Travel Gadgets

It came in the mail. Gear, gadgets and reading material for travelers

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Courtesy Library of Congress, via Flickr Commons


All sorts of cool and curious things show up in the mail at Stuck at the Airport headquarters here in Seattle.

Much of it gets adopted and used in our travels. Or shared with our readers.

Here’s a round-up of some recent arrivals I’ll be testing out or bringing along on an upcoming 10 -day trip that will take me to London, Singapore and Hong Kong with just a carry-on bag.

One t-shirt, 10 days?

Clothing made of Merino wool is touted as being super soft and comfortable, lightweight, wrinkle-resistant and magically able to keep you warm in the cold and cool in the heat.

And it’s supposed to be stink-resistant.

The folks at Unbound Merino say their t-shirts, socks, briefs and hoodies can be worn for weeks or months at a time. I’m going to test out one of their shirts – at least for a few days.

More stuff from my BuzzBOX

From my recent BuzzBOX delivery, I’m tucking a handful of Handzies Soap + Water Wipes into my purse, backpack and carry-on bag. Made with natural castile soap, water and essential oils, they smell way better than hand sanitizers and will certainly come in … handy.

Books – about Paris, Japan, and life

E-books and audio books are great, but I still like carrying at least one turn-the-pages book.

I’m a museum fan, so delighted that Running Press sent along The Little(r) Museums of Paris, An Illustrated Guide to the City’s Hidden Gems by Emma Jacobs. The book is due out in June and includes many off-beat spots I’m looking forward to exploring on my next visit.

There’s also new book by travel writer and journalist Pico Iyer – Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells- that Publishers Weekly describes as “an engrossing narrative, a moving meditation on loss, and an evocative, lyrical portrait of Japanese society.”  I will also pack tissues.

More robots at an airport near you

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Travelers will be running into robots at more airports as HMSHost adds Pepper, the humanoid robot, to the staff of more of its restaurants.

Her job: to give menu informaton and recommendations and generally entertain – or alarm – guests.

You may have encountered Pepper at her first assignment: the Pyramid Ale Taproom in Oakland International Airport. Now Pepper clones are also working hard at Avenue des Canadiens in Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (where Pepper understands French or English),   the Washington Redskins Burgundy & Gold Club in Washington Dulles International Airport and at Point the Way Café in Los Angeles International Airport.

According to HMSHost, Pepper customizes her features for each airport so her interactions with travelers vary from location to location. In some airports she not only offers restaurant help, she helps travelers with directions to things at the airport, such as gates and the nearest restrooms.

If yu run into Pepper, let us know what the expereience is like. Cool or creepy?

Travel tools I’ve been using

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During my travels in London and Amsterdam this week, my adventures have been made a bit smoother by two tools: HotelTonight and T-Mobile.

The last-minute booking app, HotelTonight, was already on my phone, but until this trip I hadn’t had much need or incentive to use it.

But I turned to the app (and some banked credit) when faced with a shifting itinerary and out-of-my-budget prices for a long list of  familiar and recommened-by-friends hotels.

The app’s curated selection of available bookings – leaning to boutique and indepentent properties – came through for me in Amsterdam, especially, where I found a good last-minute rate and friendly folks at The Albus, a  hip, centrally-located hotel I would have been unlikely to find on my own.

Until now, the HotelTonight booking window was day-of and up to seven nights out, but the booking window has just been expanded in 14 major cities, including San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, London and Las Vegas, and should be expanded in around 30 national and international markets by the end of this year

Most all my travel buddies already use – and highly recommend – the T-Mobile ONE plan that includes  unlimited international data and low-cost phone international calls, but I’d been stubbornly clinging to an old ATT plan.

I’ve got a loaner T-Mobile sim card in my phone for this trip and have been able delighted at how it makes it easier to get around, download maps, check out attractions, read email, stay in touch and deal with some less-than-ideal wireless situations in hotels.

Note to self: switch mobile phone service when you get home.

 

No tablet or laptop on the plane? Some workarounds.

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Whether or not you’re flying on an airline now required to make passengers check electronic devices larger than smartphones on planes headed to the U.S. or U.K, it’s a good idea to have workarounds for getting things done.

Paper books, magazines and the seat-back entertainment offerings (if available) are good options, but if you want to work, check email or watch a movie you’ve downloaded before your flight, gadgets and tools like some of those in the photo above might help.

For example, ZAGG has a Bluetooth pocket keyboard that can be used with both smartphones and small tablets (Apple & Android) and – to keep seatmates from looking at your screen – the InvisibleShield Glass + Privacy screen protector.

And, if you’re going to have to rely on your smartphone for extended hours, Ventev’s chargestand 3000c, is both a portable charger and a phone stand. 

I’m checking out these and a few other gadgets this weekend and reworking my accessories kit to accommodate a few more useful-in-a-pinch items.

 

 

 

 

Visit Australia with Qantas’ new virtual reality app

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Virtual vacations are starting to compete with the real thing.  But Qantas is hoping that by giving you a virtual taste Australia’s offerings, you’ll put get on a plane and go see for yourself.

Qantas first experiments with virtual reality  last year, when it offered a virtual reality visit to a couple of Australian destinations on Samsung Gear VR headsets in its First-Class cabin and Lounges.

Now the carrier has released a virtual reality app  with 13 videos showcasing a wide variety of Australian landscapes and events, with more promised in the next few weeks.

The app offers two modes: split screen for those who have a compatible headset or Google Cardboard and 2D landscape for viewing directly on a smartphone.

And if you like what you see, you can book flights to these destinations directly from the app.

Here are a few samples.

The first is a helicopter flight offering an aerial view of Uluru, one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Other videos offer a hot air balloon ride of Alice Springs and the Australian outback, a helicopter ride to Hamilton Island and a swim in the Great Barrier Reef, a climb on the Sydney Harbor Bridge and a wide  variety of other you-are-there experiences.