Jannell Howell is about to embark on an around-the-world journey that will take her through many countries including Thailand, India, Jordan, and Europe before coming back to the U.S. 15 months ago, she began blogging about her preparations on her site Traveljunkie’s World Tour.

Jannell has discovered a love of researching travel-related gear and services and shares some of her favorite finds with us.

While going through Meet, Plan, Go!’s Career Break Basic Training, I was introduced to some pretty incredible services and gear that I didn’t know existed. In the process of learning more about these newfound products, I found that I REALLY enjoyed the research. I have since completed the Basic Training course, but have continued to explore new items and I look forward to further study which, I admit, borders on obsession . . . perhaps I’ve become a travel gear-ologist?

These are just a few of my favorite items. I am already so confident about these products that I signed up as an affiliate, but will thoroughly ‘test-drive’ them in the coming months and will share my experience with Meet, Plan, Go! – So ‘stay tuned’.

You can read about other travel-related products I’ve studied and I will continue to research MANY more items. I’d love to hear from other travelers about their favorite gear and/or services (I gotta feed my obsession).

– Your friendly travel ‘gearologist’

Thanks to the design-talent of Garrett Schemmel of Hostel Dog, this t-shirt was inspired by a post we wrote for BootsnAll: “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Career Break and Travel”.

2. View Your Screensavers in Real Life
Do you feel like your cubicle walls are shrinking in around you? Has carpel tunnel set in to your thumbs from too much Blackberry-ing? Do you find your eyesight decreasing from staring at your computer screen too long? Sounds like a great time to take a break longer than a cup of coffee!

Think about all those times you’ve come back from another long meeting and found yourself mesmerized by the serene images coming across your screen. Now think about how much more mesmerizing those cascading waterfalls, coastal sunsets, and sky-scraping mountains could be in person.

For those of you who have made the career break leap or those who are now planning, this shirt is for you!

• Womens T – $19.99

• Mens T – $19.99

And even though I was won over by the iPhone for the map feature alone, I’m still a big fan of old school printed maps when exploring a new city. Even before leaving on a trip, I will carefully study maps of the destinations I’m going to – including locating places I’m staying and sites I like to see. This is unbelievably helpful for making me feel acclimated that much faster upon arrival.

I recently discussed how when traveling with a partner, it is best to recognize each others strengths. And for me, that is map reader and director. I love this role because if someone else is leading, I often don’t pay attention to our path. And being dependent on another person to get around fills me with a sense of helplessness, especially if we separate.

Of course I don’t like sticking out like a tourist by standing on the street corner with a giant unfolded map. That’s when studying a map before hand helps. But recently I found a more discreet, and extremely helpful map, that includes destination highlights – so you can even leave the guidebook at home!

During a recent trip to London, I picked up the Knopf MapGuide: London (Knopf Mapguides).

It is extremely compact and easily fit into my purse, so I could always have it with me. The sections are broken up by neighborhoods/districts, and in addition to the easy fold-out maps (which are inconspicuous), each section includes highlights like restaurants, bars, museums and other essential places to see. It also includes a map of the Underground, so taking public transportation was easy to navigate.

So on this trip I was definitely happy to put down the iPhone (with the roaming charges) and rely on my Knopf MapGuide. I’ll be certain to use these more on future trips!

]]> http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/07/favorite-gear-knopf-mapguides/feed/ 2 http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/06/travel-swag-contest/ http://b2b.meetplango.com/2010/06/travel-swag-contest/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:00:05 +0000 Briefcase to Backpack - Travel Advice for Career Breaks or Sabbaticals http://briefcasetobackpack.com/?p=4589

WIN a Camenae Travel Clutch!

Wednesday I wrote about how you can make career connections while you are traveling on your career break; it just takes a little networking and you may be able to line up your next job after your career break travels are finished!

I was able to do this when I was in Sinagpore and met the women who own/run CAMENAE – a luxury Italian handbag company.

Jill and Brittany, my part time employers, have always supported the work Michaela and I do on Briefcase to Backpack. They are avid travelers and both have been living overseas as expats for years. They were nice enough to offer one of their classy CAMENAE travel clutches for free to one of our lucky Briefcase to Backpack readers!

Whether you are traveling for a career break or for business – you still have to comply by all of the airport regulations. In most countries this means you can’t have any liquids loosely hanging out in your carry on bag – they must be contained.

What better way to contain those liquids than with the CAMENAE Travel Clutch!

It’s time to throw away those ugly zip lock bags and travel in style with the CAMENAE travel clutch!

Designed to FAA/TSA flight carry-on
security regulations (*3-1-1)

it can be used as a travel case, clutch, make-up case, or ipod case for the beach; you’ll be traveling in style and saving the environment from those plastic bags!

To win you very own CAMENAE travel clutch you simply need to do TWO simple things…but you have to do both…else you won’t be eligible to win!

