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Your guide to
Fly Away with Me
A collection of tried and tested travel essentials and fun gift ideas for those constantly on the move.
STM Scout Laptop Shoulder Bag
This is a fantastic carry-on bag. In fact, it’s one of the best laptop bags ever made. Your stuff is easy to get at, and the compartments make total sense. We like the back pocket, which is great for keeping your passport, boarding pass, and itinerary handy. It also has pen slots and a nifty detachable key fob thing to keep keys safe. Available in black or olive and varying sizes to fit laptops big or small.
Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Folder 18
In the past we’d arrive at our destination with a dense cake of creased clothes. Sure, we tried rolling them, but nothing does the job or utilises space like a Pack-it Folder. Comes with a neat guide to help you fold like some sort of clothing origami wizard. You can get jeans, jumpers, and loads of shirts and tees in just one of these things. Be sure to choose a size appropriate to your luggage.
Olloclip 3-in-One Lens System for iPhone 5
Sometimes you don’t want to carry around a proper camera and fancy lenses, and that’s when the Olloclip is your best friend. It’s got a clever macro lens, for photographing tiny things, and a fish-eye, but the wide angle is where it pays for itself, allowing you to cram so much more into the frame when you’re in a hurry. Unlike other products, it’s a doddle to slip on and off your iPhone. This one fits the 5, but 4s and 4 varieties are available too.
A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers
If you love maps and love illustration, then clearly you love storytelling with maps and illustration, and then even more clearly you’ll love this book which is about exactly that. All our favourite map illustrators are included, and we also discovered dozens more incredible maps and artists. A big, beautiful, well-resourced book to satisfy and inspire any traveller.
iKlear Travel Singles
Your computer (other devices are available) gets dirty. The cat sits on it to keep warm. Your friends send images that make you spit coffee all over it. You eat food like a toddler in front of it. Suddenly, you’re opening your filthy laptop amongst your peers, and all they can see is muck. That’s why you need a travel single in your bag at all times. These things have saved us from embarrassment on many trips.
Luckies of London Scratch Map
Sure, whole swathes of continents will probably go unscratched, but it’s a great sense of achievement to chart your travels on your office wall, returning from some strange country and scratching it off. A perfect gift for anyone who travels regularly.
Moleskine City Notebooks
It’s fun to go analog sometimes, and we love traveling with a city notebook in our pocket. Instead of roaming charges, use the notebook to log places you visit, want to see, and navigate around with it. As well as plenty of blank pages to sketch and jot down experiences, each notebook includes maps and trace overlays, subway info, and a classic Moleskine pocket for bits and pieces, plus a section for addresses with customisable tabs. Most major cities are available.
Apple World Travel Adapter Kit
Sure, other cheaper adaptor kits are available, but then so are other laptops, and yet you own a Mac. Anyway, we’ve used the Apple kit for years and it’s the perfect gift for Apple-owning travel types. Going to Australia? Nice. Just grab the relevant adaptor and insert into your existing power supply. Looks way cooler than a massive plastic abomination from the airport gadget shop. Worth every penny.
My Pakage Men’s Boxer Brief
One for the chaps. Comfort when traveling is important, and we wouldn’t travel without a few pairs of My Pakage pants. We received these as a gift and feared the worst, but OMG. They’re unique in that they have “keyhole” technology to, errr, keep things well organised. Above all, they’re comfy, soft, look great, hold their shape, and roll up really small. A little spandex in the mix makes them fit a variety of shapes. We’ve spent years searching for the perfect underpants, and these are the chosen ones.
Sugru air-curing rubber
“YES! You got me some air-curing rubber for Christmas. Thank you!”. Let us explain. This stuff is pure magic, and we carry a mini pack with us on all trips. Fix dodgy cables, make hooks, stick stuff to other stuff, and patch up that which is broken. Honestly, it’s a travel essential.
Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones
Travel often and you soon realise in-ear headphones hurt after eight hours on a plane, and the sound just isn’t great. What you need are expensive, top of the range cans that massage your ears with the softest leather. Add the magic of noise cancelling, and you end up in a quiet heaven as everyone else suffers the constant headache-inducing growl of the 747. Comes with a rechargeable Li-ion battery and charger, airline adaptor, and all in a tough, attractive case.
On The Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks
When we're in travel mode, we love reading about places. This fine book kept our minds happy during a recent trip thwarted by delays. We loved Garfield’s Just My Type, and this is a wonderful look at what maps mean to us, why they’re the way they are, and how they tell the story of our lives.