I travel a lot for work.  I've gone from Washington DC to Wisconsin to Kolkata, India.  I can and have lived out of a suitcase for 6 months.  When you travel like I do, you learn quickly that the are some serious essentials.  If you've got a travel geek on your Christmas list, here are some awesome gifts to consider.

With the economy crunching, airlines are scrimping as much as they can.  This means things like food, and even entertainment is going away.  Even if you have entertainment, it might not be what you're looking for.  Mp3 players with video, netbooks and even laptops can all have video capabilities.  Who wants to hold a iPhone or Creative Zen for a two and a half hour movie?  That's where the Gorillamobile comes in.  The Gorillamobile by Joby is a flexible tripod that can attach to smart phones, iPods and mp3 players.  This is great as it means you can hook your mp3 player to just the right spot in order to get the best viewing angle to catch up on The Big Bang Theory.

Lots of people talk about noise reducing headphones.  They work awesome, but are extremely expensive and often don't work if your battery dies mid flight.  I've found that a set of in ear headphones can have the same effect, minus the batteries.  Especially Skullcandy earbuds .  These things work so much better than the expensive Sony's I bought a few years ago at filtering out the noise.  Best yet?  The Ink'd are only 21.99.

Western Europe and North America is gifted with good clean water that can be drank for free right out of the tap.  Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn't so blessed.  This is where the Katadyn Water Filtration Bottle comes into play.  As someone that's had giardia and other water born nasties, this is perfect for both business and pleasure, taking out 99% of the nasties that can make any trip painful.

Pashminas were all the rage back in the early '00s and there have been a plethora of knock offs.  While a 100% pashmina wool shawl is close to 400 dollars, you can get imitations that work just as well.  The point is to have something that doubles as a blanket and is light and easy to pack.  A Pashmina shawl is large, folds down to easily be put into a carry on or laptop bag and will keep the travel warm and fashionable at the same time.

Last but not least are two gifts that work both inside and outside an airport.  Power is a the bane of most travellers existence.  No matter what TV would have you believe, laptop aren't powered but nuclear fission and therefore need to be plugged in from time to time.  If you're lucky enough to have power in economy (and seatguru.com is an awesome place to go to find out if you will or not) you'll more than likely need an adapter.  Which is something else to stuff in your already overfilled carry-on.  If you don't have power?  You're relying on your laptop battery to last long enough to stay caught up on Being Erica.  So, I offer two last gifts.  One is a ThermaPAK laptop cooling pad that is self cooling, takes no power, and will prolong battery life by keeping the battery cool with the rest of your laptop.  The other is a universal power adapter.  Just in case you get one of those coveted seats in economy or are lucky to fly business.  Bonus is that most of them will work in a car as well for those long car trips.

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The Holiday Season is upon us.  As the decorations come out and the food is prepared, there are a few things to remember when it comes to that special furry person in your life:

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

There are a surprising number of holiday plants that are poisonous to animals.  Two of the worst are poinsettias and holly.  Both can cause diarrhea, coma and death.  Not exactly the way anyone wants to spend the holidays.  Another plant common in homes is mistletoe which can also cause heartbreak and tears instead of fun and excitement this holiday season.  If you still want plants, because why not they've been know to boost moods and make everything festive, think about getting a pet friendly bouquet from ASPCA.org or get silk or plastic plants.

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

Who doesn't have stories of cats and Christmas trees?  I know I do and my two don't even climb it.  Cats especially, love the bright, shiny and it's important to remember a few things.  First?  Dude, take it from me and put only the ornaments you never want to see again on the bottom of the tree.  Cats and dogs, love to investigate and aren't above making just about anything into a toy.  In the same vein, careful with the breakable ornaments as when they break they could cut little paws that are investigating what just happened.  Tinsel is another thing to be careful of, especially if you have cats.  They love batting around and carrying they're toys and tinsel can get stuck in their throats and intestines.  Always watch the tree to make sure your little darlings haven't decided to use it as a ladder.

Sugarplums and Candycanes

Pretty much everybody knows not to give our furry loved ones chocolate or anything sweetened with xylitol.  Of course, that doesn't stop dogs and cats a like from finding ways to eat what they shouldn't.  The most surprising was onions, chives and garlic.  Things that are found in just about everything.  Now before you panic, especially if you see it on your animal's food, this is a cumulative thing.  The tiny amount that's found in pet food won't do harm, but you should try and avoid giving them table scraps.  I know, trust me, it's hard to say no when you have a very determined cat between you and the fork, determined to say I can haz dat, rite?  

In the long run, it's better to have them abstain.

Though it's been said, many times many ways...

One last piece of advice.  Don't step on your ferret.  It always ends badly.

Happy Holidays!

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