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I love to travel, but I hate leaving my dog Lily behind. Unfortunately she’s a labrador so I don’t have much choice, but for those of you with little pups, taking them along is so easy! With these pet carriers your furry friend can come along, and sit right at your feet (beneath the seat in front of you, of course). Now Spot can enjoy the beach, mountains, or city along with you!

Who says luggage has to 100% utilitarian? Designers like Diane von Furstenberg have come out with luggage lines for the stylish jet-setters. The bags come in fabulous designs, prints, and colors and are sure to make the terrors of airports a little easier to handle! But don’t worry, they’re still durable enough to actually be used as luggage. Yet another triumph for DVF!

If you are a luggage enthusiast, or even a status enthusiast, then you know that Zero Halliburton is the end all be all of hard-sided luggage. Like the American Express Black Card, Zero Halliburton Luggage is as much about status as it is about function. Zero Halliburton luggage has been featured in over 100 big name movies and TV shows. Yes, I agree that $1000 luggage is a bit extravagant, but if you could, wouldn’t YOU want a set?

Although their bags come in a number of different materials, Zero Halliburton is most famous for its aircraft grade aluminum wheel bags. That’s right; your luggage can be made of the same material as the plane you are flying in. These bags are designed to withstand everything from rough baggage handlers to the occasional nuclear blast! And considering every one of their bags comes with a lifetime warranty, this should be the last piece of luggage you every buy! To quote Ferris Bueller “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

We live in a high-tech world. Whoever said that technology has brought us close, but also further apart wasn’t lying. Now, you can walk through a Wal-Mart check-out line and watch the latest commercials on their LCD TV screens. And you can surf the internet while taking that transit bus to get to work on your little Palm Pre. And with a wave of your credit card you can pay for that brand new LED TV that you plan to furnish your house with.

Wait what? With a wave of your new RFID credit card you can pay for anything. No, we’re not talking magic here. We’re talking about technology that’s been around for almost three years.

And RFID has come as both a curse and a blessing. In an attempt to make our lives more efficient, the RFID industry has made it so that contact-less credit cards can transfer all of your credit card information to credit card readers.   For the nifty price of $150, credit card thieves can purchase Radio Frequency Identification readers to intercept your credit card “transmission”. Without ever having to touch your credit card. Which gives us all one more thing to worry about when we’re walking through the mall, the airport, or where ever we happen to be.

So how do we combat the onslaught of new technology? With a handy dandy wallet of course. Many wallet and bag companies have taken it upon themselves to design and produce RFID wallets that prevent credit card thieves from accessing your credit card information. Some of these companies include Travelon, OGON, and Kena Kai.  Many of their wallets are designed to say good-bye to RFID hackers. And there’s no one to say that you can’t have a classy, sleek, yet hacker-fighting wallet in your pocket.

Travelon wallets are built to contain credit cards and passports while protecting your information from RFID hackers. A good example would be Travelon’s RFID Blocking Leather Passport Case. Their design is efficient and professional while also allowing you to manage the new technology that has been entering the credit card industry.

OGON wallets have a sleeker, more modern design that is compact and provides the same RFID-blocking function as the Travelon. Many of their wallets are made out of aluminum with a fan-design for interior pockets. If you’re looking for something durable, simple, eye-catching, and safe, the OGON wallet may be the one for you. Especially if you’re into eye-popping colors.

If you’re a more feminine traveler, you can always go to Kena Kai for your RFID protecting needs.  They offer what they call DataSafe clutch wallets for women. These provide the same function as the OGON and Travelon wallets when it comes to RFID hacker blocking. And they have a slight sense of style to them as well.

You have to remember though, that every time you pull out your credit card, you’re risking RFID hacker identity theft.

Hopefully I haven’t made you paranoid about RFID. But if you see the clerk laughing because you’ve yanked your credit card out to pay and have stuffed it back into your RFID-safe wallet at an abnormal speed, something may be wrong. If you’re even slightly concerned about RFID hackers, pick up an RFID-blocking wallet. It’ll at least give you some piece of mind.

Hideo Wakamatsu has found a way to make traveling an art. In essence, he has accomplished his goal for a “sense of beauty and technology” in his formal yet eye-pleasing designs for the modern world traveler.

One of his more well-known designs is the Hideo Wakamatsu Canvas Easal Trolley. The trolley depicts one of Japan’s greatest pieces of art: The Great Wave off Kanagawa. However, the trolley does not fall-short at artistic value. It has also been designed to be one of the most durable pieces of travel-ware out there.

The trolley is made for sturdy hard-case protection of all your valuables. In terms of customization, you can change the picture that is set into the transparant section of the trolley. This makes your suitcase the perfect representation of you. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about confusing your suitcase with someone elses.

