FROM FASHION TO TECH GADGETS, WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE TRAVEL EASIER IN 2020

Scarves Rule

Since my husband and I travel exclusively with one carry-on bag each, no matter how many days/weeks we are on the road, I’m always on the lookout for items that add style to the simplest outfit. For ladies, scarfs are the key to looking stylish without taking up too much room in my small suitcases (I’ve been known to get by on a two week cruise with a simple black dress, a few tunics and leggings, and a selection of scarfs--and no one was the wiser!)

One of my current favorites thanks to its quality (silk and cashmere options) and a wide selection of beautiful patterns is the scarf collection by Scarflings, which boasts a product line of over 400 scarves. Available in a wide variety of sizes and patterns, the scarves are versatile, giving women a simple way to change their entire wardrobe and look by simply adding a scarf.  I took this lovely scarf on a recent cruise and wore it draped across my shoulders for special dinners on board, as a shawl to keep warm on my morning walks on deck, and even as a swim suit cover up for lounging by the pool. Talk about versatility and style—without taking up that precious luggage space.

Made to Order

Leggings and light-weight pants are in integral part of my travel wardrobe. So when I came across the RedThread Ankle Pant, which can be custom tailored to a perfect fit based on my exact measurements, I was totally intrigued.

Being on the tall and leggy side, I’ve never really had a pant that gave me a length that didn’t stop above my ankle and wasn’t baggy in other areas. But I gave up on finding the ideal pant years ago….until I learned about RedThread. This San Francisco-based company makes it their mission to guarantee their customers a beautiful fit. Their 3D scanning studio can automatically detect your measurements from just a few photos, or you can use their easy diagram and a measuring tape.

To ensure complete customer satisfaction, RedThread also offers a generous “Try Before You Buy” program. Just pay $4.99 shipping and try out your custom piece for one week. Love it? The balance will be charged to your credit card. If not, RedThread will refund the full amount.

Now that’s a return policy you simply can’t resist!

It used to be that only the rich and famous could afford tailor-made clothes. This company’s logo is “Join our mission to create a size-less world.”  

And that they did.

The Silk Road

Each night as we returned to our luxurious cruise cabin after dinner, I found that the attentive stewards on our Viking Ocean Cruise had placed my beautiful Papinelle silk nightgown on our bed. What a romantic gesture indeed!

Did you ever find an article of clothing that you loved so much you wonder why you waited so long to add it to your wardrobe? That’s how I feel about the Papinelle pure silk slip/nightie I brought along on my recent Viking Ocean cruise through the Mediterranean. Papinelle is an Australian sleepwear and lifestyle brand, launched in 2003, that has made its mark by creating comfort nightgowns and pajamas that also bring a bit of luxury to the bedroom.  My nightie felt so light soft on my skin, owing no doubt to the high quality of silk used to create it.  Papinelle prides itself on using sustainably sourced, natural fibers to create its collection.

Worn and endorsed by the likes of Emma Roberts and Jessica Alba, you can find the sleepwear collection at Nordstrom department stores. Or let your fingers do the walking and log on to the Papinelle website and explore what a luxurious experience such perfect sleepwear can offer.

Needless to say, I’ll never go back to flannel jammies again!

And On to technology. ..

Technology is every traveler’s friend, but with the boggling array of tech items popping up each day on the market, it isn’t easy at times to hit upon a product that is right for you. Here are some “winners” we came across recently we’d like to share with our readers.

A Mighty Mount

While most of our travel is done in the air, we do often travel by car (in our reliable Ford Escape) to cover travel destinations here in California and surrounding states.  That is when we heavily rely on our phone’s Google Maps to direct us smoothly to our destination.

We’ve gone through numerous car mounts over the years, none of which were ideal. We learned to hate windshield suction models, as they inevitably lost their grip eventually and fell off in our laps (not to speak of obscuring our vision of oncoming traffic due to their position on the glass). The only place on our dash board to mount a phone was on our heat/air-conditioning vent, but we never found a system that used that option effectively until we learned about Pure.Gear’s wireless car charger vent mount.

This is a self-gripping system, as the arms close automatically when the wireless charging pad senses your phone. It’s in the perfect position, right there on your vent next to the steering wheel, to offer a safe view of your phone (and maps) while exploring unknown roads while driving.

Let’s Communicate

If your travels take you around the world, as ours do, you can’t always assume you will be able to communicate with locals in English every place you visit. While we used Google translator in the past to get us through some interesting circumstances in our travels (like ordering lunch in rural Japan or buying cold meds in a Slovenian village), the process wasn’t ideal since you had to refresh each time you wanted to read or send a translation.  The activity also gobbled up our phone’s precious battery life.

That’s why we found CM Translator an ideal alternative for our next foreign trip, no matter where we venture, as it currently supports a whopping 42 languages. Weighing a mere 2 ounces, it slips conveniently into your pocket or purse and when fully charged, the battery has an amazing 180 days of standby time.

The company logo is “One Click….one World” and we can see why. Just press and hold to start a 2-way real-time instant translation.  We tried it out with our cousins visiting from Sicily and it works like a charm (and we learned a few expressions in the meantime, so it is also an excellent language learning tool). We’re anxious to try it out at our next exotic travel destination and will report again in detail on our experience.

Keep Charged Up

If you’re like me, you have a drawer filled with chargers of all shapes and sizes, none of which charge up our arsenal of electronics quickly enough while on travel. That’s why I jumped at the chance to test out the British-made MuOne, the world’s thinnest 45 Watt universal charger for smart phones, laptops, notebooks, and similar devices. With its embedded detection circuitry, the MuOne can identify the connected device and deliver the correct charging parameters for it. Its compact size makes it an ideal traveling companion, as it can be slipped into a pocket or easily packed away.

