Christmas is rapidly approaching – perhaps you need ideas for that perfect gift for a Grown-up Traveller? Then you’ve come to the right place. After the success of last year’s series we’ve updated the list for 2012 so that a larger audience can now benefit; check out the first post in the series right here. This time we’ll give you two ideas in each article; usually one slightly crazy and one rather more sensible piece of festive inspiration for what to buy your travel-inclined friend/partner/spouse/relative etc…
Travel-related gift idea #3 – A bag for your bottle
Now this is a really good one (note to Santa – I want one of these please.)
Hmm, intriguing. What do we have here then?
Well today it´s a solution to one of the classic traveller´s problems. You find a fantastic wine while abroad, or perhaps some local olive oil far superior to the best you can find at home. But it´s in a glass bottle. So how to get it back in one piece?
Easy. You wrap it up it some newspapers and smother it with your dirty clothes in your suitcase. Then you stick a ‘fragile’ label on it.
Guaranteed to end in disaster. Listen, I know people who have worked as baggage handlers and I´ve heard the stories. What you need is a VinniBag!
If you say so…
Hey, I didn’t come up with the name. Listen, it’s a heavy-duty plastic bag that can withstand the pain suffered by checked baggage.It’s reusable and contains inflatable air chambers that protect and insulate bottles and fragile items. The VinniBag is easy to use and packs flat, rolled or folded when not in use, and will safeguard both the bottle and the rest of the contents of your suitcase, carry-on bag, car boot, backpack or sports bag
Okay that´s neat, I’ll give you that.
It gets better. According to the manufacturers the VinniBag can also be used as a “bath pillow, headrest, or great lumbar support while you’re stuck at your desk.”
VinniBag is available direct from the company in the USA (where else?) and they also have a distributor in the UK and Switzerland but will ship pretty much anywhere too.
Travel-related gift idea # 4 – the Snazzy Napper!
Okay, I admit it. This could be seen as a little tongue-in-cheek but who knows, you may feel that this burkha/Snuggie hybrid is a perfect gift for a narcoleptic/insomniac traveller friend or one you want on your list to send up the chimney to Mr C. I know it looks like a parody video, but it ain’t…
Words fail me…
That I doubt, but yes it is quite the concept. This is the original promo video clip which became a YouTube viral sensation, prompting the company to remake it slightly into the one on their website. Which is still quite something…
I can never sleep on planes, maybe this is the answer?
You know I would love for you to find out. They ship internationally and it probably won’t arrive by Christmas but what the heck, I’ll order it if you’ll use it – that would be worth 30 bucks of anyone’s money.
Tell them about the Snazzy story!
Oh yes, I nearly forgot. The cheeziness factor goes through the roof here with the story of the King of Sleep (TM) (that really is a trade mark…)
So there you have it, the perfect solution for catching a nap wherever you find yourself (even in the face of ‘distracting light’) – what a gift! Incidentally did anyone else notice that the distracting light was actually behind her? Not quite sure how the Snazzy Napper helped her but still…
Reminds me of a great routine by David Cross when he talks about putting on a black leather gimp hood when flying and telling the air crew it was his ‘sleep mask’…that might actually be less embarrassing.
Looking for more gift ideas for Grown-up Travellers? Keep checking back here during the run-up to Christmas…
