Remember postcards? What a perfect mix of cheap souvenir, thoughtful hello and hand-delivered trip inspiration. HazelMail’s bringing ‘em back, 2000s style, with a website that lets you upload your own digital photo and type in a personal message. The site then turns your info into a physical postcard and it mails for you. The service costs $1.50 per card, including postage to anywhere in the world, but HazelMail recently introduced “HazelBucks,” bundles of 12 postcard credits for 12 bucks. (That’s a 33% savings per card.) To celebrate, HazelMail’s giving 12-pack bundles away to five TrustyPony readers. Comment on this post to win—see specifics below.

Win one of five HazelMail HazelBucks 12-packs by leaving a comment below before 6 PM CST this Monday, May 18th. Anonymous comments and those without a valid email address will be disqualified. The winners will be chosen at random, then contacted via email. If I don’t hear from a winner within five days, a new one will be chosen. Please enter/comment only once. Good luck!

See that little oval thing attached to the backpack strap? That’s a four-ounce speaker, which connects wirelessly to your iPod within a range of 30 feet. The speaker comes with mounts that help attach it to places like your backpack, stroller or bike (in some cities, it’s illegal to use headphones on bikes). You can control the track, volume and playlist directly from the speaker, too.

Key addition to any adult train ride activity pack.

For instant—if fleeting—ambiance. Keep them together in the book, or break one off to turn dessert into a birthday celebration, any time, any place.

I’ve been neglecting you, and for that, I apologize. But I’m back in time to alert you to the FINAL DAY of the latest gear contest over at The Gear Junkie, where the unstoppable Mr. Regenold is giving away some of his favorite outdoor gear of 2008. Check out the prizes and enter the contest here. Among the goodies: Rite in the Rain pens and notebooks, special rain-defying products that allow you to successfully jot thoughts, plans, sketches and such in inclement weather and adventurous water-oriented situations. The Gear Junkie even ran the paper under a faucet, without so much as a smudge of the ink resulting.

Enter away—good luck!

Switch out the smooth protective back for the hinged one when you travel, so you can prop your iPhone up on your tray table and enjoy wide-screen video viewing. Because having an iPhone is no longer cool enough. You must also house it most effectively.

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.

I’m a big advocate of star-gazing, especially on vacation. Staring up at something so beautiful and familiar, while surrounded by the beautifully unfamiliar—there’s just nothing like it. This small, light scope takes gazing one step further.

It’s hard to describe exactly what this squishy, beanbag-like little touchscreen unit is, in part because it depends on what you make it. Though the unit itself stays plugged in, Chumby wirelessly streams your choice of 1,000 free widgets, with possibilities including stocks, sports, email, games, weather and social networking. Helpful travel uses include alarm clock, digital photo display, music player and cheap gas finder.

New to the market: Passive noise-canceling in-ear headphones at a price so low, the recipient will think you splurged. Eartips made of self-conforming foam help promote a rockin’ bass, too.