Since I travel internationally quite frequently, I use the MuOne International which is equipped with three interchangeable, foldable, low profile power plug adapters for the US, UK, and Europe. It can be used in over 200 countries, so no matter where in the world your travels take you, chances are you can charge up in lightning speed with this handy product.

Disclaimer:  Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and will not receive any future compensation based on sales arising from my recommendations. My goal is to share my favorite travel tips with my followers, in an effort to improve the travel experience for us all.

JOANNE'S DECEMBER TRAVEL & HOME PICKS, FROM TRAVEL SUITS TO HOLIDAY SMART LIGHTS

All suited up

It’s not easy to be a travel journalist when your goal is to travel light. My husband Tony and I share the pain. He carries our heavy camera equipment in a backpack and packs his wallet, cell phone, and our passports, etc. in his beloved ScotteVest.

My backpack carries my 15” laptop, wallet, printed itineraries I may need (you can’t always ensure that you will have internet connection) and my cosmetics. That leaves two small carry-on bags in which we need to stuff a variety of clothing options. This includes some “dress up” items for cruises, special events, and those press trip itineraries that require somewhat more than jeans and T-shirts.

For any man on the road needing a suit, we can highly recommend the affordable Haggar “Active Series” line. This suit is super light-weight (so important if you are carry-on only travelers) and features an amazing stretch fabric designed to move with you all day, no matter what your activity. This includes a waistband that flexes 2 inches, perfect after a multi-course meal.

The fabric is wrinkle-free, so important for us folk who live out of suitcases, and boasts a state-of-the-art ventilation and moisture-wicking system. Bottom line is, this amazing suit will stretch with you from the airline seat to the board room and to activities beyond.

For a suit that moves with you all day, is lightweight, and looks sharp, this is definitely our recommendation.

Better safe than sorry

As frequent travelers, we know the importance of protecting our home while we are touring the world. As such, we are always on the lookout for innovative products to enhance our home security system.

If you have a notion to improve your home security, the NOTION is for you!

The Notion is a small, Oreo-sized sensor that you can place around your home to monitor various activities. Notion can tell you when someone enters the door, opens the garage, tries to access a liquor cabinet or opens a window while you are away. But most importantly, Notion sensors can quickly recognize water leaks almost immediately, temperature changes and smoke alarms going off, sending alerts to users via a mobile app, helping to prevent severe water and fire damage before it’s too late. 

Set up was simple. The instructions lead you through a simple calibration mode, using your smart phone, for each component as it is installed. The first application was on our garage door, a prime spot since we often forget to lower the door especially when we’re in a hurry. If we aren’t sure if we closed it, all we need to do is refer to the app to check the status.

We also placed one on the floor next to the water heater. In the event of a leak (this happened to us a few years back and we came home to a flooded kitchen), we would be immediately notified via our phone.

Check it out. Better safe than sorry, as the old adage goes.

Home for the holidays

Since cooking is my passion and the holidays are coming up, I couldn’t resist telling you my latest and greatest find, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven.  For years, we’ve used a deep-fat fryer to make a few favorites such as fried calamari (a favorite in our Italian American family over the holidays), shrimp, and French fries. We were, however, careful not to use it too often because of the fat content that inevitably comes with the process.

When I discovered this Cuisinart product, I knew I hit the culinary jackpot. Not only does this attractive stainless steel appliance bake, broil and toast, it also lets you air fry right inside the oven! This means I could toss my aging toaster oven and greasy fat fryer (which needed constant cleanup and a new gallon of oil after just a few uses) and place this kitchen workhorse on my counter to satisfy a wide variety of culinary applications.

Our delicious coconut shrimp, right out of our Cuisinart air frying oven!

The true test came when my husband made his favorite recipe—coconut shrimp. I must admit, he was skeptical that he could get delicious results just by spraying a light layer of olive oil over his breaded shrimp and popping it in the air fryer for ten minutes. But he was sold when he saw, and tasted, the outcome.

Air fying is the way to go for a healthier diet, and this oven does it all in one attractive stainless steel unit. Bon appetit!

Twinkly Lights for the Smart Home

You know you are in a brave new digital world when holiday lights go high tech!  Gone are the days of buying those cheap strings of lights that are so frustrating to unravel and inevitably crash after one season of use-- if you get even that.

We decorated our outdoor tree with two boxes of Twinkly 56 LED lights in less than 20 minutes! I can change the colors at a whim with my smart phone. Too cool!

In comes the Twinkly series of products, a new generation of LED string lights that work with your smart phone to display an infinite and customizable number of effects on your tree, wall, or window. You can even create your very own animations in the app. They are designed for use indoors or out. Each light is designed to produce an intense light effect, resulting in super-vivid colors.

It took us all of 20-minutes to string the lights on our outdoor tree and program them in all sorts of cool effects we can change with a tap on our smart phones.

Thanks to Twinkly lights, we are the talk of the neighborhood this holiday season!

A Place for Everything

I came across a new product that just might be a solution for those of you who don’t want to wear a travel vest, but still want an efficient, and hands-free, way to carry all your essentials while on the road. The iBand Sling is worn across your chest and has several pockets that hold your ID, smart phone, business cards, sunglasses, passport and cash. There’s also a spot for your water bottle and a secret passport pocket, as well as a carabiner for keys.

It’s great for a wide variety of activities, from hiking to theme park adventures to dog walking, to name a few. But it’s really useful if you are a frequent flyer, as it makes going through security so much easier. Just toss it on the conveyer and avoid the hassle of removing everything from your pockets before you pass through screening. Just make sure your water bottle is empty!