Product review – La Fresh one day stay travel packets

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s product review will take a brief look at the La Fresh “one day stay” travel kit.

The one day stay kit is a small plastic pouch that holds 6 different single use wipes. La Fresh has a version for women, and one for men. The wipes are biodegradable and come in a large variety of cosmetic and personal care products.

The female version comes with the following towelettes:

  • Makeup remover
  • Deodorant
  • Anti-bacterial wipe
  • Hydrating lotion wipe
  • Mini-mitt dental cleaning wipe
  • Eye and lip makeup remover

The male version comes with the following towelettes:

  • Shaving gel
  • Deodorant
  • Anti-bacterial wipe
  • Show shine wipe
  • Mini-mitt dental cleaning wipe
  • Lens cleaning wipe

Naturally, these wipes won’t replace your conventional toiletries, but they are perfect for emergencies, or if the airline loses your luggage and you start to smell a little too funky.

Since the wipes only hold a small amount of liquid, you won’t have any issues with the TSA, no matter how many wipes you are carrying.

On a previous trip, I put the single use male version of their wipes to the test, and was impressed. The wipes unfold to a decent size and they all smell quite pleasant, without being too overpowering. The deodorant wipe is not the same as your regular deodorant stick, as it is used to wipe your entire body down in a (successful) attempt at making you smell fresher. The Minty-mitt dental wipe is a small “finger glove” with a rough texture, soaked in a minty liquid and while it isn’t the same as a good brushing, it certainly gave me that “just brushed” feeling. The shaving gel pouch holds just enough gel for a decent lathering.

The one day stay pouches with all 6 wipes cost $4.99 each. LaFresh also has a version with 30 single use wipes which is great for refilling the one stay pouch. Other products in the LaFresh lineup include female hygiene wipes, sunscreen wipes and even nail polish remover wipes. Most products are sold in packs of 6 or 48.

The LaFresh one day stay travel packets are very convenient, and are priced just right. They are not the kind of product I see myself using every trip, but I like the idea of carrying an emergency set of toiletries, without the hassle of having to deal with travel size bottles and the possibility of leaks.

British, American and Iberia Airlines to sign cooperation agreement

by Grant Martin on

The UK’s British Airways, American Airlines and Spain’s Iberia this morning announced that they would soon be cooperating on flights between North America and Europe while they would also start to collaborate and expand on other routes together in the Oneworld Alliance.

Are the airlines merging? No. But aren’t they already all part of the Oneworld alliance? Yes, they are. What the airlines have agreed to is tighter collaboration among their operations. Ground operations, codeshares and mileage programs will be better integrated to ensure seamless operation among carriers (read: keep passengers hooked in the alliance), while costs and overlapping spending will be reduced.

It’s important to note that the airlines will continue to operate independently, similar to the Continental and United collaboration announced earlier this year. What’s not clear is whether they will be collaborating on pricing. As Virgin Atlantic, the main competition, sulks about the conglomerate having over 50% of the landing slots at Heathrow, many have noted the potential for monopolistic pricing among the new bedfellows.

So will prices actually go through the roof? Technically, less competition in the market suggests that prices may have the potential to rise — but there are still plenty of carriers and entry points into the EU. American, British and Iberia may soon have a good handhold on Heathrow (Sorry, Virgin), but Amsterdam, Gatwick and Frankfurt are still wide open, so with a little bit of creative routing you don’t have to call of your summer vacation.

Several Oneworld airlines are filing for antitrust immunity to get the ball rolling on the cooperation agreement — should this get approved, expect to see small changes in operations over the course of the year.

Daily deal – Acer Aspire One ultra portable notebook – $399

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is a bit different from my other “hot” deals. The Acer Aspire One is an ultra portable notebook (the new name is “netbook”) and on the inside you’ll find an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of ram, a 120GB hard drive and Windows XP. On the outside, you get a nice 8.9″ display, a fairly spacious keyboard, a webcam and a memory card reader.

The deal itself isn’t extremely hot, but it is being sold at one of the only stores that actually has this new machine in stock, plus it is currently the best value for money of any Netbook on the market (in my personal opinion of course).

The Acer Aspire One (model AO-A150-1570) costs just $399, and while that may be more than some of the regular sized notebooks on the market, it does offer a great value for money compared to other ultra portables. If you are lucky enough to live anywhere near a Microcenter store, you can take a closer look at one in person, and buy one right away, or you can place an online order and the machine will ship in 1-3 business days.

