My favorite (tech travel) things

Want to know the tell-tale signs of a too-frequent flier? They pay more attention to the condition of their socks than their suit. They refer to the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's as "amateur season." And all of their toiletries are in bottles of three ounces or less -- even the ones they use at home.

If there's someone like that in your life, perhaps you're pondering the perfect gift. Here are seven of my favorite tech travel things, based on three years of nearly weekly trips:

Sennheiser PXC 250 noise-canceling headphones. Sure, Bose buys all the expensive ads. But who wants to look like the spaceport controller in Star Wars? These Sennheisers have served me well for more than two years on countless flights. Even more impressive is their weight and comfort: the smaller ear pads are perfect for folks like me who wear glasses and can't tolerate full-enclosure headphones for any length of time. I've worn these for five hours solid. Even better is the price: under $150 online. Someone must agree, because Consumer Reports also recommended these in its holiday gift guide.

iPod Nano with arm band. Video iPods are great for a long flight -- if you have sub-30 year old eyeballs. What the iPod Nano has is size and flexibility. Load it up with your favorite tunes, audio books (from Audible.com) or podcasts (personal fave: NPR's news quiz, "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me") and get ready for the flight. But don't go halfway. Also purchase an iPod case/arm band. This lets you wear the iPod and not have to give up meager tray space to use it (the arm band also keeps you from juggling when a seatmate has to get up to use the lav). Arm bands aren't just for workouts anymore.

Pocket hard disk drive. I have put away my childish 256MB, 512MB and even 1GB flash memory things. Instead, I've replaced them with the Seagate Pocket External Hard Drive. This palm-sized disc-shaped hard drive is powered completely through the USB cable and holds enough stuff (my model has 6GB) to make up for the sins of those who email me multiple 8MB PowerPoint files, especially when I don't want to cart my laptop to presentations. What's amazing are the prices. Amazon has had the Seagate 6GB for $60; Costco.com for $50. I bought two.

Cable lock. Technically, this isn't technical. But spend enough time in hotels without safes or use your laptop in public places and it's an easy-to-carry bit of piece of mind. These cables have a lock at the end that fits into the security slot of any laptop from this century, which you attach after looping it through an opening in a hotel room desk (or floor lamp, as I've had to do once or twice, which probably puzzled the maid). I own a Kensington version with a key, but many are available for $20-40. Go for the single-piece cable with a key lock; they're the easiest to use and transport.

BlackBerry 8700 series. Not to sing the praises of something so roundly slammed these days, but it's just worth noting that this is the first BlackBerry I've owned that I can use as a laptop replacement for email and fast Web browsing. My 8703e is from Verizon; other carriers have similar model numbers. The full keyboard, crystal-clear color screen, and Ev-DO network capability (you can use this BlackBerry as a high-speed external laptop modem, too) takes this Research In Motion device to a new level. Just try downloading Google Maps to it. You'll be amazed.

Nike Free shoes. One of the biggest complaints I hear from fellow travelers about packing for workouts on the road is that they don't, because shoes take up too much space. So I bought a pair of Nike Frees. These provide support and pack flatter than any workout shoe I've owned before. Plus, they're very light, a benefit for carry-on luggage. I work out for stress as much as fitness, and Nike Free shoes help keep me sane.

NPR.org. If there's one thing that frequent travelers miss, it's consistency. When it comes to news media, I can always get USA Today or the Wall Street Journal at my hotel and an endlessly numbing selection of 24-hour cable "news" channels on the hotel TV. Yet radio is a challenge. So I check NPR.org to find the local National Public Radio station by my hotel's ZIP code. It lists call letters, frequency, and -- importantly -- expected signal strength so I can tune the room's clock radio. And, if all else fails, I can always stream the shows I like on my laptop. Why NPR? It's the only remaining national radio network with daily, long-form news programming -- or, to badly paraphrase what Wayne Roth of KUOW-FM NPR Seattle once told me, it's what CBS Radio used to be for today's listeners.

These seven items may not make your favorite road warrior's life perfect. But they might -- as I've discovered over the past three years -- make it less of a battle.