Travel Gear Must Haves

With only a week until Adam and I leave for our trip to New England, the planning is in full swing. We have a basic agenda planned, but I'm mostly excited for the adventures that we'll just stumble into. As for packing...well to be honest I'll probably tackle that the night before we leave. However, I have come across a few items that no traveler should leave home without.

1. GPS Navigator: We are borrowing my in-law's gps navigator for our trip. This is good since we'll be driving everywhere. If you have a TomTom navigator you can now have Mr. T ride shotgun. With NavTones, you can download celebrity voices such as Burt Reynolds, Kim Cattrall, and yes Mr. T. Make sure you don't miss your turn because you might make him mad! "If you were payin' attention to what I was tellin' you we woulda got there on time!"

2. City Walks: "Ditch the usual tourist traps and vacation like a native...on foot!" Choose from 50 different adventure cards and let the fun begin. Each card has a map of a walking adventure on one side, with site information on the other. There are a variety of city's to choose from for your next vacation, or use the deck for your own city to discover new terrain and see your home town from a new perspective. Also check out city walks for kids and get your kids involved in the fun.

3. fabMAP: If you don't have a GPS navigator and are relying on good old fashioned maps, you can relate to the frustration of maps that are impossible to refold and end up in a crinkled mess shoved in the glove compartment. Rand McNally has solved that problem with microfiber maps called fabMAPs. No more smudge spots from your spilled lattes and no more need to master the art of map folding.

4. Hidden Compartment Sandals: Although I won't be able to use these on our trip, they were just too cool not to show you. Reef has created these flip flops appropriately named Stash with a hidden compartment in the sole. It's just big enough to fit your room key, debit card or a little cash. You'll never have to worry about misplacing your room key or carrying your wallet to the beach again.

5. Pashmina: A travel must have for me is a pashmina wrap. I always love bringing pieces of clothing that can serve dual purpose. A pashmina does just that. In the plane or car it's used as a blanket, to a dinner it's an elegant wrap, and on a cold day it's a warm scarf. If you don't want to splurge on cashmere, Target is a great place for realistic knockoffs.

6. Travel Sheets: When trying to travel light, toiletries can often weigh you down. Irv's has created travel toiletry soap sheets for shampoo to hand soap to laundry soap. You simply pull out one sheet with a dry hand, add water and lather. I wish I had thought of this!