Although a number of hotels and resorts are stepping up their in-room amenity offerings, there are times when you just can’t leave home without your very own supplies, from groomers to hair dryers and even water purifiers. For those times you just can’t do without, we’ve assembled a few of our favorite packable appliances that are light, easy-to-pack and invaluable wherever you or your clients are headed next.
1 Stay Trim
Gentlemen who want to look smart while on the road will appreciate this 3-in-1 groomer from Magellan’s. With just a click, this four-ounce device shaves and trims facial hair with ease. Since it runs on two AAA batteries, there’s no need to plug it in or purchase a voltage adaptor. Stainless-steel cutting blades and a cleaning brush are also included. $12.98. Item number TA345.
www.magellans.com
2 Blow Out
This powerful, 1,875-watt hair dryer from Andis keeps bad hair days away with its ionic and ceramic hair technology that dries hair quickly and seals in moisture to keep hair soft and smooth all day. Its compact size, retractable cord and folding handle make it perfect for stowing away, too, and the dryer comes with a five-year warranty for added peace of mind. $31.99.
www.andis-store.com
3 Watch Your Weight
Given tighter airline luggage restrictions and extraneous fees for checked and overweight bags, it’s crucial that over packers don’t tip the scales when flying the friendly skies. This easy-to-use, eight-ounce digital luggage scale from Balanzza features an ergonomic handle and is free of cumbersome hooks. Its crystal-clear LCD display gives accurate weight readings. $24.95.
www.balanzza.com
4 Don’t Get Lost in Translation
It’s crucial to be multi-lingual in today’s globalized world, and the Speaking Global Translator (TGA-490), shown here, is a definite help. It contains more than 450,000 words, 12,000 phrases and speaks 115,000 words in a recorded human voice in 12 different languages — Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Dutch, English, Korean and Spanish. It also includes an MP3 player to download and play MP3 music files, an AC adaptor, games, an organizer, a world clock, a calculator and a currency and metric converter. $229.95.
www.franklin.com
5 Water Works
The new SteriPEN JourneyLCD water purifier uses C wavelength UV rays to obliterate pesky microbes that can contaminate your drinking water and make you sick. With the simple push of a button, you can purify up to one liter of water by emerging the SteriPEN into the water and agitating it slightly for anywhere from 48 seconds to about 1½ minutes. An easy-to-decipher LCD screen uses universal symbols to avoid any confusion when it comes to readings. $99.95.
www.steripen.com
