Choose Your Own Adventure
Let Mom choose her own adventure or experience to coincide with her next destination. From luxurious spa pampering to extreme adventures like race car driving and tandem skydiving, or city passes for urban activities, special dinners out or hotel stays, you won’t be hard pressed to find something she’ll absolutely adore. Go for a general gift certificate or choose a specific package to accompany a trip you know she’ll be taking in the near future. Throughout Canada, LifeExperiences.ca is a great operation to book through, and for experiences throughout the US, Cloud9Living has offerings in over 40 major American cities.
Price: starting at $50
Available: In-stores and online at LifeExperiences.ca and Cloud9Living
It’s in the Bag
Savvy travelers are not checking bags these days, so the role of the carry-on has become increasingly important. Impress your traveling Mom with a bag from the new Halliburton collection Zero Air II. They’re über light yet extremely tough. The new geometric X-Rib pattern decreases weight and enhances material strength, with 20″ bags weighing in at a mere 2.2kg, yet their polycarbonate shell can really take a beating. They also feature water-repellent zippers to ensure contents are always safe from the elements and the TSA-friendly locks make inspections easy while keeping unauthorized handlers out. The added bonus? They’re sleek and stylish, too!
Price: starting at $395
Available: In-stores and at zerohalliburton.com
Maximum Fashion
Mom doesn’t have to be a fashionista to know that every wardrobe needs a basic little black dress. But for travelers, this chic maxi dress from Joe Fresh is the better packing choice for ultimate versatility. Whether she’s heading to the beach or to after-work drinks, it’s a perfect warm-weather option. Easily dressed up with a suit jacket or glitzy wrap – and perhaps a kicky shade of lipstick – it morphs into business or nightlife mode in a flash. It’s also made from wrinkle-proof material and packs like a dream.
Price: $29
Available: In-stores and at joefresh.com
Tune Out
Don’t let the flimsy feel of these headphones fool you, PortaPro Headphones are designed to be ultra lightweight and portable yet durable, backed by the KOSS world-class attention to quality. Traveling Mom will not only appreciate her ability to capture incredible sound, but she’ll also love the noise cancelling feature, which will effectively block out loud-talking travelers and screaming babies while she’s trying to sleep, work or simply relax en route to her destination.
Price: Starting at $49
Available: In-stores and koss.com
Hat Head
Veteran globetrotters testify that Tilley Endurables is a go-to brand for adventurers, and a Tilley hat is the number one must-have. They offer a wide range of styles and colours perfect for trekking the jungle or dazzling on a business trip, and all have the signature Tilley secret pocket for spare cash, ID, or room keys. The hats are weather-proof, high quality, lightweight yet extremely durable. It’s really tough to wear out a Tilley hat! And the material is designed to protect against 98 percent of harmful UVA/UVB rays.
Price: Starting at $79
Available: Tilley stores and tilley.com
Keep Rain at Bay
As they say, into each life a little rain must fall… but packing an umbrella when traveling – even a collapsible one – is just one more bulky extra to squeeze into your luggage, and lug around when the sun does return. The water resistant microfiber Hood-to-Go is the perfect solution for the stylish traveler seeking to save her ‘do from an unexpected soaking. It fits easily under a top, coat, or suit jacket and folds conveniently into its own tiny pouch for easy stashing when not needed.
Price: $20 (US)
Available: Online at hoodtogo.com
Fine Photos
Fuji’s super popular FinePix collection of waterproof, freeze-proof, shockproof and dust/sand proof digital cameras are ideal for any world traveler. Perfect for beach holidays, it can take high quality photos and HD video underwater up to ten meters below. But every mom, traveling or not, will be able to appreciate this generous gift. Whether the kids are doing cannonballs poolside or simply making a mess during a family picnic, these cameras are basically child-proof. Plus, the latest version XP70 is a 16.4 megapixel camera that also has Wi-Fi capability for fast, easy on-the-spot sharing.
Price: $220
Available: In-stores and via online retailers
Nap Anywhere
Mom might get odd looks using this as it is rather odd looking, but she won’t care once she discovers how effectively the Nap Anywhere pillow stops travel from being a pain in the neck. Literally. She’ll also be grateful that it prevents her from inadvertently using a complete stranger as a head rest once asleep. The unique design was created by a physician unsatisfied with the minimal neck support that most travel pillows offer. It has an adjustable strap to keep it snug on your shoulder and folds flat as a pancake for easy storing.
Price: $59.00
Available online at napanywhere.net
Phone it in
The BlackBerry Z30 is ideal for traveling moms. Built with a 5-inch screen and BlackBerry Natural Sound technology, it provides optimal visual and sound experience chatting face-to-face with family using BBM Video. The BlackBerry® Priority Hub feature ensures messages from people she interacts with most – whether family or business – always rise to the top, which means less time scrolling through irrelevant entries and signing into accounts. Also great is the Z30’s ability to toggle between languages. Type a message in English and translate it into Spanish instantly! The BlackBerry Travel app is also ideal for trip planning.
Price: $499.00 (Cellular carriers set their own pricing)
Available: In-stores or at ca.blackberry.com
Hidden Warmth
Traveling can be chilly – in airports, on planes and trains, and even in the tropics, the temperature can go from scorching hot to frigid once inside an air-conditioned restaurant, hotel, or office. The Pocket Poppet is the perfect pocket-sized sweater to ward off the cold without having to carry a sweater on your arm. It comes in different colors and styles, and the attached pocket is virtually invisible hidden on the inside when worn. When no longer needed, traveling mom can stuff it into the attached pocket and also use it as a purse. Genius!
Price: $99
Available: In-store at Adventure Clothing and online at thepocketpoppet.com