10 Essential Summer Vacation Gadgets

The average business traveler already has a solid roundup of tools and technology for the road, but there’s a whole different bag of gear for leaving the office behind, donning a pair of flips flops or a luau skirt, and traveling for pleasure.

Smart travelers pack light, finding multi-purpose gadgets that help minimize how much stuff they try to cram into their carry-ons. The ideal schwag bag is filled with electronics that are high-tech, low-weight, and have true staying power (battery power, that is).

Who says getting away from it all means you can’t stay connected? Certainly not us. In fact, the 10 products that we deem most essential for summer holiday travel are designed to let you enjoy your time off while staying connected—in the right way.

Samsung Memoir, $250 (with 2 year T-Mobile contract)

Samsung’s Memoir is probably the best camera phone on the market, and for travelers, that means ditching that old PowerShot in favor of the 8-megapixel camera phone for basic point-and-shoot moments. Weighing in at 4.4 ounces, this little powerhouse also has Bluetooth technology, a full web browser and touch screen, a Xenon flash, a built-in GPS, 16x digital zoom, and music playing capabilities, too. All those multi-purpose features add up to multi-purpose-goodness for travelers. However, users do need to purchase a microSD memory card to get the full 16GB memory that Samsung advertises.

Check out our Samsung Memoir Review.

Samsung Memoir

Canon EOS Rebel XSi with 18-55mm lens, $750

Once you’ve shed your PowerShot and embraced a decent camera phone for those candid photos, you’ll need to add a real camera to your repertoire, too – the one you lug out for those gorgeous sunsets on the beach, the view of Lake Tahoe from the hotel veranda, or the image of your significant other riding a camel in Morroco. We recommend the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Novices will find that its presets and user-friendly menu layout make it extremely convenient for beginners, while more experienced shutterbugs will see it as one of the best cameras in the sub-$1,000 category. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs on an additional 1.8 oz. to the already hefty 16.8 oz. body, but the stunning memories you’ll capture will make it worth the weight.

Check out our Canon EOS Rebel XSi Review.

Canon EOS Rebel XSi

HP 2140 Mini Netbook, $399

The “mine is smaller than yours” mentality can become irritating at times, but it’s not nearly as irritating as hauling around a clunky laptop. Notebooks and netbooks are finally reaching a truly comfortable size, especially for travelers who just want to blog, upload photos, surf, and maybe do a little bit of light business while they’re away. HP makes a teeny Mini 1000, it’s really for casual consumers, whereas for a few bucks more you can get a little more oomph out of the 2140, the model we recommend here. The 2140 measures 10.3 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches and barely tips the 3-pound mark on the scale with the battery. According to at least one test, the battery can last more than seven hours while continuously surfing the Web over a Wi-Fi connection.

HP 2140 Mini Netbook

Dell Wasabi (PZ310) Ultramobile Photo Printer, $149

Let the kids send Grandma a personalized postcard with Dell’s Wasabi portable photo printer. In about 55 seconds, the 8-ounce, handheld printer can upload (from your camera or camera-phone) and spit out a 2-by-3-inch, semi-gloss photo. The Wasabi may seem reminiscent of Polaroid cameras from days of yore, though it’s way more compact, lightweight, and high-tech. For starters, it uses a “zero-ink” or ZINK printing system that doesn’t require any cartridges or ribbons—the ZINK company also supplies the adhesive-backed paper on which the photos print. Dell’s Wasabi also has Bluetooth 2.0 inside, meaning it can talk to some (though not all) Bluetooth-equipped phones and cameras for wireless connectivity. Just in case, there’s a USB connection, too.

Dell Wasabi (PZ310) Ultramobile Photo Printer

Seiko Global Atomic Travel Alarm Clock, $60

Although some travelers have consolidated their alarm clock needs into their mobile phones, there are some of us who prefer to have a reliable, sturdy, one-touch-snooze clock on the bedside table no matter where we go. We love Seiko’s compact, flip-case Global Atomic Travel Alarm Clock that automatically sets the time via a radio-transmitted signal (really helpful when you realize that other countries don’t follow the same daylight saving schedule as the U.S.). The clock displays the day of the week, date, and temperature, and has a gentle amber backlight when the alarm sounds and when buttons are pressed. It runs on two AA batteries, which you won’t have to swap out for a year or two.

Seiko Global Atomic Travel Alarm Clock

Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS sports watch, $370

No runner should live—much less travel—without this watch. Garmin’s Forerunner uses GPS data to track how much distance the runner covers, making it ideal for athletes running new routes while on vacation. It also logs pace, heart rate, and calories burned. The 2.11-oz. watch does eat up juice, lasting only 8 hours when turned to training mode, but it has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Post-workout, the data recorded on the run can be uploaded wirelessly to the user’s computer, allowing one to track progress over time.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS sports watch

Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 camcorder, $350

Sanyo’s Xacti E2 Camcorder is a snorkeler’s delight. At 9 ounces, the less-than-pint-sized camcorder is waterproof at depths up to five feet. Shaped more like a price gun than a traditional hand-held camcorder – and with a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD screen and shake-control mechanism – the Xacti is designed with active travelers and family vacationers in mind. Think snorkeling, skiing, or filming the kids at the lake. It can capture about 10 hours of video on a single SD or SDHC card, and shoot 8-megapixel high-resolution JPEG still photos.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 camcorder

Magellan Roadmate 1470 GPS, $207

If you can’t remember life before the Internet (remember encyclopedias?), or life before mobile phones (remember pagers?), you’ve probably also blocked from your memory what it was like to take road trips before GPS. Magellan’s Roadmate 1470 has a 4.7-inch color touch screen and is loaded with helpful advice and reviews from AAA. Spoken directions with live traffic updates let you keep your eyes on the road, and the QuickSpell and SmartCity features will help you find “wooster mass” when you realize you don’t know how to spell Worcester nor Massachusetts. Magellan’s Roadmate 1470 works in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico and claims GPS accuracy within three to five feet.

Magellan Roadmate 1470 GPS

Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones, $269

True, Bose headphones are a splurge, but they have the ability to create an instant oasis amidst the chaos of airports lounges, airplane cabins, and anywhere else where you just don’t want to listen to all the surrounding hubbub. With a hard shell carrying case, dual-plug adapter, detachable audio cable, and five-foot extension cord, Bose is definitely trying to make sure you get your money’s worth. The QuietComfort 2 sports an around-the-ear style, which we recommend for maximum noise-cancelling effect. The headphones can be used for both canceling ambient noise and listening to music, though you’ll need a single AAA battery, which should last about 40 hours, for either purpose.

Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Lingo Xplorer language translator, $250

What we like about the Lingo Xplorer is just how much one can actually do with it. The device, which is about as big as an advanced calculator, can translate 14 languages—English, German, French, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian, as well as conjure up 840,000 words, utter 46,200 useful phrases, and convert eight currencies. Best of all, it contains eight mini games, like Sudoku, Mines, and Kakuro. Minus its protective case, the Lingo Xplorer weighs just 8 oz., making it light enough to stuff into a handbag or backpack relatively unnoticed.

Lingo Xplorer language translator