A pop-up pocket-sized dictionary, menu decoder and phrasebook in one. All versions emphasize food-related words. Bonus: A pen and reading light handily tucked into the spine.

If visiting the Paris basement bar where Truman Capote wrote or taking part in a Stella-shouting contest with other “Streetcar” fans sounds like a vacation activity you can get behind, have I got the book for you.

Oh, the benefits of this little microfiber map. It doesn’t rip or require an intricate folding system. It does, however, clean your glasses, wipe snotty noses and get you to the nearest subway line in Midtown Manhattan. Comes in 24 popular, concentrated destinations. By the by, it’s one of ten cool travel gadgets I wrote about for Budget Travel magazine a while back.

Budget, plan and organize before so you can spend, explore and relax during.

Words and phrases for everyday travel interactions in a handy 3X5 flip chart.

You should travel more. You should be more organized. This helps with both goals. Handy features include a packing checklist, self-stick tabs, a travel pouch and a built-in envelope where you can stuff ticket stubs, brochures and other road mementos.

My 5-going-on-15-year-old niece Nayana walked me through her recent trip to New York with the aid of this travel journal. Two pages designated to each day offer a good amount of space to write a few key words, draw thoughts and plaster stickers. The trip kicked off the journal, which she’ll continue to fill throughout the year. Definitely a keepsake in the making.

Blends the glamor and intrigue of flying with, um, reality.

With the high cost of gas, air travel and, well, everything right now, the term staycation has been springing up. I say, hooray for exploring close to home! (That’s called “being positive.”) This journal reminds you where to best spend those hard-earned dollars on your getaway-minded local dining splurge.

Danger. Severe attack of wanderlust, likely triggered by the rainy day and multitude of home renovation projects. Ah, the care (and mortgage) free days spent country-hopping across Europe, with this tome in hand. It reliably produced a strong selection of budget hotels and restaurants wherever I happened to land. When I spied other travelers leafing through theirs at the train station, I’d pick up the pace so they couldn’t beat me to the last room in the nicest-sounding hostel. Definitely worth its (significant) weight for that long-term, multi-country youthful backpacking trip.