Some people can stay firm, keeping their college backpack and eschewing all unnecessary, overly designed items. Shopping at a travel-goods store with Betty was a hoot; she looked at the piles of neatly stacked organizers and rolled her eyes. I wanted all of them.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, here are the items I can either vouch for (because they are a recent gift) or want want want.

Luggage and Bags

1. 19″ Jelly Bean Hideo Wakamatsu rolling suitcase, Flight 001, $185

I have already waxed rhapsodic about my love of my bright yellow rolling suitcase from Japan–how every time I’m in line, people cheerfully pipe up about how much they love it; how I get better service from the in-flight crew because they, too, love and covet it; and how it miraculously seems to carry everything I need for every trip.

Well, to cut a long story short: It comes in orange.

2. Sackville Shop Sack, Rivendell Bikes, $40

If orange is a little over the top for you, consider this cargo tote–good for long weekends and–if you’re slightly obsessed with your bike, like me–can be used once you’re back home, as well.

3. MUJI Folding Travel Case, MOMA, $16

I love a no-frills-ish travel case, which is why I love this one from MUJI. To be honest, I like the aesthetic of all their stuff, and picked up a small purse insert at the MUJI mothership when I was there last month.

More non-luggage recommendations after the jump!

Gear and Tech Goodies

4. Grid-It, Flight 001, $17 (small)  and $22 (medium)

I’ve wanted one of these for a while. I’m always paranoid about leaving behind chargers and other cords. A tidy system like this means that I’m more likely to notice, since there’d be a blank spot in the grid. Want.

5. iPhone 4 Hard Cover, Kate Spade, $40

Ever since I dropped my previous iPhone on the unforgiving floors of this unpleasant motel (cough–I mean hotel), I’ve wanted a nice case. This Mad Men-era homage/cutie totally fits the bill, and the bright green means I won’t accidentally leave it on a mini-bar somewhere.

6. P5 Mobile Headphones, Bowers & Wilkins, $300 

These are pricey, I admit. I got a pair for my birthday, when I sat in close proximity to a co-worker with a barky laugh. They drowned her out, just as they blissfully drown out the unpleasant noise that is modern air travel. And while I’m not an audiophile, the sound they deliver is amazing, and they fold up flat to fit in a cozy pouch. They are winners.

Travel Books and Apps

7. The Cities Book, Lonely Planet, $50

What could be better than a five-pound tome on the cities of the world? Newelty is firmly in the urban archipelago camp, where most of our travel itineraries include at least one major metropolis, which is why this book is so appealing as a coffee-table read between trips.

8. A Week at the Airport and The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton, $15 and $9

I mentioned the first book in my fall reading list, and it strikes me as a perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who appreciated a meditative approach to travel. The second is simply a classic by an author who appears regularly in this blog.

9. Time Out City Apps, $4.99

A long time ago, I was excited about some of the first e-travel books. That time is clouded in foggy memory, though, since I never made much use of them. These city apps have the one must-have feature that makes me willing to try them: that you yourself can be located on their in-app maps. I’m so used to traveling with my iPhone map as my GPS that I’m cranky when I’m abroad, shaking my fist at the absurdly high roaming charges. These apps seem like a nice way to bridge the distance from our current fee-heavy reality to the future, when social media replaces our guidebooks entirely.

Bonus: The London and Sydney apps are currently free! Go check them out.

10. Camerabag, $2 (for iPhone) and $19 (for Mac and PC)

For some reason, Hipstamatic gets all the attention when it comes to a good iPhone photography app. I have both, but I use Camerabag ten times as much, and with much better end result. Most of the photos on this blog have a version that’s been rendered in Camerabag, in fact, which is why it’s one of my top 8 apps for traveling with your iPhone.

11. Universal power adapter, Thinkgeek, $17

Truth be told, I have a giant bag of power adapters, including for places I haven’t been to yet. (Travel dreams!) I love the simplicity of the One Adapter to Rule Them All. And as I read the list of countries covered by this adapter I thought: Tajikistan takes the Australasian style plug? I can’t locate that on a map–and I’d never heard of that style before–but you never know…I might end up there someday…and really want to charge up my laptop.

Practical Luxuries

12. Blazing Trench, nau, $350

OK, this coat isn’t cheap. But that’s kind of the point. We don’t buy fugly reversible “travel” dresses that we wouldn’t wear at home. (Or, for that matter, onesies to camp in, no matter what the Guardian says.) This coat is a great coat, and that it would serve you well for winter travel is a secondary part of the appeal.

