Out for sushi with some friends the other night and Yuko whipped out this bamboo utensil set. “I’m saving a tree,” she said, forgoing the disposable paper-wrapped wooden chopsticks in favor of her personal re-usable pair. Great for skipping to-go plasticware on the road, too.

I’m especially excited to give this one away, as it was one of my first TrustyPony finds nearly two years ago. The wee Point It “language kit” is packed with photos of everyday things—food, transportation, toiletries & toilets (yes, a nice clean squat version is pictured), medical items and much, much more—letting you simply point to get your meaning across when the language barrier is too firmly in place. Love the European retro look, too. Since it’s a slim paperback booklet, just 5X3 inches, Point It’s really easy to slip into any daypack or purse, just in case.

Win POINT IT by leaving a comment below before 6 PM CST this Friday, April 10th. Anonymous comments and those without a valid email address will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen at random, then contacted via email by Tuesday, April 14th. If I don’t hear from the winner within 5 days, a new one will be chosen. Please enter/comment only once per giveaway. Good luck!

And congrats to Julia who won last week’s giveaway, the tugo luggage drink holder. I’m thinking Wednesday’s the giveaway day from here on out—nice mid-week pick-me-up.

One of the items in Breaking the Language Barrier, my latest “travel helpers” roundup for the Minneapolis Star Tribune Sunday travel section: This fantastically priced translator, which doubles as an alarm clock. Push one of eight buttons corresponding to popular travel categories to access over 4,500 pre-programmed phrases you can read on-screen or play out loud. (There’s a headphone jack for discreet learning.) It’s quite simple to switch between the seven languages; English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese; and you can easily store your favorite travel phrases in a special button-location, for easy access. Two caveats: You must rely on the pre-programmed phrases—no ability to type in words willy-nilly. Also, Japanese shows up as characters, not translated into the Latin Alphabet. All in all, nice bang for your buck.

The well organized urbanite’s answer to the Swiss Army knife: a mini screwdriver, file, scissors, toothpick, knife, tweezers, pin, pen and ruler, all swiftly pluckable from their thick credit card-like home. As with the aforementioned knife, don’t try to carry this on, kids.

AAs you recharge via any powered USB port to use hundreds of times over. Note they take five hours to fully charge, but you can always top them off to nab an hour or two of life here and there.

Yet another handy luggage scale to help you craftily dodge at least one of the airlines’ ever-multiplying fees. Luggage scales help you pack appropriately on the way out and then spread the souvenir weight out accordingly on the way back, making for a nice, streamlined process that doesn’t involve crossing your fingers and/or desperately rifling through your overflowing luggage in front of a line full of impatient fellow travelers. Side note: This one is sold by my favorite new online travel goods store wejetset. Check it out.

A full-sized, stainless steel fork and spoon are hiding in there, alongside your standard pocket knife, file, bottle opener and corkscrew. A budget backpacker essential.

Always thinking you should get one of those little pouches that unzips into a huge bag, to carry purchases on your return trip? Go for it: This nice, big duffel’s on winter clearance for less than half-price.

TrustyPony’s going on break until the new year—woo-hoo! I’m leaving you with my final reminder about the very worthy Passports with Purpose fundraiser, wherein you donate money to a fantastic world cause (Heifer International) in the form of $10 raffle tickets that could win you some crazy-awesome travel prizes—hotel stays, cooking lessons, camera gear, books and much, much more. All prizes were arranged by travel bloggers, and TrustyPony’s offering is this Solio magnesium, a solar charger you can hook to the back of your pack, or stick to your hostel window, or prop outside your tent to soak up the sun’s rays, which it stores to charge your phone, camera, GPS unit or similar electronic. That’s a $170 value for just a $10 raffle ticket, and not many people have signed up for the Solio, so your chances, right now, are very, very good. We’re just a couple hundred dollars short of our $5,000 dollar goal. Help us meet it! (Instructions on entering below.)

Enjoy these last few days of 2008, and check back for the scoop on great new gear in the new year. Happy holidays & travels!

To win:

1. Go to the Passports with Purpose website. Write down the code(s) for the prize(s) you want to win.
2. Head to the First Giving page before midnight on December 29th. (You can also get there directly from the PWP prizes page.) For each $10 donation you make, you’ll be entered into the raffle for the prize of your choice. Remember to enter the prize code in the “comments” field on the form. (The Solio is G02.) Also, don’t hide your email. We need it to tell you if you’ve won.
3. Pat yourself on the back for helping support Heifer International’s goal of ending world hunger.
4. Enjoy the holidays while you patiently wait. Winners chosen on December 30th.

Portable tablets that transform an unassuming glass of water into a great-tasting, electrolyte-laden, carb- and sugar-free drink. Like popular sports “ade”s, but without the toxic colors and sugars. They dissolve quickly, sans fizz, and travel fantastically in their little plastic tube, ready for any vacation hydration situation (extreme heat, illness, mega hike, hangover). I’m a big fan of the Orange Ginger flavor.