This is the second installment of gift suggestions for the travelers you love. Happy shopping.
Ekster Wallet & Tracker Card
The Ekster Wallet ($62) and Tracker Card ($34) duo solves three problems at once. They not only pare down that bulky wad in your pocket or purse, but also provide a means to find both the misplaced wallet and phone.
Features: The smart wallet has RFID protection and a clever pop-up feature that makes for easy access to credit cards; and the credit card-size tracker is solar powered.
I found setting up the system easy if you follow step-by-step – which is to say that, if I can do it, you can, too. Visit https://ekster.com.
FlatWare
The design of GoSun’s FlatWare is genius. The reusable stainless-steel cutlery is convenient and practical and ends plastic waste. Perfect for the hiker, biker, camper and traveler. Its weight (1.4 ounces) and dimensions (the case is 3.3 inches by 2 inches) makes it easy to fit in purse, pocket or backpack. BPA-free. On sale for $15.
Joseph Rosendo
Appropriately called “Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys” (www.travelscope.net), this book by longtime, Emmy-winning television travel series host Joseph Rosendo shares what he’s learned over his decades-long career.
Within the 266 pages of this softcover, the broadcast and print journalist tells us that “travel should be an adventure filled with surprising and unexpected experiences,” and that even what appears to be “a hiccup” in plans “can become an opportunity to be creative.” (Mishaps make the best stories, right?)
The assembled collection of favorite expeditions and destinations include British Virgin Islands, Egypt, Europe, Papua New Guinea and more. Rosendo also introduces us to his family, his Cuban roots and what all have taught him.
And if this pandemic has caused a bit of focus-deficit, “Musings” is the perfect gift. Open to any chapter and get a fully contained, free-standing anecdote that is sure to bring a smile, an aspiration or wonderful memory of your own.
Rosendo has been a travel journalist and broadcaster since 1980, and since 2007, has hosted, directed and written “Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope,” an award-winning PBS series.
Museum Tour Playset
Visiting and exploring museums has been put on hold for now, but you can instill a sense of culture and wonder in young ones with the first Museum Tour Playset by Cityspots.
The game allows kids to explore an art museum using representations of real works of art.
This modernism edition features two museum docents; a folding magnetic whiteboard on which players can “hang” six works-of-art magnets; a two-sided playmat; and a book that takes readers on a fictional museum tour and instruction on the art. $45.
Workman calendar
Nobody does calendars like Workman, and this year there are 121 from which to choose.
Yes, you’ve got your cellphone to tell you the date, but Workman calendars, which come in four formats, give so much more. Consider Atlas Obscura’s 365 Days of Extraordinary Destinations, Bizarre Phenomena and Other Hidden Wonders (page-a-day, desktop version); 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (wall calendar); or Rick Steves’ Europe (picture-a-day wall calendar).
Regardless of your choice, each calendar features color photos and detail-rich text on destinations and worldwide events. The calendars come in various sizes, shapes and prices.
