Part Time Vagabond » The Best

8 Last Minute Travel Gifts Under $25

ChrisCavs — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:33 +0000

The gift-giving holidays are fast approaching, and if you haven’t picked something up for the traveler in your life just yet, you’re close to being in trouble. Fortunately, I’ve found some great gifts you (er, I mean…the traveler in your life) will love to receive, all for under $25.

L.L. Bean Trailblazer Headlamp

I just bought one of these little guys after more than six years with my old school Petzl headlamp. The Petzl looked like a miner’s headlamp, with a huge light/lens assembly on front with a twist bezel to power the lamp on, and a battery compartment in the back that held 4 AA batteries. The thing was bulky and heavy, especially in comparison to the Trailblazer. This little guy illuminates a huge area with three bright white LEDs powered by three standard AAA batteries. It’s lightweight, compact, burns for up to 160 hours (on its lowest brightness setting, of which it has 3, plus a blink setting). Another plus: it comes in 4 fashionable colors. $19.95, llbean.com.

Smartwool Socks

These socks are the bad boys of the wool sock industry. Ok, I’m making that up, but Smartwool is one of those companies who just really know their market: people who love wool. But don’t think that this is grandma’s-old-itchy-wool-sweater type wool. No sir, this is soft, warm, comfortable Merino wool, made from the wool of the prized Merino sheep. Put these socks on, and you won’t even know you’re wearing wool, as they wick away moisture from your feet, keep your toes warm, and make sure your shoes don’t end up smelling like…well, like wet sheep. $17.95-$24.95 at most outdoor retailers. www.smartwool.com

L.L. Bean Personal Organizer

The Personal Organizer from L.L.Bean is one of those items that you never knew you really needed or wanted until you saw one in action. That happened to me when my brother visited and I saw his organizer hanging in the bathroom. The Personal Organizer is great for toiletries, tools, or just random stuff you need a place for. All sizes have a hang strap for easy access to the roomy and functional interior, and it all folds and zips up into a compact and easily packable package. $19.95-$39.95, llbean.com.

Press-Bot French Press Coffee Filter

I don’t drink coffee. I’m more of a tea man myself, but the Press-Bot Coffee Filter is great for both beverages. The contraption is a french-press style filter that fits inside any wide-mouth Nalgene style water bottle. From reviews I’ve read, the filter splits in the middle to fit inside the bottle, then springs back into place and forms a nice, tight seal witht the sides of the bottle. With is compact design and the fact that most of us have a Nalgene bottle lying around somewhere, this is a gift that anyone an appreciate. Especially on those cold, early mornings. $20, www.venturedesignworks.com/pressbot.html.

ChicoBag reusable bags

Ok, so aside from being economical and environmentally sound, ChicoBags are pretty damn cool. They’re lightweight and sturdy, come in a variety of colors and designs, and they pack up into tiny little balls that you can stick in a cargo pocket or purse. The originals are traditional shopping bags, but ChicoBags also offers sling, messenger, and daypack versions. If you hurry, their limited edition holiday bags are 30% off. $5-$25, www.chicobag.com.

Moleskine City Guide

Moleskine (pronounced “mole-uh-skeen-uh”) notebooks get a bad rap as trendy, expensive, hipster geek books that one shouldn’t be caught dead with. On the contrary, I find these books incredibly useful and durable, and I carry one with me wherever I go. I’ve only found two downfalls: 1) When I keep one in my back pocket & repeatedly sit on it, the binding tends to loosen and the oilcloth on the spine splits and comes off; this probably won’t happen with the soft cover books; and 2) I can never find the hardcover, unlined plain notebook!) When Moleskine came out with the City Guides a few years back, I was excited. The books contain maps of the main areas within cities like Madrid, New York, and Dublin; blank pages for scribbles and notes; a 96-page archive for organizing; and translucent sticky sheets that you can stick on the maps to write & reposition. The City Guide book is basically a do it yourself exploration guide. $17.95 at most book retailers, www.moleskine.com.

Klean Kanteen Water Bottle

The great BPA scare of the past several years has left plastic water bottle makers trying to recover from a PR nightmare. In the meantime, Klean Kanteen snuck up and took center stage as a leader in BPA-Free water bottles. The food-grade stainless steel containers are sturdy and lightweight, and avoid any nasty metal aftertaste in the water. All the bottles are recyclable, and the fact that they’re reusable means fewer plastic bottles in landfills. Sure, they’ve become somewhat of a status symbol, but it’s a status you should be proud of. $19.95, rei.com

Gerber Curve

I saw this little bad boy at work one day and was intrigued. It’s curved, compact design flows nicely while packing a bunch of useful tools inside its body. I’ve always loved the design of Gerber knives, so it’s no surprise that the Curve caught my eye. It has a blade, two screwdrivers, a file, and bottle opener, all of which lock into place. It all clips on to a belt loop or keychain. The first one I saw was metallic pink, and I noticed on the packaging that part of the proceeds from the pink tool would be donated to the Susan G. Komen for The Cure Foundation. At $11.95, you can get one for all the ladies on your shopping list, and know that you’re helping to make a difference. Not bad. Also available in blue and grey. $11.95, rei.com.

