Gifts so good you'll want to keep them for yourself.
December 17 2013 5:11 PM EST
February 03 2023 8:58 AM EST
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It can be tough to find the perfect gift for the weary world traveler, but thankfully, we're here to offer you some insider info. Whether it's the best new multipurpose camera to document those adventures in high-def, airline- and flyer-friendly carry-on baggage, or travel-savvy tech accessories, these are the goodies your favorite adventurer won't want to leave home without in 2014. Also, a hovercraft. (Yes, seriously.)
Lumia 1020 Smartphone
I am an iPhone acolyte no more. If you care about taking good photos, you'll make the switch too. The gorgeous Lumia 1020 has a 41-megapixel camera that's so amazing I think many folks will get the phone for its camera capabilities and recognize the other features as a bonus. The Lumia 1020 blows other smartphones out of the water when it comes to photography. But for working stiffs, the phone does a lot more than that with tons of apps, the ability to work on MS documents (including PowerPoint!), great video and photo treatment options, syncing to your XBox, seven GB of SkyDrive storage, lots of different sharing capabilities (including the auto share with NFC-devices), and the option of pinning and tiling the things you love on your phone. Oh, and the camera — to take a photo, you just touch the screen. It even does action shots so you can shoot your entire trip.
Pack Your Bags
The only hard-sided carry-on with an exterior pocket, this awesome little suitcase is aptly dubbed The Only Exterior Pocket Impervious Carry On, and makes it so you can stow everything from your boarding pass to your iPod, then access them again on the plane without a big hoo-ha. The shell is high-density 2.6-mm-thick ABS/polycarbonate — the same material used in automobile bumpers — that withstands 250 pounds of force per foot, but it still weighs around only seven pounds. And it rolls on four ball-bearing wheels that each rotate 360 degrees and are trimmed with in-line skate-wheel rubber, so they won't corrode from exposure to rain, snow, or salt. $139.95 with lifetime guarantee, Hammacher.com
Powered Up
You can get portable power and cable protection with the Contort Power, a power adapter with two USB ports and an AC outlet, all housed in a beautiful and functional design with built-in cord management. It’ll be the most travel-worthy device in your bag (well, except for that Lumia 1020). $24.99, Quirky.com
Listening On the Go
Nobody lugs books around anymore, but even simpler than taking your Kindle is a subscription to AudioBooks.com, which allows subscribers to listen to their favorite books, hands-free, whenever they want. There’s a subscription gift option, and more than 40,000 titles that can be streamed from Apple or Android devices via apps. Better yet, it doesn’t require you to download a full book before reading. $14.95 and up, AudioBooks.com
Give Good Face
Got makeup swimming in those vast and disorganized amorphous bags? That’s so 2009. With Great Useful Stuff’s red leatherette Beauty Book, you can store your entire collection of cosmetics, nail polishes, or jewelry. Polka dots inside, a travel handle outside, and it comes in two different sizes. What’s not to love? $19.99 or $29.99, GreatUsefulStuff.com
The Coolest Thing to Ever Hit a Golf Course
Got a golfer you don’t know what to get? If you got cash, this is it, baby: the Golf Cart Hovercraft. This little machine glides over sand traps and water hazards on a cushion of air as easily as it does over fairways and the rough. It's powered by a 65-horsepower engine, with a nine-blade axial-flow-ducted fan that will propel you up to 45 mph and nine inches off the ground without harming grass, while also allowing immediate crossing of a pond or stream to follow-up a cross-water shot. Steers like a motorcycle, fits four people, and, unlike in Back to the Future, it can hover backwards up to 25 mph — the only hovercraft in the world to do so. And yes, it meets United States Coast Guard standards for reliable hovering over water. Comes with a hefty price tag and its own trailer. $58,000, Hammacher.com
Talk About Multitasking
The iPad case meets the portable work station in the Trego iPad Carrier, a sturdy bag that comes with removable case that swivels, bends, or folds and straps that hold it up over your shoulders if you want to work standing, walking, or well, anyplace besides your desk. Works with all iPad incarnations. $59, TregoBag.com
Back It Up, Keep It Charged
This one is simple: The PowerStick + portable charger for tablets and smartphones is a must-have travel accessory because it’s the size of a stick of gum and packs a punch. It’s made for when your phone or tablet is running low on juice with no charger in sight. It’s a high-efficiency charging unit, which also features flash memory ranging in capacities from 4GB to 16GB, so you can transfer images and files to it as well. Brilliant idea. $69, PowerStick.com
Watch Your World on Any TV
The Wireless iPhone to TV Converter turns a television into a large-scale monitor for your mobile device. So the next time you want to watch a goat crooning to its master or some other viral hit, rather than crowding around a handheld four-inch screen, you and your friends can enjoy it on a big screen. In fact, the converter gives you real-time, high-definition mirroring of video and audio on any HDMI-enabled TV, monitor, or projector, and using Wi-Fi connectivity, it can translate all output on the mobile device to the bigger monitor with a simple USB cable. Perfect when you're stranded in hotel rooms with only three channels on the TV. $99.95, Hammacher.com
Yoga for Buff Bodies
Former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page originally developed DDP Yoga for athletes like himself, who had suffered years of injuries due to high-impact sports (and presumably for the kind of guys who wouldn’t be caught dead doing yoga). Now his power-packed manly DDP Yoga workouts are all the rage. Grab a gift set that includes all 11 workouts on DVD and MP3s, a poster of poses, a workout grid, food lists (what to eat, what not to eat), meal plans, recipes, workout and progress journals, and more. $79.95, DDPYoga.com
The Multipurpose Product
OK, after the hovercraft this might seem a bit, well, simple. But everyone needs lube (in a TSA-friendly size)! But Überlube is more than just for naughty fun — it’s a high-performing, long-lasting lubricant that can be used as a long lasting anti-chafe product for athletes, as a chlorine block, hair conditioner, or anti-frizz product (it protects the cuticle of the hair). Oh, and after use it dissipates, leaving things feeling soft and, well, moisturized. It’s scentless, tasteless, and nonstaining. In its Good-To-Go series, Überlube fits easily in the pocket, purse, or gym bag. Prices vary, Überlube.com
Record Your Feelings — Or Your Conquests
Sure, you can thumb out your day on your phone, but there’s nothing as great as jotting down your thoughts (or the great American novel) in a journal. This Bruno Gmünder Gay Pride Journal features a homo-fabulous version of the "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" image and 224 blank pages. $19.99, TLAVideo.com