Great for kids, yes, but also an eclectic addition to a grown-up seating area, too.

I associate cribbage with maximum travel relaxation, having played the game most often on European trains, in lakeside cabins and at outdoor cafe tables. I can say from that place of expertise: A board that folds in half and holds its own deck of cards is the way to go.

Various pieces of vintage luggage and cases polished up and tricked out with handpainted designs and decals. Heavy, maybe. But also very cool. Good for carryons, project cases and laptop bags, plus home storage that reminds you of travel. I have a sweet train case in my linen closet, for example, to house all my travel-sized toiletries and packing essentials. Place holiday orders this Friday, December 12th, at the latest.

Thanks to Chrissy at GussiedUp for the tip! (She’s got her own cool etsy shop, Popsicle Stick.)

I love the idea of spending a post-holiday winter afternoon snuggled inside, snapping together a puzzle depicting a favorite warm-vacation memory. Does everyone connect the edges first, then fill in? Or are there puzzle renegades who barrel ahead frameless? Anyway, I can say firsthand that at this particular site, it’s a quick and easy process to create an account, then upload a photo for your gift. PhotoWorks’ PR people tell me they’re going to do away with the need to create an account starting next week, making the process even easier.

Comes with two sets of 3-D glasses to fully appreciate mind-blowing sights including Egyptian pyramids, Mt. Everest, Niagara Falls and bungee jumping into a New Zealand gorge. Packed with great maps and facts, too, for your traveler-in-training.

That’s a dishwasher-safe ceramic cup with silicon lid disguised as a disposable fancy-coffee-shop cup. If only the warm glow that comes from being environmentally friendly somehow made hotel coffee taste better.

Also: Congratulations to Anna and Jen P. who won the Yak Pak Chinooks. And please, don’t despair if you didn’t win anything this round of giveaways. I’ll be doing them more often in 2009, so check back.

I’d gift this containing a shared-vacation photo and scrawled with a personalized note. Because I’m sweet that way.

Change is unfolding at TrustyPony. Good change. The rotating photo gallery up there in the right-hand corner of the page, for example. Cool, eh? (Shout-out to Sevnthsin, the Chuck Norris of web design agencies, on that and all TrustyPony visual and technical awesomeness.) Very soon, in an effort to better serve the travelers who come here, I’ll start opening up comments, hoping for a little back and forth. Are you ready? To help get you in the mood, the next time I post, it will be to kick off a series of travel-gear giveaways. Your comment posted on any giveaway will work as your entry to win it. In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of my new dining room wall, as inspired by SkyMall. (That’s me, going into the closet to retrieve a board game. Probably backgammon.) This practically guarantees that every dinner party we host from here on out will include discussion of one of my all-time favorite topics: travel.

Corrals knitting necessities in a handbag-like zip-up pouch, so you’re always ready to take your hobby on the road with you. The three-ring binder clips help organize patterns and projects.

You’re staring at the campfire anyway. Might as well add one more mesmerizing dimension. I swear this is the exact brand and label design of the tin kept on our brick fireplace mantle when I was a kid. Always worth the begging required to get Dad to break it out.