If you’re interested, we have a recommendation for a men’s coat, as well.

13. A pre-paid chip and PIN card

Sure, the days of traveler’s checks are far behind us, but we haven’t completely moved into a friction-free future when it comes to accessing your cash. When I was in Holland this summer, for example, I had to constantly remember to keep cash on me because the groceries stores only take “chip and PIN” cards, not my foreign-born bank cards. 

At long last you can buy a pre-paid one of these, and it seems like a fantastic idea for those annoying small purchases. It sounds like you need to buy one at a Travelex booth (most likely at the airport) for now, rather than online.

14. Zipcar membership

Zipcar beats traditional car rental, hands down. If you have a road-trip-loving friend who’s based in or heading to the cities that Zipcar covers, a membership would be a great gift. Read my full Zipcar trip review.

Plus One More

15. Wake Me Up Button, $7 CAD

Next time I go to London (and decide to take public transportation in to the city after that sleepless 9-hour flight from Seattle), I’m pinning one of these on. (No direct link–go to http://uptoyoutoronto.com/ and search on “wake me up button.”)

Happy holiday shopping!

There are a few things I love about it. Unlike a lot of big bags, it’s extremely lightweight because it’s made of recycled sail cloth. It’s huge and roomy, with a minimum of fuss (not over-designed).

It has this charming Hawaiian map on the inside, which makes me happy every time I rediscover it:

The store has a great mandate: to reuse and recycle muumuus, sail cloths, pieces of jewelry, vases, even plastic oil barrels, into adorable and fashionable stuff. They had a press blitz when President Obama’s sister brought in their grandmother’s muumuu–she wore one every day–and the owner refashioned it into a tie he wore for his inauguration. (More on that story in this article.)

Admittedly, I was skeptical. I didn’t really see, fashion-wise, how muumuus could be heavenly. Until I saw them reconstituted into sleek little dresses, that is. (As always, my recommendations for stores are because I honestly like them. I paid for this bag and have no financial incentive to write this up. I just like their stuff.)

Muumuu Heaven has soul. The women who worked there just seemed happy to be part of the enterprise, and I love the idea of creating beautiful pieces–and less landfill–in a place as magnificent as Oahu.

And so–like the sheeple all around me–I anxiously wait to board the plane in a herd formation every trip, sizing up the lady in front of me who’s clearly pushing the two carry-on rule with her luggage, purse, and tote. (The whole time I’m silently shouting: I CAN SEE YOU AND YOUR THIRD ITEM.)

Reading “Gaming the Luggage System” from the New York Times, I almost can’t believe this never occurred to me–to game the line, the fees, and the whole carry-on scenerio:

At the end of the jetway, before stepping onto the plane, Mr. Hamilton simply inquired if he could check his bag right there. A luggage handler who was waiting for strollers, car seats and other carry-on overflow was happy to oblige. “They put a tag on it and we boarded the plane,” he said. No charge. No stress. “When we got off, the bag showed up pretty quickly,” he added.

Pretty clever. And yet I still wouldn’t do it, because I don’t want to let my lovely luggage out of my own hands.

I’ve found my favorite bag of all (and this has been an epic 10-year quest). Every time I’m on a plane, someone comments on my bag and how much they like it. Judge for yourself:

modeling in the studio

Last time I took a cab back from the airport, the cabbie and I had a talk about my candy-colored hard-shell luggage, and how he normally only sees bags like that with Japanese travelers. I mentioned that the bag was actually from Japan, and he talked about being from Somalia, and the relative distance both he and the bag had traveled. I’m sorry–that kind of conversation just doesn’t happen with the square lookalike black roll-on.

I’m not shilling for the company that sells it. I’m not even going to provide a link to it, because that might make it seem like I was trying to sell something. (Although if you’re dying of curiosity, you can ask in the comments and I’ll provide it.)

It just simply makes me happy. It functions well and is lightweight. I definitely don’t take very much–it’s strictly a one-extra-pair-of-shoes situation. But it carries just enough, as in this action shot the night before two-week trip to the East Coast and Amsterdam:

loaded for the road

When I was a broke-ass college student, I used to buy luggage for $5 at street fairs, and although this jelly bean luggage is a huge upgrade, the fact that it has a shiny blue interior like the 1950s train cases I still have from the vintage days adds to its appeal.

Considering how grumpy most people seem to be when it comes to the subject of luggage, air travel, and the like, I just wanted to testify that another option was possible. Gaming the luggage is clever, but unnecessary. You can be happy despite all the travails of the trip. You just need the right bag.

Preferably in yellow.