*DISCLOSURE: I am a seasonal employee at the L.L. Bean Flagship store in Freeport, ME. My opinions on all products are my own, and do not reflect the official positions of L.L. Bean in any way. I do not recieve any compensation from the company to talk about products. No, L.L. Bean didn’t make me say that. The FTC did.

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The American Diner (and Drive-in, and Deli)

ChrisCavs — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:00:07 +0000

Coincidence? Maybe. Serendipity? I like to think so.

As an active member of the Twitter community, I have a wide ranging group of people I follow on a regular basis. One such Tweeter is Bexmith, who in many ways seems to be a kindred spirit. Recently, her love of travel and food somehow conjoined our fates and brought to my attention the website Roadfood.com. The site is essentially a directory of, and community for, the best roadside eateries in the United States.

One of my favorite topics is food, and specifically unique eateries. And as I began writing this post, I wondered what exactly I’d write about them. I tend to be a jack of all trades, master of none, so I know a little bit about a lot of things. Diners, however, I know well. It’s hard to argue against New Jersey being one of the diner capitals of America (if not the world), and having lived there for more than five years, I was privy to some amazing home-cooked fast food. From the Tom Sawyer Diner in Paramus (which sadly burned down a few years ago. *edit: they’ve rebuilt it! see the link below), to the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory in Jersey City, I’ve tasted some of the best — and worst — diner food in America. I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur, but more of an enthusiastic fan. Either way, I love diner food.

What follows is a list of some of the best diners, drive-ins, delis, and small eateries where I can recall having a meal. It’s by no means exhaustive (and mostly centers around the east coast), but man, that food is good.

Frankie’s Hot Dogs – Waterbury, CT
Nardelli’s Grinder Shoppe – Waterbury, CT
White Manna – Hackensack, NJ
Tom Sawyer Diner – Paramus, NJ
The Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory – Jersey City, NJ
Carnegie Deli - New York, NY
Bridgewater Diner – Bridgewater, NJ
In-N-Out Burger (a chain, I know, but so very, very good) – locations throughout the Western United States

Keep an eye out for future posts profiling some of these amazing eateries. And if you’re in the neighborhood, make sure you stop by. You won’t regret it.

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Best Bike Touring Blogs

ChrisCavs — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:30:25 +0000

Ok, maybe these blogs aren’t necessarily the absolute best in the world, and the list is certainly not exhaustive, but they all are at least interesting and fun to read. And I like them dammit. Do you have a favorite? Pop it in the comments and let me know!

Photo courtesy Russ Roca/ Pathlesspedaled.com

The Path Less Pedaled

Russ and Laura are on a mission: To ride around the country for as long as they can…on their bikes. The great thing about the blog is that there is no pretension at all in their journey. They’re just doing it because they enjoy it and want to see the country. They’re not out there for some spiritual awakening or in search of some great life truth, though I’m sure they’d welcome it. They just want to ride. I went back and read every entry from the beginning, and the blog actually reads like a book (Russ and Laura, are you listening? Get on the writing of the book!). It’s been fascinating to watch as they rid themselves of most of their worldly possessions and take off on this adventure. And because Russ is a photographer (one known as the “Eco-Friendly Photographer” because he rides his bike to all his gigs), the blog is filled with stunning photos and fun videos.

Bike Commuters

I’m seriously considering putting my car up on blocks and going all bike, at least during the warmer months here in Maine. Bike Commuters is a great site to get news and information from other cyclists about how they deal with the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the commuting lifestyle. A great read, the blog is written with some personality, not just with some lame SEO in mind, so it will keep your attention. The site is a bit bare bones, but what they do have up is quality. Plus, occasionally there is some quality bike pr0n going on there. Good stuff.

Bicycle Touring Pro

Darren Aiff of Bicycle Touring Pro very recently returned from biking around Europe for nine months, but he’s been touring for years, and has put together a pretty useful website of information for bike tourists. From picking the right bike to learning how to find “unofficial” camping spots, BTP is a great resource for novice riders looking to get started. Darren also puts out a nice email newsletter that includes a 12-part “mini-course” on bike touring, as well as other useful information. There is a lot of information on the site though, so take your time sorting through it.