More of Hideo Wakamatsu’s value in art can be seen in his Koura Trolley H Check-In luggage with sakura patterns. The trolley comes with silent moving wheels designed to move over both even and uneven ground. It’s also designed with the same hard-case structure as the Canvas Trolley so as to protect your personals. You can also purchase the cherry-blossom pattern in a carry-on size hard-case or a beauty supply case. The elegant design and durability of the trolley makes it the perfect travel companion for the artistic business woman.

You can find more of Hideo Wakamatsu’s elegant and efficient designs at his official website.

We’ve all had the same problem: a fifty-pound suitcase and what seems like an endless amount of stairs and uneven ground. You’ve trekked across the parking lot, trying to get to your bus or car and your suitcase gets caught on some uneven ground and tips over. And oh . . . dang, there goes the bus.

So don’t you think it’s about time that someone’s invented an indestructable suitcase capable of working like, well . . . a tank? Lucky for us, it seems like one just may be in production. Woo Moonhyung won the Red Dot Award for design concept in 2008 for designing the Climbing UP Suitcase. The suitcase is designed to be able to travel over uneven ground and stairs with ease, while also remaining durable.

The design concept involves  rubber belt tracks that are integrated into the side of the suitcase. It relies on basic physics, so the lack of any electronic mechanics keeps the weight of the bag significantly light. The bag can be used both on level ground and stairs, involving very little effort from its user. With a hard case and a built in digital lock for its concept, the bag is both efficient, durable, and built for security. If anything, it’s design would be perfect for traveling businessmen and women, along with those on vacation. It’s all-around design makes it the ideal suitcase for almost anyone.

Hopefully they will be able to put the bag into production too. That way our traveling can be turned into the breeze that we always wish that it were.

Whether you’re headed to see the eiffel tower, westminster abbey, or the vatican you’re going to need a few necessities to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. First, don’t forget your electric appliance adapters and converters so you can use your hair dryers, and charge your cameras, etc. Second, a durable camera bag will keep your cameras and camcorders safe during your explorations. Finally, and MOSST IMPORTANTLY, don’t forget a travel wallet. It may seem unnecessary, or make you feel too paranoid, but seriously you’d rather be safe than sorry when the pick-pocketers are on the prowl for an unsuspecting tourist to rip off.Most importantly…HAVE FUN!

If you’re anything like me, you’re always fretting about whether or not your suitcase is going to pass the latest in airport security. I have a habit of over-packing, and I always want to keep my valuables nearby–which usually means that I carry more with me than I need. Which is why I need the perfect carry-on.

And I think I’ve found it in the eBags Mother Lode TLS Mini 21″ Wheeled Duffel. The eBags Mother Lode TLS has been designed for functionality, making traveling a breeze. It’s many compartments allow me to organize my things without having to ever cram too many in just one compartment. The most important thing is that the Mother Lode fits all carry-on specifications. And the plus is that it comes with a Lifetime Warranty.

Another nice part is that the bag makes your packing experience unique. It allows you to customize the compartments that you need and want. The result is an efficiently packed carry-on that makes it easier for you to find what you need when you need.

Remembering your trips forever is so important, and what better way is there than to make a travel journal? Including your favorite pictures, stories, or the smallest details is so much better than simply remembering “yeah, I went to Paris once.” Plus, they make excellent gifts for students headed to study abroad, or even the avid traveler. So start cataloguing your favorite pasta in Italy, that time you were so terrified to sky dive but did it anyway, or that beautiful, small town you stumbled upon in the Irish countryside, because it is the little things you’ll want to remember long beyond your trips!

Within the last year, the fee for an overweight bag has become ludicrous. American Airlines charges and additional $50, Delta charges $90, and United charges $125! With fees like this, no one can afford to have an overweight bag. Now my father, like most, had a simple solution to this problem. He turned to the “bathroom scale check” before loading our bags into the car. But as I’m sure you have experienced, if a bag is close to the 50 pound limit, it will usually COVER UP THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE! And I don’t know about you, but I am simply not fast enough to fling the bag off the scale and read the numbers before they say 0.

Alas, men much smarter than myself have solved this crisis by developing the digital luggage scale. These scales hook up to the top strap of you bag, and with a simple lift of the arm, will tell you exactly how much your bag weights. Our personal favorite digital luggage scale is the Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale v2.0.

 This scale features a digital reader that will tell you the exact weight of your bag in either kilograms or pounds, an easy to grip handle, and is capable of measuring bags up to 100 pounds. At only $25.99, the Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale v2.0 may just be the best travel investment you ever make!