What's New What's Hot is Travel Weekly's look at useful and fun travel gadgets, edited by Joe Rosen. Click on the image to open a slideshow of all of the featured products for November.
Tiki Ultra-Compact USB Mic. Great for international travelers who depend upon Skype and the like for phone communication, the Tiki USB Mic is engineered to make sure that it is your voice that is being heard, not background noise such as computer fans, keyboard clicks and other undesired sounds. The Tiki, which enables the user to switch between a speech mode for communication and a recording mode, is similar in size to a standard USB flash drive and plugs into a laptop's USB drive. $99.99; www.bluemic.com.
Rolling Luggage for Kids. From the Steven Joseph company in Lubbock, Texas, comes this scaled-down version of mommy and daddy's wheeled suitcase, just a lot more colorful and fun to take on trips. About 18 inches in height, the ideal size for globe-toddlers, this bag has multiple zippered pockets, an extendable handle and two wheels for easy transport. The eye-catching exterior, which can be monogrammed with a child's name, features numerous design themes, among them Butterfly, Dino, Girl Zoo, Ladybug, Owl, Sports and Airplane. $39.99; www.stephenjosephgifts.com.
Tribe Four-Wheel Trolley Case. This 27-incher is one of several serially sized bags in the Tribe line from the London-based luggage brand Carlton. Incredibly light at only 7 pounds, this "trolley," as Carlton calls it, measures a capacious 27 by 17 by 11 inches yet features collapsible construction for easy stowaway in tight hotel rooms or cruise ship cabins. Other attributes include a wide-opening arched front pocket, lockable zippers, padded handles, nylon fabric with reinforced stitching and a global lost-and-found ID service. Available in four colors: graphite, apple green, rose red and the new aqua blue. $194.99; www.carltontravelgoods.com.
ISafe Laptop Bag. This messenger bag, equipped with a personal alarm system loud enough to discourage a would-be thief, is designed to keep safe your laptop or other mobile electronic gear, important documents and valuables. Perfect for students, businesspeople, commuters and travelers, the ISafe Laptop Bag's alarm is activated by tugging an easy-to-reach strap built into the bag's right shoulder strap. Measuring 18 by 7.5 by 15 inches, the messenger bag has seven easily accessible compartments, a padded laptop sleeve compartment with an elasticized compression strap that can accommodate laptops with screens up to 15.4 inches and durable zinc die-cast hardware. $79.99; www.isafebags.com.
"Let's Eat Out! Allergy Free Passport." This book could literally be a life-saver for travelers with food sensitivities or allergies. A clear how-to guide, the book provides a full range of information about cuisines (American, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Mexican and Thai), ingredients, preparations and provides questions to ask about food requirements (and how to ask them in the necessary language), providing readers with the tools to avoid 10 of the most prevalent allergens: gluten, peanuts, soy, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat, nuts, corn and shellfish. Included are hundreds of dietary tips from chefs, culinary experts, health, medical and nutritional specialists as well as long-term sufferers from food allergies. $24.95; www.allergyfreepassport.com.
Got something for What's New, What's Hot? Email Joe Rosen at [email protected].