Germ-eliminating wand: an addition to your travel-kit

by Abha Malpani on

Remember the last time you woke up all scratchy from your hotel/bed? Or when the hotel’s carpet smelt like cat poo? Or when there was a layer of grime on the kitchen table-top of the apartment you rented out on your trip?

Well, now instead of taking a long shower with your eyes closed and trying to keep away nightmares of waking up with hives, you can be the wizard of cleanliness by owning a Hammacher Schlemmer germ-eliminating wand.

The device uses UV-C (a shortwave ultraviolet light that has disinfectant properties) to eliminate 99% of bacteria, viruses, mold, and dust mites in the bathroom, in the kitchen, or on your bedding.

All you have to do is move around the wand’s 6-inch long light bulb over all the surfaces you want ”purified” and it will rapidly disinfect everything. By holding the wand over the contaminated surface for 20 seconds, the UV light will kill all the E.coli, salmonella and staphylococcus that cause the common cold and the flu.

The wand can be programmed for up to an hour and has an automatic shut-off option. However, be careful as overexposure to UV-C can lead to skin-redness and eye irritation.

It costs about $100; perhaps not a bad investment eh?

Travel trends for ’08 from TripAdvisor

by Martha Edwards on

2007 was a good year for travel. Well, at least it was for me — I managed to take 9 weeks off to travel, went to two countries I’ve never been before, crossed the equator twice and spent a large chunk of time beach-hopping. But it’s not all about me, is it? How was 2007 in terms of travel for you? Or in general?

Oh, forget that. 2007 is nearly over and it’s time to move on to 2008. In honour of the coming of the new year, Trip Advisor has put together a list of travel trends we can expect to see in 2008. In particular, we can expect to see a push towards ‘green’ travel. And the environment won’t be the only concern for travellers — germs rank high on the list, so there will also be a push towards clean travel.

Want to find out more about what to expect to see in ’08? Click here.

Plane Clean Air Filter

by Justin Glow on

Here’s a nifty little device — the Plane Clean Air Filter from pb Travel. The blue device — priced at $19.99 — attaches to the air nozzle on most planes, and is capable of “removing viruses, bacteria and other particulate matter from an air stream.” Could this be redundant? Perhaps.

According to ABC News, stale, recycled air isn’t the cause of most airborne sicknesses. In fact, they claim that “most larger planes now have special systems that filter out germs and let some outside air in.” So what is the most common cause of sickness among regular fliers? Your fellow travelers, actually. “The closer the passengers are to you the worse it is for you if they have some sort of illness like a simple cold,” Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr. of New York University Medical Center told ABC news.

To stay healthy, wash your hands often with an antibacterial sanitizer, avoid using the seat-back tray table, and stay hydrated. I’m sure having a Plane Clean Air Filter wouldn’t hurt either, even if it is for piece-of-mind alone. [via]