Tag Archive for: Gifts

Annie’s Must Have Travel Gadgets

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My name is Annie and I’m a travel addict. 

I love packing for a trip. The whole process takes me a couple of weeks. I love setting out my clothes, picturing myself strolling on the Champs-Élysees in my carefully planned outfit. Since I always travel carry-on only, it is a fun challenge to determine “what makes the cut”.

There are certain things that go with me on every trip, no matter where I’m going. They are my “must have” travel gadgets.

These are great gifts for anyone who travels. Hint, hint.

Apple AirTags

A tracker for my luggage and backpack is essential. Even though I carry on my luggage, I never know if I will be forced to check my bag. Once it is out of my hands I want to know exactly where it is. I have one in my backpack in case I leave it somewhere or someone picks it up when I’m not looking.

I keep an AirTag in my purse even when I’m not traveling.

I have an iPhone so this works for me. If you don’t have an iPhone, there are other brands of trackers, such as Tile.

Apple AirTags are around $20-30 a piece. Amazon often has them on sale $79 for 4.

Suggestion: Buy the four pack and give some to your travel buddies.

Mini Handheld Fan/Flashlight/Charger

This little gadget is one of my favorite items for travel! I have given a number of them for gifts. It’s not just a fan, it is also a phone charger AND a flashlight! I keep mine next to my bed in the hotel. The fan is very quiet and the flashlight is helpful in a strange dark hotel room. It’s such a great nugget for less than $20. I buy my mini handheld fan/flashlight/charger on Amazon.

USB Travel Adapter

I have tried many travel adapters in many hotel rooms. I like this one because it has 4 USB ports and easily converts from American to a European (or other foreign) plug. There is no need for separate European plugs, one plug gives you 4 ports. If you need a USB C port, the power bank (see below) has one. You can buy the USB Travel Adaptor on Amazon.

Power Bank Charger

This Power Bank Charger has several ports for charging different devices. It’s rather heavy, so I don’t carry it with me. I keep it charged in the hotel room during the day. It comes with 2 chargers for less than $20!

Here’s my nugget for keeping your devices charged and easily accessible while traveling…

Keep the Power Bank Charger in your hotel room. Charge it during the day using the USB Travel Adapter. At night, charge your phone (and any other devices you use during the day) using the Power Bank Charger, instead of the USB Travel Adapter. This way, you are not dependent on where the outlets are in your room. Often they are in inconvenient spots behind furniture. If you keep the Power Bank Charger plugged in to the USB Travel Adapter during the day, you will always have enough power to fully charge your phone while it sits conveniently next to your bed.

Mini Power Bank

Here’s another one of my favorite nuggets! This little power bank is about the size of 2 lipsticks and fits perfectly in my tiny purse. It even has a great little “kickstand” for holding up your phone on the plane! I keep it with me at all times. It has saved countless phones from dying while out exploring. I have found them with a built in Lightning plug for older phones, and USB-C plugs for newer phones. This Mini Power Bank USB-C is super cheap and so valuable!

Water Flosser

Even though I pack light I always pack my portable water flosser. It’s important to me that my teeth feel clean. I can use the base of the flosser as a bathroom cup or to hold my toothbrush off of the sink. I’ve used this water flosser for a few years now and it’s still going strong. I believe there is an updated model by the same company that comes in a bag instead of a hard case. Either way, I love my flosser.

Battery Toothbrush

I use an electric toothbrush at home, but its too big to take on the road. I started using a battery toothbrush while traveling, and although not as good as an electric toothbrush, it’s better than a regular toothbrush. I threw mine away after the last trip, but I have ordered this one.

Bluetooth Transmitter for Airplane Jack to AirPods or Headphones

I didn’t know I needed this until I used one. I paired it with my AirPods (easy), plugged it into the headphone jack on the entertainment center of the airplane, and bingo, I could watch movies using my AirPods! This gadget takes very little room and has made watching movies so very much more enjoyable than using the cheap headphone that the airlines provide. (Be sure to order one that will pair with your model of AirPods, I have the AirPod Pro and some transmitters don’t work with them.) Here is the one I have: Bluetooth Transmitter

I have provided links to make it easier for you to get more information or buy the products if you choose. I do not make a commission and I am not an affiliate. I use and love the products I write about and enjoy passing good “nuggets” on to you.

The World’s Greatest Shower Head

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It’s no secret that I love to travel.

