Travel Puma

It’s still high summer travel season and that means travel gadgets!

Take a peek at the new SeaCure travel bag that is not only waterproof and crush resistant bag, it will also stop thieves in their tracks with the handy strap that can be worn around your waist.

Gadget guru Colin Kelly said of the SeaCure, “It has a special silicon seal on the front, you can go 10 feet deep and no water will get in.”

Sounds like a great gadget for the upcoming island-hopping vacay, doesn’t it?!

Never have to get frustrated over an accidentally stolen pen again with this Inka Travel Pen that might just be the perfect Father’s Day gift for the traveler in your family!

The Inka Pen stores in its stainless steel case as a harmless looking keychain fob. A quick pull, and out pops the carbon fiber pen with its pressurized ink cartridge. Because it is pressurized, you can write at any angle, at any altitude, even underwater! And if you’re going to be writing for some time, you can unscrew the stainless steel fob and reconfigure your pen into Full-Size mode (that means it is, well, full size). There’s even a hidden stylus!

Wonder if they do overnight shipping….?

USA Today had a recent travel post for all you semi-techies out there.  Mobile applications are fast becoming a relied part of every day us, from alarm clocks that make you do math to wake yourself up to Lonely Planet city guides for travel.

Take some time this Monday morning to peek at the top, free travel apps for your mobile and start being more empowered when you travel!

OpenTable— OpenTable’s app is essentially a miniaturized version of its online services. That’s not a criticism, of course. OpenTable lets you make reservations at more than 13,000 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, and abroad, and shows you what reservation times are available before you put in your request. You can also read diner reviews and view menus, both especially valuable when traveling.

Where— What doesn’t Where do? Want gas prices in your area? Done. Need to find a coffee shop nearby? Easy. Need to find a movie theater and see what’s playing? Check. Basically, Where is an all-encompassing local-area search engine, perfect for travelers just getting acclimated to a new destination. The main drawback to the app is that it’s only for U.S. cities.

Yelp— Speaking of all-encompassing, Yelp has made a name for itself as the one-stop shop for reviews of just about everything, from restaurants to beaches, museums, salons, and auto shops. Need a dentist, pharmacy, or (hopefully not) a doctor? Turn to Yelp to find out which places get the locals’ approval.

TripAdvisor— Picture it: You’re in a foreign city and you miss the last bus or train back to wherever you’re staying. You need a room, and you need one now, but even in your desperate state you won’t settle for some cheap, fleabag motel. Wouldn’t you like to have TripAdvisor’s 35 million (and counting) hotel reviews in your pocket? SmarterTravel’s sister site’s mobile app also includes its proprietary flight search and access to user reviews for restaurants and attractions. (iPhone only.)

GateGuru— Long layovers are an inescapable fact of flying, especially if you’re chasing the lowest of the low fares. GateGuru, at least, can help you prepare. The app comes with maps of 86 airports in the U.S., 12 in Canada, and London’s Heathrow, and shows you what’s available in each terminal and where you can find it. GateGuru also features user reviews, so you know which airport restaurants are (relatively) good, which are best avoided, and where to pick up that last-minute souvenir. (IPhone only.)

USA TODAY AutoPilot — AutoPilot is a great app for any traveler, but especially frequent fliers who are always heading somewhere. AutoPilot lets you store all the information for your trips—flight, hotel, or car reservations—and then gives you updates on flight status and weather for your destination. You can even store confirmation numbers for your reservations. AutoPilot is designed to sync up with TripIt, a similar service. (iPhone only.)

Urbanspoon— Urbanspoon is the app for adventurous eaters, or people who know what they want but don’t know where to get it. Say you’re in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood and want cheap Japanese food. Simply tell Urbanspoon where you are and how much you want to spend, then shake your phone (literally). Urbanspoon will recommend a restaurant. Feeling a bit bolder? Just tell it you’re in Seattle and see what it comes up with. All restaurants are rated by Urbanspoon users, so you know what you’re getting into. (iPhone, Android only.)

