Three great gifts for a traveler

Consider these non-traditional gifts for the traveler in your life!

I don't travel on a weekly basis, but enough that I've developed an appreciation for three purchases that I recommend to others.

#1: Samsonite Hyperspace Spinner 21.5 Expandable Suitcase

Many of today's suitcases are spinners - having four wheels rather than two so that you can spin the suitcase while it is standing upright.  All spinners are not equal and a great suitcase at a reasonable price is the Samsonite Hyperspace.  The 21.5" version that I own fits into all but the stingiest of overhead compartments (those regional jets where you're lucky to fit a laptop bag).  It expands when needed, is well constructed (I've had mine for two years), has great zippers, and well designed internal compartments.

Best of all, my shoulders and back have benefited from pushing a suitcase through airports rather than dragging them at an angle with a laptop bag piled on as well.

#2: Skooba Design Satchel V.3

I needed a laptop bag for my smaller laptop (a wonderfully thin Samsung model), but it still needed to be roomy enough for everything I take while traveling.  I needed a front compartment for pens, business cards, mints, presentation clicker, etc.  There had to be a compartment for papers and books with additional pockets, and, of course, a compartment for my laptop, HDMI cable, power cord, extension cord, and portable speaker-bar.  The Skooba has it all - it looks great, is water repellent, has durable zippers, and even fits below the seat in front of you while leaving room for your feet.

My only complaint is that when fully loaded it leans at an angle toward the front of the bag - it doesn't tip over, but looks somewhat precarious.

#3: Global Entry

This last one is a bit more difficult to explain, but may be the best of all!  The government has a number of opportunities for travelers to expedite various security processes.  You may be familiar with TSA PRE - this is the program that allows you to go through security as though it is pre-2001.  You keep your shoes and belt on.  You don't unload your laptop or toiletries and go through a metal detector rather than having the full body screening.  GOES provides you with a "known traveler number" so that you can use the TSA PRE system, but it goes one step further.  When reentering the country you skip the customs lines and use a kiosk to reenter the US.  Then when you get your luggage back (you have to recheck your baggage upon reentering the country) you walk past all of the people having their bags inspected and proceed directly to the traditional security screening - this time you have to go through the normal non-PRE procedures, but you have saved a lot of time getting to this point so it isn't so bothersome. I would have missed my connecting flight in Dulles without Global Entry so I'm definitely a believer.

GOES costs $100 for five years and requires an in-person "interview" which involves having your fingerprints digitally recorded.  The "interview" took me about five minutes but I had to drive to Cincinnati as there are a limited number of places offering this screening by a Customs agent (rather than TSA).

There you go - three great gifts for the traveler in your life.  Each has been tested and comes highly recommended.