PICK OF THE WEEK
Restop 1: Disposable Travel Toilet
(Magellan’s catalog, $9.85)
No matter what the destination, the trip–at least the kind we write about–always involves bringing your body along for the ride. Or maybe you’re of the camp that believes your body brings you along. Either way, these bodies make certain demands upon us that aren’t always convenient, especially on a trip. Restop 1, manufactured by American Innotek of Escondido, Calif., is, in the absence of adequate facilities, meant to help you more gracefully answer one of nature’s most annoying calls–provided you can do so in 18 fluid ounces or less. If your aim is true, this solid blue bag’s built-in funnel will direct the flow to biodegradable crystals that absorb and deodorize. The thing closes with a zipper-like seal, and that’s that. It’s safe to toss it in the nearest trash bin. Four bags come to a package that includes tissue and antibacterial wipes. The company also makes Restop 2. You can probably figure out what that one’s for. (Magellan’s, 800-962-4943; or at www.magellans.com. Manufacturer, 888-924-6665; or at www.whennaturecalls.com)
Tempanol Dental First Aid Kit
(U.S. DenTek, $4.99 suggested)
Suppose you’re doing the Bill Bryson thing, trekking a length of the Appalachian Trail, when suddenly it strikes. No, not one of the bears Bryson jokingly fears in “A Walk in the Woods,” but a searing toothache from a filling or crown that has just come out. This dentist in a box, introduced by a Petaluma, Calif., company in October, is intended to fill the gap, so to speak, until you can get professional help. The kit is no bigger than a deck of playing cards but contains toothache medication, temporary filling material, swabs, wooden applicators and a jar to store a dislodged crown or tooth. Instructions and a list of ingredients appear on the back. It’s one of those items that might be good to pack, just in case. But you have to wonder why they didn’t include a mirror in the kit. (Ever try to fix a tooth problem when you can’t see what you’re doing?) Sold at Wal-Mart and Kmart. (800-433-6835)
LANGUAGE GUIDES
“Insight Phrase Book: German”
(Insight Guides, $7.95)
In your travels through Germany, you are almost never going to need to ask for a tea towel. But on the chance that unimaginable circumstances might require it of you, a plaintively uttered “Geschirrtuch” and a smile of helplessness ought to get you one. Despite the tea towel and a few other frivolities, this language guide is more practical, more usable than most. At 7 1/4 by 5 inches, its 96 pages are more portable than heftier competitors. Phrases are divided among logical categories, and small insets address cultural issues such as highway etiquette. In a pinch, you don’t even need to open the book: Key words on the back cover give you the basics of yes, no, what does it cost and (for those who didn’t bring Restop 1) where’s the toilet? Best of all, it scatters photos throughout to liven up the text.
(ISBN 1-58573-067-X)
“Almost Get By in . . . Italian”
(Pigeon Publications, $4.95)
This guide is about as compact as they come: a panel of three postcards that address the essentials of greetings, directions, places, objects and food and drink. These people know you’re not going to have a meaningful conversation with, oh say, an auto mechanic about the finer aspects of gasoline engines. So they mostly skip the unnecessary vocabulary. I say “mostly” because there are a few puzzlers here. Who’s going to need hair curlers or a screwdriver on vacation in Italy? This is a British product, so Americans will have to discern the meaning of British terms such as chemist, cotton wool, disposable nappy, street plan and torch before trying their Italian equivalents. A quirk is that this is primarily a pronunciation guide; except for menu items, the words in Italian here are spelled the way they sound, not the way they are written. So don’t look to this guide to help you decipher signs. But the cards are sturdy and easy to carry. Also available for French and Spanish. (ISBN 0-9534360-1-2)
MAPS
Everest Base Camp Adventure Map
(National Geographic Maps, $16.99)
Pardon the pun, but with all the exposure Mt. Everest has gotten in the last half-dozen years, you’re left thinking that everyone but you has climbed the thing. There’s a reason you feel that way. The mountain and its climbers have been hyped in books and magazines and television specials. Stores that sell hiking gear also seem to be selling the notion that your next stroll in the woods is some sort of preparation for a future ascent; so better buy the brands that have made it to the top. (Yes, even Restop products have been there.) Adventure-tour companies put out slick brochures that promise you, if not the ultimate experience to the summit, then at least the penultimate one to the base camps. But until you make the trek yourself, you can create a little hype of your own: Just leave this map on the coffee table the next time guests come over. You’ll be an instant hit as you point out the Barnes & Noble in Thamel, check the Web address for the American Himalayan Foundation and study the change in elevation between Namche Bazaar and Everest Base Camp. And you’ll feel better knowing that part of the map’s $16.99 price tag–the least you’ll ever spend on Everest–will go to the Himalayan Trust for funding scholarships in Khumbu.
(ISBN 1-56695-123-2)
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To submit materials for consideration in Resourceful Traveler, mail them to
Toni Stroud
Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