MetrO— The smartphone universe is chock full of public transportation apps for cities across the world. MetrO, however, covers some 400 cities, and while most individual city apps may be a bit more comprehensive, MetrO is more than adequate for most traveler’s needs. Users download the app, and then add the cities they want. MetrO can plot routes for you and shows your location on a map so you can see what’s nearby.

Your airline/online travel agent— Just about every airline has an app that, at minimum, lets you store your flight information. Some, like Southwest, let you book flights, check in, cancel reservations, and track your flight status. Online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotels.com also have apps. The OTAs’ apps can be especially convenient if you’ve booked multiple components of your trip, such as a flight and rental car, with the same OTA.

UpNext 3-D Maps— UpNext’s 3-D maps are simply the coolest way to navigate a city. The app only includes five cities—Austin, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.—but the cities are rendered in 3-D, so the Empire State Building actually looks like the Empire State Building, and isn’t just a dot on the map. Is it the quickest, more practical option for navigating? Maybe not. But UpNext’s maps give you a fresh, useful perspective on the city you’re visiting. (iPhone only)

For only $45 you can feel safe while you’re traveling and not have to wear a darn fanny pack.  Now that’s something to celebrate!

Check out the Pacsafe Anti-Theft SlingSafe 100 Sling Purse for everyday and travel use.  With a snatchproof shoulder strap that allows the bag to anchor to a secure fixture, you will never have to worry about pickpockets again.  And the slashproof adjustable shoulder strap will make you feel even better about your travel gadget purchase!

And did we mention there is a headphone port?

Next time you’re staring into a French menu with a blank expression, you’ll remember that you so cleverly download the new Google translation app so you don’t have to eat snails ever again!

That’s the ultimate vision behind the weirdly named Goggles Translate—an app that turns your phone into a point-and-shoot translator. It’s a free download for phones that use Google’s Android operating system, such as the T-Mobile G1 and the Motorola Cliq. It’ll eventually be available for other phones, too.

I tested the app this weekend at a French restaurant in New York. I was interested in trying andouillette, so I took a pic of the word. On the phone’s screen, a blue line appeared and moved across the image of the menu. About 20 seconds later, Google let me know that andouillette is sausage made from pig intestines.

Sign me up!

If you’re looking for the perfect case to protect your phone, tablet, camera or other smaller valuables, then look no further than the Pelican Micro Case.

This Pelican Micro Case stands up to rugged travel with ease and you don’t have to give a thought whether your eyeglasses will get crushed, this baby holds up to anything you can throw at it and still looks good!

And for a mere $16, you can worry less about that travel budget as well!

Thanks to Amazon’s Radio-Controlled Travel Alarm Clock Gadget you will never have to reset your clock again when you’re traveling.

Using a “nationally transmitted signal from an atomic clock station” this travel alarm clock will automatically adjust the time to the local time of where you’re staying and will never keep you guessing what time zone you are in ever again.  It does require one AAA battery but you always have one of those handy, and it’s a mere $20 with all 5-star ratings.

The Apple iPad went on sale Saturday much to the delight of everyone standing in the lines across the U.S.

With the ability to access the web easily and speedily, along with the small size of the tablet, the iPad makes a perfect travel gadget.  Think about no longer having to tote around a large laptop or pay for an internet cafe again.  Sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it?

Why not pop into an Apple store this week and give this travel accessory a whirl.

Etsy-er Valhallabrooklyn has got you covered where travel bags are concerned.  Just take a look at this 2 foot wide leather travel bag and you know you’re in good hands.

Made with smooth cowhide, nickel hardware and sturdy piping and threading, all you have left to do is pack and you’re well on your way to that weekend spa trip.  Cost, a mere $349 for all that handmade love.  A sturdy bargain if there ever was one.

This holiday season give the gift of better  travel with Eagle Creek’s new lightweight HC2 Hovercraft Duffel 22.

Weighing in at just 6 pounds, 8 ounces you will be giving a great gift of love and light packing!  Cost, $225.