1. Become a fan of CAMENAE on Facebook where you’ll get some behind the scenes information about their designs, photo shoots, and new collections.
2. Leave a comment on this post (below) describing why you’d like to win the CAMENAE Travel Clutch!

Simple right?!  Do both before July 5th, 2010 and you’ll be eligible to win!

And by purchasing these items for you or your favorite traveler, you will be spreading glad tidings of income for us here at Briefcase to Backpack.

Knirps X1 Compact Umbrella – heavy duty, but tiny for travel. Comes with hard case that’s the size of an eyeglass case!






Humangear GoToob Travel Bottle – the soft squeezable tubes for bathroom products.






Grizzly Grip Utility Carabiners – super to attach anything to your bags.








Anne Taintor Looking For Trouble Luggage Tag – for women with spunk!










Travelon TSA compliant Hand Soap Sheets – no more worrying about traveling with liquids.








Eagle Creek Travel Gear ID Luggage Strap – great for tightening up your pack or wrapping up your cords (USB, computer, etc…)






New Balance® Sneaker Balls® – to keep the odor out of your backpack!

Be sure to visit the Briefcase to Backpack Store for more great travel items!

One thing I don’t leave home without when traveling is a silk sleep sheet (also known as a mummy liner or sleeping bag liner). It’s lightweight and will be your savior when you check into a seedy hostel* in Greece, find yourself sleeping on an overnight train in Vietnam, or staying in a village in the hills of Thailand.

A sleep sheet is a lightweight sleeping bag minus the zipper. It’s made of silk and simply provides a barrier between you and any questionable beds, sheets, or bugs. (The silk versions are more expensive than cotton but much lighter and compact – worth the price difference.)

I used this item everywhere – to ward off my buggy hotel room in China, to keep the sand out of my face while sleeping in the Sahara Desert, to sleep in huts in Nepal where there were no ‘sheets’ but only old dirty blankets.

I actually joke around that it is my little human condom; I never leave home without it! The lightweight silk doesn’t only provide a barrier of protection, but it can also provide another layer of warmth in cold weather situations and it can provide a cool weather breathable option in hot, sticky climates. So – practice safe traveling and put this little item on your ‘must have’ list!

* Not all hostels are seedy anymore. Read how hostels have grown-up!

Visit the Briefcase to Backpack Store for our Recommended Gear

One of my favorite and yet to be retired travel items is my suitcase…I mean backpack…I mean suitcase; yes, it’s actually both.

When I started planning my around the world trip I had the typical dilemma of how I should carry my stuff. I knew I wasn’t a hard-core backpacker and I knew I wasn’t a luxury traveler either; my itinerary included both experiences. I was going to be backpacking through Africa, but staying in moderate places in Europe.

I knew that most of the time it would actually be possible to roll my luggage, but there would be some times when it was not an option and I would need to strap my possessions onto my back. I wanted functionality, yet a bit of sophistication. What a dilemma!

After some research online I found the perfect compromise; a soft suitcase that could turn into a backpack. I bought my prized Eagle Creek Switchback and found that it was the perfect solution to my dilemma. In addition, it had a zip off small backpack that I used as my carry-on and during city tours and on day hikes.

The amazing thing is that after traveling solid for 16 months, through 46 airports, and 23 countries, this piece of luggage held up better than any luggage I’ve ever owned in my life. It was in use practically my entire trip, only being fully unpacked twice for my longer-term stays in Italy and India.

I can’t say enough good things about the Eagle Creek brand. I still use it today on every trip and it’s holding up beautifully!

Read Sherry’s tips on how to choose the right backpack for you.

Visit the Briefcase to Backpack Store for our Recommended Gear

Before I discovered the wonders of a headlamp, I never went on a trip without my small Maglite flashlight. It was small, light, useful and extremely handy – or so I thought. When I nearly lost it down the squat toilet late at night while trying to keep a cow from entering the tent, I became very envious of the other trekkers and their headlamps. And it would have proved useful on that same trip in Nepal as we began our ascent of Thorung La Pass at 2am in the morning. After that trip I was sold on the headlamp and haven’t traveled without one since.

Of course there are many other uses for the headlamp other than navigating late night into toilet tents or up mountain passes. While in a tent, they allow you to search your bags with both hands. And if you plan on staying in hostels or any other shared-type accommodation, it is a polite way of searching through your backpack or luggage without turning on the overhead light while others try to sleep. And in that same vain, they work great if you want to read or write in your journal late night.

I remember the first time I introduced Michael to the headlamp. We were on our first trip together at surf camp in Costa Rica. As the sun was setting and Michael was showering, I decided to sit out on our deck and read a book. The only problem was that the fading light and lack of an outdoor lamp made this difficult. So I whipped out my trusty headlamp. Michael’s first reaction was laughter – he wasn’t a fan of the headlamp based on looks alone. So of course a headlamp was the first present I bought him. And since subsequent travels, he is now a fan.

Hands down it is one of the top items I always recommend to travelers.

Visit the Briefcase to Backpack Store for our Recommended Gear