. With this, you can have power anywhere you are in the world. Perhaps I’ll test it in the middle of the Sahara, just for kicks. https://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/917b/#tabs

Now the following are not exactly gadgets, but nonetheless, they are great travel gear no traveler should leave home without.

Pocket full o' leaves

      5.     Sea-to-Summit Trek and Travel Pocket Shampoo with Conditioner: I must pay homage to my sister for finding this incredible invention. These tiny packs contain 50 dry leaves of shampoo and conditioner combined. TSA-friendly because they are non-liquid, the leaves are also 100% biodegradable, and super lightweight. Upon getting wet, they transform into shampoo. Overall, they make your shower supplies a lot easier to bring along… http://www.racingtheplanet.com/store/gear/camping-hiking/personal-care/sea-to-summit-trek-and-travel-pocket-shampoo-with-conditioner.html

      6.     Sleep Mask and Earplugs: You can get these from basically any store in a variety of shapes, textures, patterns, and colors. Some people like the sleep masks with all the frills; you know, the ones that promote REM sleep and have special grooves for your eyes...If that’s your thing, more power to you, but all I was looking for when I shopped for these was something that blocked out light and sound so I wouldn’t be bothered if I didn’t want to be. And you can pretty much find my kind anywhere. I would just say bring them with you when you’re staying in hostels or campsites, or needing to catch some shut-eye on the plane because people can often be loud, annoying, and obnoxious when you’re trying to sleep. http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Essentials-Dreams-Contoured-Earplugs/dp/B000CCI4YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293740017&sr=8-1

If someone finds these tags in real life,
please send them my way.

       7.  Luggage id tags: Another must-have that you can practically pick up anywhere, luggage id tags are great gift ideas for any traveler. Just this Christmas I found 4 in my stocking, and they are already filled out, attached to my suitcases, and ready to go back to France. The ones that are crazy and colorful might be a good idea as a way to distinguish your otherwise boring black suitcase. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dapparel&field-keywords=luggage+tags&x=0&y=0&sprefix=luggage+tags

      8.     Everything in miniature: And I mean everything. Looking at the pile of miniature stuff on my bed, I am astounded companies even make things this small. Here’s a sample of the things I got this Christmas, all in mini size: deodorant, face wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, makeup remover, Tums, mouthwash, body lotion, face lotion, eye cream, toothpaste, Tide, cotton balls, Q-tips, sewing kit, Airbone, and bugspray. All designed to fit inside that Ziploc bag for any plane flight.

 So, as you plan for your next big adventure, I hope you’ll keep this list in mind. There certainly are some clever gadgets available to make all your traveling dreams come true. And now, since my humidifier is running low on water, and it is practically my only lifeline, I must leave you all to go re-fill it, and return to my life of tea, soup, electric blankets, VapoRub, Robitussin, Tylenol PM, and humidity.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Happy New Year! 

More to come from Europe in 2011…