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It’s official. Travel is back. It still takes time to navigate the evolving security screening process, but travel statistics have surged beyond 2000 levels.
Internationally, peak-season travel to Europe from the U.S. leaped past year-2000 totals to set a record in 2006. International travelers to the U.S. spent 5 percent more in 2006 than in 2005, again setting a record for the first time since 2000. And a recent study reported that 61 percent of American businesses expect employees to travel more this year.
It’s hard to argue with the compelling business, leisure, and cultural reasons for leaving home. And with more people hitting the road-, rail-, and airways, there’s serious interest in owning—and inventing—the latest gear that simplifies the journey.
Security / The screening process and security situation continues to change the way people travel. The option of using quick security-clearance lanes for business travelers is spreading under the TSA’s Registered Traveler program.
And giving new meaning to the term “travel bags” is the rule requiring carry-on toiletries to be in small bottles packed in clear plastic bags. Since the European Union and Australia recently enacted regulations similar to those in the U.S., businesses have seen a need and met it. The new clear, upscale carry-on bags by O2Hide may be a bit much, at least for adults (02hide.com). The company offers a backpack, back bag sling, messenger bag, tote, and “city bag” ($24 to $48). But its cosmetics “attaché” is stylish and exactly the 1-quart wonder stipulated by TSA regs. That’s the perfect container for an elegant line of flight attendant–designed airless canisters that dispense toiletries and won’t leak. Pitotubes range from three tubes ($10) to a six-tube bagged travel kit ($51.95; pitotubes.com). Or go low-tech and far less luxe. Grab the proper size ZipLoc plastic bag and one of Nalgene’s assortment packs of tiny bottles ($7.99; nalgene-outdoor.com). Problem solved.
Shield It / The boarding-pass ID holder was the hot, easy, and secure way to carry documents for inspection a few years ago. Kena Kai’s new DataSafe Collection of wallets and a passport holder takes the next step: shielding your ePassports and credit cards enabled with contactless smart-card technology from wireless information theft ($39.95 to $119.99; kenakai.com).
Lock It / For some time, security locks had to be cut off of luggage for inspection. But with TSA-approved security locks and lockable straps now widely available, TSA agents easily open, inspect, and relock suitcases. No wonder sales of these devices for at least one manufacturer are growing by 50 percent a year. A window on SearchAlert locks changes color when your bag has been searched, making it easy to check the contents before leaving the airport (www.cclsecurity.com). A new device called Secure Tag ($9.95) permits the TSA lock and zipper pulls on softsided luggage to be secured at the handle so that if the zipper is breached, it can’t be resealed with zipper movement (corporatetravelsafety.com). Some of these TSA-sanctioned locks are being integrated into hardsided suitcases by Delsey, Travelpro, Tumi, Rimowa, and Japan’s ACE Co.—the new owner of the Zero Halliburton luggage brand and operator of the ACE World Bag Museum in Tokyo.
Other Trends / The search for light, high-tech luggage is increasingly successful, but to avoid excess-baggage charges on longer trips, the innovative Solutions suitcase line by Ricardo has a built-in digital scale on 25- and 28-inch expandable suiters to keep track of how much your bag weighs ($360 to $400; ricardoluggage.com).
In years past, you’ve read here about the earliest four wheel–style rollaboard bags. That enhancement is appearing in more luggage lines, offering travelers more choices of suitcases that can turn on a dime and navigate tight spaces, not to mention actually support flagging travelers as they walk. Bags by Swany (walkinbag.com), which helped start the trend, Heys (heys.ca), and Rimowa (rimowa.com) are worth a look, the latter made of superlight polycarbonate and spinnable on multidirectional wheels.
Have Music, Will Listen / High Sierra Sport’s new packs permit you to easily adjust your iPod without taking off the pack—or breaking the bank (highsierrasport.com). High Sierra employs a flat, togglelike patch on the strap that intu-itively handles the basic iPod controls in both a messenger bag (Audible, $70) and daypack style (Groove, $125).