When other people are reading interesting articles on line, or saving recipes, or “pinning” their favorite decorating pictures on Pinterest, I’m reading reviews on Tripadvisor, dreaming of a little inn overlooking the Mediterranean.

Everyone has different criteria for rating a hotel 5 stars. I want a convenient location, good coffee, and strong wifi in addition to a comfortable bed and a spotless room. (A view of the Eiffel Tower doesn’t hurt, either.) If, as a bonus, the shower has great water pressure, I’m in heaven!

I’m very spoiled when it comes to water pressure. The heavy stream that comes out of my shower is wonderful. But it hasn’t always been that way. My bathroom is the furthest from the water source, and my water pressure was so bad I could barely rinse all of the shampoo out of my hair.

My friend Carl came up with the solution.

Carl was poking around a flea market in South Florida one day a few years ago, and he came upon a booth that was selling white, plastic shower heads, supposedly “made in Italy.” They claimed that these shower heads would make a huge difference in water pressure. The price of the shower head was less than ten dollars, so Carl was very skeptical. How could such an inexpensive plastic shower head be better than an expensive one? Carl decided to buy one. He took it home, replaced his old chrome shower head with the white plastic one, and turned on the water. He couldn’t believe it was even the same shower!

Carl went back to the flea market to buy more shower heads. He gave one to his daughter Ellie. Her New York apartment had terrible pressure. Sure enough, the new shower head worked it’s magic, gushing water where there used to be a trickle.

When I visited Ellie in New York, I experienced the water pressure in Ellie’s apartment. It was the best shower I had ever taken.

I wasn’t about to go looking for the South Florida flea market where Carl bought the shower head, so I did my research. Carl told me the brand is called Siroflex. There were a few places on line that carried Siroflex Shower Heads, but there were also many complaints about the sellers. I was beginning to think whoever was selling these magical shower heads must be really shady.

Finally, I found a company online, located in Arizona, that not only carried Siroflex shower heads, but all kinds of other products, too. The name of the company is NEAT Items, or neatitems.com.

Neatitems.com has many types and brands of high pressure shower heads, but I wanted the shower head that Carl bought. When I clicked on the Siroflex page I couldn’t believe the price! Two for under $20! Click here to see for yourself, Siroflex Shower Heads.

The folks at neatitems.com are almost as great as their shower heads. Their website makes ordering very easy and my order was placed immediately. I received the shower heads in just a couple of days.

Isn’t this a fabulous nugget?!

I must admit that I not only bought Siroflex Shower Heads for every bathroom in our house, but I also bought them for gifts. Everyone loves having great water pressure! Plus, they are very easy to install with your bare hand and do not require any tools.

I have read that some people actually take their Siroflex with them when they travel, just in case they are in a hotel with bad pressure. They unscrew the hotel shower head and easily screw in the Siroflex.

Aww, great water pressure and a view of the Mediterranean… and I’ll take my espresso in my room, per favore!

Give a Paris Morning

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I have a great gift suggestion for you.

You can send it to just about anyone.  It is wonderful to give to clients, your mother, your brother in Iowa, or your neighbors. It is appreciated as a hostess gift. It’s great for new parents. It is a nice thank you gift. It is not expensive. Everyone loves it. I even sent it to myself!

I love France.  One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to sit in a cafe, drink espresso, and savor every morsel of a fresh croissant–as only the French can make. I pull apart the flaky, irresistible layers and make the experience last as long as I can. Why, oh why, mon cheri, can we not enjoy croissants like this in the States?

We can!

Just go on line and order the French croissants by Williams Sonoma.
If you don’t want to go on line, call them at 877-812-6235.

My favorites, and the most authentic “French” recipe, are the Le Marais croissants.

The plain croissants are huge and come 10 to a box with butter and jam. Yum! Or you can order 12 croissants with yummy dark chocolate inside. If you want both, there is an assortment option of various pastries.

You can also get the Italian croissants that are made according to a traditional family recipe using plenty of butter and natural lievito madre (sourdough starter).

The croissants are so good and fresh because you bake them at home. They arrive frozen. You leave them out overnight to rise. In the morning, you stick them in the oven,  and in minutes you have melt-in-your-mouth croissants.

Send to your loved ones that can’t be with you on Thanksgiving. Or perfect for Christmas morning. Or birthday morning. Or anniversary morning. Or a “gee, I wish I were in Paris” morning.

Now, if I just had a view of the Eiffel Tower from my kitchen…