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In this day and
age, buying merchandise online is almost as common and everyday
as buying groceries from the supermarket, or ordering a
pizza by telephone. When you’re preparing for a holiday,
being able to get the things you’d like to bring off the
‘Net can be a godsend, especially if the item is difficult
to get in the shops, or you just don’t have the time to
go shopping.
Despite the convenience, buying on the Internet can be problematic,
because there are literally thousands of websites hocking
everything a traveller needs or wants — alarm clocks, reading
lights, locks, luggage, clothes, translators and a myriad
other products designed to make the vacation a little more
comfortable and pleasant. With the innumerable offerings
available, its easy to get confused — after all, which website
can you trust, how good is the product, what guarantees
do you get?
Choosing A
Travel Gear Website To Buy From
As with most things in life, it’s best to go to the most
reputable and best known merchants you can find. In the
travel gear category, there are any number of such suppliers
— the big luggage companies, such as Samsonite, offer quality
products at reasonable prices online. For the smaller items
— clothing and accessories — there are a number of major
merchants, of which L.L. Bean and Magellan’s are probably
the most well known. There are also a number of smaller,
but well regarded merchants who offer good quality items
at reasonable prices. Among these smaller companies are
Sierra Trading Post and Travel Smith, but there a handful
of others, and a little bit of searching may turn up a company
whose products are more to your liking.
The products
offered each of these company’s websites tends to be similar
— clothing, accessories, security devices — but each tends
to specialize in a particular area. For example, L.L. Bean
focuses on clothing for the general traveller, while Sierra
Trading Post leans more towards the active outdoor lifestyle.
Most also offer one or two items that aren’t available from
the other merchants, and are worth consideration. The choice
of what to bring along on vacation really depends on your
needs, your plans for the holiday, and your spending budget,
but here are a few of the more interesting and useful items
available on their websites.
L.L. Bean
When it comes to clothing specifically designed for travel,
a very popular choice is the renowned L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com),
which has a sterling reputation for quality products and
impeccable service. The clothing lines (men, women and children)
are extensive and cover almost every sort of setting you’re
likely to find yourself in while on travel or holiday. The
clothes themselves are made to be durable, easily cared
for and worn, and carefully designed to maximize mix-and-match
opportunities.
LL Bean also offers a rather limited assortment of accessories,
document holders and other items, but perhaps the most interesting
gadget offered is the Oreck Travel Iron/Steamer (US$ 39.95),
which is fitting for a company best known for clothing.
This two-in-one device is a lovely compromise between spending
your vacation in wrinkled clothes and wasting your vacation
ironing every article of clothing in sight. The iron/steamer
warms ups quickly, is fast to use, and compact enough to
be more a blessing then a burden. The unit comes with a
zippered storage pouch, temperature indicator/control and
detachable lint remover.
Travelsmith.com
Another popular
site for travel clothing is the aptly named Travel Smith
(www.travelsmith.com). The websites offers lots of
mostly solid coloured clothing, with designs being simple
and fuss-free, and more likely to appeal to mature travellers
rather than the younger fashion-followers. Some of these
items feature security pockets — little hidden folds or
pouches, just big enough for some small change or keys.
The most novel of these ‘security-pocket enabled clothing’
are Zip-it crew socks for men (US$ 12.00). The pockets in
these nifty socks are useful for occasions when you don’t
have (or don’t want to use) your pant or shirt pockets.
Its fairly unlikely anyone will think of checking your socks,
and almost impossible to pickpocket without attracting attention!
Incidentally, you can also check out the travel resources
offered on the website, which offers useful tips for travellers.
Also from Travel Smith, for travellers who suffer from nausea
on flights, cruises or road trips, there is the Relief Band
(US$ 129.00), a watch-like device which, when switched on
before a journey, sends a gentle electronic pulse from the
underside of the wrist, blocking out the nausea signal before
it passes between your brain and stomach. Approved by the
USFDA and completely safe to use, the band has no side effects
and is light and compact for easy use.
Magellan's
Magellan’s (www.magellan.com) is another prominent
suppliers of travel accessories. The website has an extensive
range of products, from combo locks to travel clothing (with
security pockets as well), luggage and electronics. Magellan’s
has perhaps the most comprehensive listing of electronics
gadgets and accessories designed for travel, from the usual
alarm clocks to games, to travel-sized irons and curling
irons, and even ‘talking’ phrasebooks. Another interesting
category of accessories Magellan’s offers is smoke hoods
and breathing masks, for those times when pollution, a disease
alert or fire make your vacation a little more exciting
than you wanted it to be.
Of all the electronic
gadgets carried, the most sophisticated and useful offered
is the 12 Language Translator (US$ 39.85), which uses an
easy-to-read 3 line screen to display words and phrases
in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Czech, Dutch,
Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish. The
unit itself is compact and lightweight, and includes a 100-entry
databank with password protection, calculator, Euro converter,
currency converter, metric converter, local and world time
clock, and even five word games. The translator runs on
two lithium batteries (included) and is definitely the most
value-for-money, useful gizmo you’re likely to take on vacation.
One useful item among the security devices offered on Magellan’s
is the door stop alarm (US$12.85). Set under the door of
your residence, it goes off with a shrill, pulsating siren
if anyone tries to open the door. It is powered by two AA
batteries (not included). For a low-tech version of this
device, you can use a simple rubber door stop, which will
help deter entry, but won’t sound a warning. For a low tech
version of this, you can just use a rubber door stop, which
wont ring out an alarm but will at least give the intruder
pause. The website also offers a variety of bag security
locks.
Sierra Trading
Post
Another good site for travel accessories is Sierra Trading
Post (www.sierratradingpost.com). The products lean
more towards the outdoor sportsman crowd, but also offers
a selection of travel items for the more active vacationer
(look in the Outdoor Gear and Outerwear Department). The
offerings range from clothing to luggage and accessories,
and most of the designs would appeal not only to backpackers
and sports enthusiasts but also the more laid back, style
conscious travellers.
The most outstanding and unusual item on the website is
the Pacsafe Explorer Bag Security System (US$54.95), which
is essentially a flexible, stainless steel wire ‘net’ used
to wrap around your luggage. It can be used on suitcases,
including wheeled luggage, backpacks or duffel bags, and
includes a locking system. You can use it to secure your
bag during transport, or lock it around a post, luggage
rack or other stationary object to prevent theft. It also
comes in different sizes to suit most luggage specifications.
There are plenty of other offerings on each of these websites,
and many other websites offering similar items at a range
of prices. Your own search amongst all these listings will
be influenced by your own needs, but there is sure to be
at least one website selling it. Just make sure the site
is from a reputable merchant before you purchase, or you
might end up with a travel accessory that costs you more
time, money and headache then the entire vacation itself.
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