September, when all the college kids and summer tourists clear out, might be a good time to go.
And if you do, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has what may be a fun – free – travel gadget for you.
For travelers going to Amsterdam in September, KLM has created a “Care Tag,” which it describes as a smart audio luggage tag with a built-in offline GPS module and a speaker that automatically provides verbal tips (recorded by KLM crew members) on how to travel in the city.
KLM says the tips include alerts on busy intersections with a lot of cyclists, where and how to lock your bike, and when you should watch out for pickpockets, where to taste local food for free, where to see great street art, or where to rent a bike or boat.
How do you get a tag? KLM says passengers traveling to Amsterdam in September will be able to order their tag on line for free. The first batch of Care Tags will speak English, but Care Tags that speak Chinese, Portuguese, German and Russian will be available later this year.
I’m checking to see if just a speaker on the tags or if you can plug in a set of headphones.
And, while the Lost and Found pup was cute – but not real – KLM reps say the Care Tag is real thing.
The latest in luggage, travel gear and on-the-go gadgets goes on display each year at the International Travel Goods Show in Las Vegas.
It’s anyone’s bet which of the products displayed by the more than 500 brands in attendance will take flight, but some of these new products have a great chance
Luggage scooter
Villagio of Miami’s Transmover 3-wheeled scooter has a TSA-approved detachable, rechargeable battery, a space to attach luggage (even a pet carrier) and may be a harried travelers’ answer to that long walk out to the gate.
And it’s fun. The scooter’s 12 mph top speed and 12-15 mile range can provide entertainment on a long layover inside or outside of the terminal. (MSRP: $550-$595 for the electric model; $250-$295 for the non-electric model)
Window tablet bag
Italian designer Nunzia Palmieri created a clever and sophisticated line of women’s business-style handbags and shoulder bags featuring a front pocket that can be used to store and cushion an iPad or tablet or, with the cushion removed, provide working access to the tablet via a clear window. At this year’s International Travel Goods Show Palmieri is expanding the collection to include a men’s line of leather and fabric travel bags with tablet-shaped windows as well. MSRP: starting at $228.
One bag becomes two
Thule luggage maker is rolling out a new Subterra collection that includes four rolling luggage pieces and four travel backpacks.
The 22-inch 2-wheel Subterra Carry-On (MSRP: $279.95) has a compression panel that makes it easy to pack more items and to keep clean clothes separate from dirty ones. The versatile, 22-inch Subterra Luggage piece (MSRP: $319.95) can be filled and checked as one piece or split into two smaller, independent pieces of luggage that are carry-on compliant.
Luggage tags made from airplane fuselage
MotoArt Studios is well-known among airplane aficionados for the conference tables, office furniture and decorative items, such as mirrors, it makes from old Boeing 747 engine turbofan housings, airplane wings and other bits of retired aircraft.
The company has recently expanded its line of offering to include serial-numbered luggage tags ($25 to $100) made from the skin of retired airplanes.
“We include the tail number of the aircraft so you can look up the history of your plane,” said Dave Hall of MotoArt Studios, “And it will tell you how much the aircraft originally cost, what year it was built and the airlines that flew it.”
Sniff, but don’t eat these purses
For fun – and for candy fans – American Jewel has a line of colorful, scented Jelly Belly-branded purses (wristlets), hairbrushes and bracelets. Wristlet “flavors” include Blueberry Muffin, Birthday Cake, Rainbow Sherbert, Green Apple Bubblegum, Pink Lemonade, Roller Rink Pink and Tutti-Frutti.
Drink and Twist
Buying bottled water on the road at $5 (or more) a pop can get expensive, but packing an empty reusable water bottle to fill at the airport or in the hotel gym can take up valuable suitcase space.
A good fluid-carrying solution? Collapsible bottles, such as HydraPak’s clever 1 liter Stash model (MSRP: $23) which twists and crushes down to an easily-packable quarter of its size and comes in outdoor-inspired colors such as Malibu, Mojave, Mammoth and Sequoia.
Sit on this
Toronto-based Airopedic, which has been making ergonomic office furniture since the mid-1980s, has created a self-inflating, portable ergonomic seat to take to sports arenas, into airports, onto airplanes and to other places where comfortable seating isn’t reliably available.
The seat weighs in at 1.6 pounds, has carrying straps and mesh side pockets for storage and a pressure control button to enable seat density adjustments that the manufacturer suggests will make sitting on the Airopedic Portable Seat (MSRP: $65) feel like “sitting on a cloud.”
(My story about accessories and luggage from the 2017 International Travel Goods Show appeared in a slightly different version on CNBC.)
Because you can never have too many bags or gadgets, here are a few more items displayed at the International Travel Goods show in Las Vegas last week.
Taking off a belt before going through an airport metal detector can be a hassle and putting it back through your pants loops on the other side just wastes more time.
The Royce Fly Belt (MSRP, $75) tackles that problem with a metal belt buckle you can just detach from the leather belt before walking through detector and then reattach it on the other side.
No need to unzip and fully fold open a suitcase to access or repack an item with the Nuki line of front opening hard shell luggage.
Available in three sizes: 20″ carry-on (MSRP: $199), 24″ medium checked bag (MSRP: $249) and 28″ large checked bag (MSRP $299), and in four designs: Hounds tooth, rococo, black and silver.
Zensah has a new line of environmentally-friendly Coffee Comfort Socks (MSRP: $29.99) made with yarn infused with coffee-bean shells, which help make the socks comfortable and odor neutralizing.
Available colors include sky, rosy, cloud and twilight — but not cappuccino.
The latest designs in luggage and the newest ideas for travel gadgets were on display for three days at the International Travel Goods show in Las Vegas last week.
For CNBC.com, I put together a slide show of the product innovation award- winners and several other items that caught my eye. Here are some samples…
Tired of fighting over who gets to use those middle armrests on the airplane? The inventor of the Arm-Share gadget thinks he’s got a solution figured out.
“Boutique” hotel often equates to “no room for your stuff in the bathroom.”
The Orgo Lite inventors came up with a solution for that: an expandable cosmetic kit that can sit over the sink.
Sports fans can carry their gear in bags made out of the same material used to make basketballs, golf balls, soccer balls and baseballs – stitching included. From Zumer Sport.
Fun, inexpensive and useful – the quirky and colorful Bendy Man from Walter + Ray is a flashlight and a gadget holder in one.
There are gadgets galore out there promising to make life easier on the road.
Some work. Some don’t.
Here’s one, called the Airhook, that just got funded on Kickstarter.
The inventor, Craig Rabin, describes it as “an easy tool that allows airline travelers to use their seat’s tray table to securely hold an electronic device and beverage—all while allowing for maximum legroom.”
