At the Travel Goods Show 2008, industry bigwigs showed off their latest and greatest travel offerings. Here are trends our correspondent spotted, with picks for products that showcase them well.
Whether we're talking hybrid cars, bamboo flooring or recycled cotton T-shirts, all things eco-friendly earn growing chunks of any given market share. Travel goods prove no exception. Act2, a green company committed to sustainable production, scored with its laptop jackets, made entirely from recycled plastic water and soda bottles. Act2 estimates the manufacturing energy saved would fuel your laptop for 149 hours. With holes for power cords and exterior handles, the jacket remains attached to your computer while you use it, so you're always ready to close, zip up and go. Totes and other act2 recycled bags debut late spring.
Look for more items and bags designed to ease you through airport security -- think regulation 3-ounce bottle sets and clear quart-sized bags that clip to your luggage. MySmartPac's solution? Prepacked disposable toiletry kits for men and women. Just buy and toss, as is, into your carry-on, as opposed to spending time filling little bottles with your own personal-care products, or money on an array of travel-sized versions, to cram into a plastic baggie. The kits skip shampoo, found in most hotels, in favor of items including hair gel, face cleanser and toothpaste, all packaged in hard-paper pouches intended for up to six uses. Both include a razor and a toothbrush, too. One caveat: I'd rather pack my own solid deodorant than use the included liquid nonaerosol spray.
Available at Luggage 'N Leather in Minnetonka and online at sites including luggagepros.com (Titan) and travelpro luggagediscount.com (Heys).
TREND FOUR: STEPPED-UP SECURITY
DataSafe RFID-Blocking Embossed Italian Leather Passport Wallet by Kena Kai, $120
Purse straps reinforced with cables, luggage alarms and baggage locks afford travelers extra levels of safety. Among the newest in high-tech security measures: wallets that block radio frequency identification (RFID). Some passports, credit cards and drivers' licenses are embedded with radio chips that continuously transmit your information. As they grow in popularity, so does the threat of someone reading that information, wirelessly, without your knowledge. With DataSafe, Kena Kai debuts the first line of government-tested and -approved wallets lined with RFID-blocking material. They're not only safe, but they're luxurious and smart, like this passport wallet with slots that keep all essential travel documents at the ready.
Available online at www.kenakai.com.
TREND FIVE: PERSONALIZED ORGANIZATION
Coast & Cruise Lightweight Tote by Anne McAlpin, $39
It's not about more organization; it's about the right organization. Luggage, daypacks and travel purses offer well-thought-out organizational features way beyond key clips. And many are targeted to specific users, with doodads such as skateboard straps, lipstick pockets and personal DVD compartments that keep Dora at the ready. Every pocket, slot and strap of this ballistic-nylon tote developed by expert packer Anne McAlpin seems geared toward the practical female traveler. My favorite: the patented Ten Second Pocket, designed to briefly hold keys or cell phone when you suddenly need both hands. Testers quickly discovered the pocket's use without being told it existed.
Available via packitup.com and in Minnetonka at AAA Minneapolis.
Berit Thorkelson is a St. Paul-based freelance writer who tests travel products for this column and her travel goods website, trustypony.com.