More Adventure / With adventure travel ever more enticing, High Sierra Sport’s outdoorsy gear has pioneered the category with packlike details, such as hidden backpack straps on suitcases and zip-off daypacks. High Sierra’s evolving AT line becomes ATQ this year and keeps the flexibility of hidden pack straps but offers sleeker, molded, lighter bags ($139 to $249).
High-adventure specialist The North Face dips a new toe in travel (thenorthface.com). For years, the company’s world-class, gear-testing athletes have been heading off on expeditions lugging massive PVC-tarpaulin Base Camp Duffles by their backpack straps. Those still are available, but the Rolling Thunder wheeled duffles are more mobile and use the same PVC fabric ($179). New this year is a trio of tough-looking wheeled travel bags, including a 21-inch carry-on version (others are 25 inches and 28 inches), that offer expedition-grade construction, removable daypacks, and hidden backpack straps ($289 to $349).
Even lighter are the adventure rollaboards from Osprey (ospreytravelpacks.com). The Meridian and Sojourner Series, both in 22-inch and 28-inch sizes ($279 to $299 and $209 to $259), feature removable daypacks and shoulder harnesses. Osprey’s new Slipstream series ditches the daypack and straps but keeps the rugged High Road chassis in 18-inch and 20-inch sizes ($159 to $199).
In the rugged-adventure field and beyond, laptop sleeves are working their way into many bags and being offered as standalone accessories. The two biggest carry-ons above from The North Face have built-in sleeves that can tote 17-inch laptops. And the larger Osprey Slipstream means business with its Glide removable laptop case.
Solo has a neat feature called Smart Strap on a new laptop case (solocases.com). The carry-on case totes a laptop, and when needed, a built-in shoulder strap is available.
There’s even a laptop component for wired parents in the kid travel–friendly Urban Sherpa backpack from Baby Sherpa (babysherpa.com). Its great gear includes the Diaper Backpack ($89) and a smaller version: the Short Haul Diaper Backpack ($85). Diverse features such as coolers, changing pads, and compartments for everything including video cameras and PDAs make parental life easier.
The first hardsided suitcase collection from Victorinox Swiss Army Travel Gear wowed the Travel Goods Association earlier this year (swissarmy.com). The four-wheeled cases recently won the trade organization’s 2007 Product Innovation Award for such details as a top opening system (when standing upright) and “sleight of handle” hiding places for tweezers and a pen, a feature that recalls the way the brand’s famous knives conceal accessories.
Accessories / Whether you’re trying to read a guidebook out of necessity or fiction for pleasure, there can be no greater challenge than finding the light to do it right (even in your own lodging). To the rescue comes Lightwedge, offering a line of brightly LED-illuminated book lights that are superlightweight and easy to mount (lightwedge.com). The newest, ReLight, is rechargeable ($34.95).
And when miniscule documents conspire to thwart your reading pleasure—or even undermine your making mass-transit connections—pull a Pocket Peepers Reading Lens out of your wallet ($9.95 to $12.95; pocketpeepers.com).
The hot, new kid’s suitcase is Trunki (trunki.co.uk). Its four wheels make it able to be ridden or pulled, and the pink or blue cases disgorge tons of toys ($45).
Single-pack accessories are popular, such as Plane Sheets, a complete makeup for your airborne bed in a handy bag (planesheets.com). They come in coach and business-class sizes ($12.99 to $29.99).
There’s a new line of socks for air travelers from X-Socks, featuring one of the company’s “application-specific designs” (www.x-socks.com). An “air-conditioning channel” wicks moisture out and circulates air with every move of your foot. The socks are designed for the right and left feet, and differential compression zones along the top of each sock are intended to enhance the circulation of blood on long flights—or during a day at your desk ($33).
Best of all, the gear intended to make travel easier is easier than ever to find. Now it’s simple to snag your bags—even the hardest-to-find color or pattern—over the Internet. Just Google “luggage,” troll the growing number of dedicated e-tailers and catalog-based sites, and nab your favorite item, often at mega-discounts with freebies (shipping and returns) thrown in. u
Randy Johnson is the editor of HEMISPHERES.
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