Here it is, folks. The first solar laptop bag that can fully power a laptop. According to Voltaic, give the 15-Watt solar panel about five hours of full sunshine and the internal battery is fully charged and ready to do the same for your computer. One hour will give you 20 to 45 minutes, depending on your laptop, or could fully charge a smaller electronic, such as your iPod, phone or camera. You could plug into a wall to generate a charge as well. The bag itself is made from recycled plastic soda bottles, making it waterproof and UV-resistant. My experience with Voltaic and other solar products has taught me that when they say “full sunshine,” they mean “full sunshine.” If you need the charge, get serious about your panel placement.

Don’t let the airlines stick you with yet another fee when you’re on your way home, loaded down with goodies. It’s simple. Attach the strap to your luggage handle and lift. A red light means you’re over 50 pounds (the limit for most airlines). Green means you’re good to go. Doubles as a flashlight.

Switch out the regular strap on a travel bag containing valuables—camera, laptop, passport—for this superhero version. Those are screw-down metal nuts that connect it to your bag, and the entire thing’s woven with metal cables, making it slashproof. Great for walking around, but you can also connect it to your train seat or cafe table-leg so you can safely relax with a catnap or a glass of wine without being on guard the entire time. PacSafe makes a specific camera strap version of this, too.

So a bunch of travel bloggers, including yours truly, pulled together to offer loads of fantastic travel goodies for a fundraiser called Passports with Purpose, to help Heifer International with its goal of ending world hunger. Just $10 a ticket enters you to win prizes including hotel stays, merino wool long underwear, a Flip video camera and this palm-sized Solio Magnesium Edition, “the world’s most advanced hybrid charger,” which uses the sun’s power to keep your electronics charged anywhere. A full charge would likely juice up your phone twice, for example, or give you over 20 hours of MP3 music. Stores power for up to a year.

To enter:
1. Check out all of the prizes here. Write down the code(s) for the prize(s) you want to win.
2. Go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving page. (You can also get there directly from the prizes page.) For each $10 donation you make, you’ll be entered into the raffle for the prize of your choice. Be sure to enter the prize code in the “comments” field on the form. And please, don’t hide your email. We won’t share it, but do need it to tell you if you’ve won. Oh, and yes, First Giving will give you a receipt for your donation. If you work somewhere with gift matching, please provide that information when you make your donation.
3. Tell all your friends so they, too, can enter to win cool prizes while basking in the spirit of the season.
4. Cross your fingers and wait. Winners pulled on December 30th.

Made of FDA-approved food-grade recyclable plastic, so rest assured you’re not harming the planet or your health when re-using these on the road. Love the travel strap and the wide mouth, for easy ice cube insertion, plus the fact that they retain cold twice as long as conventional bottles. Dishwasher and freezer safe. Go through Polar Bottle to personalize your gift with a name or phrase.

A run-down of every country in the world, plus targeted info, such as 30 hot destinations for the new year, to get any traveler’s wheels turning. Order through Lonely Planet and get “Blue List: The Best in Travel for 2008.” Maybe keep that one for yourself as a reward for online shopping well done.

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.

An Indiana Jones-style alternative to the fanny pack—rugged, yet refined and highly organized. Inside, discover a detachable keyring holder and pockets everywhere, including special ones for passport and camera. It’s made out of Teflon-treated cotton, which resists stains, wrinkles and water, and is machine washable, despite the scholarly leather-patch elbows. Safari? Supper club? Yes.

You’re either a money-belt person or you’re not. My uncle Pat, a globe-trotter who’s lived in countries including Germany, Malaysia and Dubai, is a money-belt person. Quite a while back, he presented me with the challenge of finding one that was actually comfortable. At this year’s Travel Goods Association conference, I got a preview of this baby. Really thin, soft and small—perfect for hiding the basics. It just appeared on the market. I say, “Challenge met.” I’ll let you know if Uncle Pat says otherwise.

Comfortable travel slippers with a recycled-rubber sole, making them durable enough to double as shoes around the lodge, plane or campsite. They roll up small enough to fit into an available pocket or cranny.