If you plan to do some comparison shopping, be aware that there are two different versions of this computer; one is in stock at several other (online) stores, and costs $379, but it only has 512MB of memory and just 8GB of hard drive storage, plus it runs a special version of Linux instead of Windows XP. At just $20 more, you’ll understand why the version I am posting here is such a “hot” deal – until the next model Netbook comes along of course.

Gadling Gear: Vibram Five Fingers

by Tynan on

Ultralight packing is the constant quest for perfection. Each item put away in the bag must be outrageously useful, versatile, small, and light. That rules out almost everything.

And for a while, the ultimate shoes escaped me. Sandals are light and small, but not versatile. I couldn’t run or hike with them.

I had some gore tex trail running shoes that I liked, but they weren’t light and small. They were fairly versatile, but were a disaster at the beach.

For a long time I carried two pairs of shoes. One in the backpack and one on my feet. Not perfect, but not bad.

Then I stumbled across the perfect pair of shoes by accident. My travel mate bought a pair during a brief stopover in LA.

Vibram Five Fingers.They looked ridiculous at first glance, like a combination of a glove and a ballet slipper. I had read about them online, specifically that a small subculture of runners absolutely loved them because they were like running barefoot and promoted proper running form.

But I wasn’t convinced. They seemed so minimal that they must fall short in some area or another.

As our trip took us through Southeast Asia and my friend’s Five Fingers began stealing the spotlight from his other shoes, I started regretting that I hadn’t bought a pair.

I searched across several countries trying in vain to find a pair of these shoes. They were sold out or unavailable everywhere. All of a sudden a cult following had developed and they were in short supply.

Finally I contacted Vibram to see if I could get a pair to review. They agreed under the condition I didn’t run with the bulls wearing the shoes. Fair enough.

Now I’m a full on convert. I still have my sandals (for now…), but the Gore Tex trail shoes are gone.

To put it simply, wearing Five Fingers feels like cheating. You feel like you’re walking around barefoot, but with armor. It’s weird.

The experience of walking with the five fingers is incredible. The shoes are so light that you don’t notice they’re there. You can feel the texture of the ground below you. Walking on grass is fun.

Running in the Five Fingers does take a bit of time to get used to, as Vibram will tell you, but once you get used to it it’s actually a lot better for your body than normal running shoes. For more information on that, look up the “POSE” method of running.

They’re not waterproof, but they dry quickly enough that you don’t mind getting them wet.

They’re not formal shoes by any stretch of the imagination, but I wore mine with a Tuxedo on the Queen Mary 2. The shoes are so interesting looking that they curiously asked about them rather than giving me flak for not having proper footwear.

The one thing they’re not good for, apparently, is running with the bulls. My friend got pulled out of the street because the police wouldn’t believe that they’re actually running shoes. For everything else, they’re fantastic.

The shoes come in a few different styles which you can see at Vibram’s Site. My friend swears by the Classics, and I love the KSOs that Vibram sent me because sand and gravel don’t get into them.

It’s tough to get a pair of them right now, but your best bet is probably a local high end running store or outdoor gear store. Most online stores are backed up by weeks or months.

Olympic watches (and much more) at Silk Street market in Beijing

by Jamie Rhein on

Last night, one of the news commentators during the men’s gymnastics All-Around competition mentioned going to the Silk Market in Beijing and seeing watches with Yang Wei’s face on them. Yang Wei is the men’s gold medal winner for the All-Around and the Chinese gymnastic darling.

The commentator (I forgot which one) mentioned that the Silk Market, now referred to as Silk Street, is his favorite place in Beijing, I have to say he has good taste. If you’re in Beijing, it’s a place not to miss. Stalls upon stalls of wonderful items.

When we were there several years ago, instead of Yang Wei’s face, alarm clocks and watches with Mao’s face were part of the offerings. We loaded up on handmade quilts instead, even though they are a lot more cumbersome than watches and alarm clocks to pack. I think we bought five in all, plus a large duffel bag with wheels in which to carry them.

Since I was there, the Silk Market’s venue has changed from an alley to a regular five-story shopping mall. Not as funky, for sure, but from what I’ve read, there is A LOT more to buy and the shopping is more organized.

If you can’t find Yang Wei’s face on a watch, which I think would be a pretty fun and funky souvenir, and if quilts are too big for you to handle, look for items that are Chinese zodiac related. I also bought these for friends of mine whose birth year I could remember.