Travel Stuff We Love Now

Today we are offering even more great travel ideas and tips for your next trip.

J-Pillows

I was a bit sceptical when I was contacted and asked to try out the J-pillow; a replacement of my beloved blow-up neck pillow for my travels. After all, I have used my old pillow for years, and was pretty happy with it.  And when I received a sample in the mail, I was even more skeptical. It looks kinda like an elephant with two big ears and a trunk! But, guess what? It was so comfortable I can’t wait for my next flight. It is called the J-pillow because it looks a bit like a 3D letter ‘J’. The pillow supports four key areas: the front, side and back of head, plus the neck.

The “trunk part of the pillow supports the chin, which I think is a major advantage. With a regular neck pillow, the head can still flop forward, causing neck strain. When using the J-pillow, it feels like I am snuggled up with my own comfy pillow and feel ready to sleep. The pillow has a clip so you can attach it to your luggage or you can stuff it into your carry-on.  And, I see that they are now offering a J-Pillow that is inflatable. Since I am always trying to save space, I gotta get that one!

 

Michelin “Must Sees” Guides

We hope you use EuropeUpClose.com to help select travel destinations in Europe, but it is also nice to have a small travel guide to read on the plane and carry with you while on your trip. If that is the case for you, I’d like to recommend the Michelin “Must-Sees” Guides.

Michelin Guides just sent me a reviewers copy of their new “Must-Sees” guide to London. It really covers all the bases. These lightweight guides are perfect for first-time visitors to London, Paris, Barcelona and all the other cities they cover. What I like best are the city maps in the front and back of the book as well as the sights listed first by importance, then by neighborhood. How easy is that to figure out? There are also separate sections on nightlife, shopping, markets, kids and a lot more. They top it off with recommendations for restaurants and hotels for every budget.

Bring a few Scarves

Wondering how to keep your wardrobe fresh while on a long trip? I recommend traveling with neutral colors that blend together and then brighten them up with an assortment of scarves. Silk scarves weigh almost nothing, but can add so much to an outfit.

I was offered a gift certificate from Novica to try out their products, so I chose a few scarves for my upcoming trip. The scarves were mailed directly from India and Bali, and I was surprised to see how beautifully they were packaged, each in it’s own decorative bag. I also received a little note from the designers, telling their story. These items would be impressive gifts.

Novica, in association with National Geographic, works directly with master artisans in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to bring their designs to the world. Novica offers so many handcrafted items from jewelry to home decor, it was hard to choose, but I do know that if you are looking for something special, look at Novica and help artisans make a living from their art. They have a Curator’s project that you might find interesting, with ways to support the artisans and win prizes.

Bring your Favorite fragrance

Travelo Touch

If you want to bring your favorite fragrance on your trip, but don’t want to deal with the TSA or bring glass containers, you might like the  Travalo Touch. Made of durable aluminum, the Travalo Touch is a 5 mL refillable fragrance wand with rollerball technology and can hold up to 50 applications so your favorite cologne or perfume is always available.

TSA-approved, Travalo Touch is a portable fragrance wand designed to internally refill in seconds. Its spill-free patented Genie-S pump system allows you to easily transport your favorite scent anywhere you go whether it’s in your carry-on, luggage, purse, gym bag, car or desk drawer. Refilling Travalo is as simple as removing the nozzle from your perfume, placing the Travalo on bottle pump stick and filling as much as you need. We got a free sample and found it just as easy to use as they say. It really is perfect for a trip abroad…lightweight and unbreakable. The Travelo Touch runs about $20.

 Written by Terri Fogarty for EuropeUpClose.com