In Pictures: Tech Toys For Business Travelers

Traveling for business is supposed to be practical, but pack a few high-tech toys as travel companions and it might actually turn out to be fun, too.

Mark Ashley, who writes the business travel blog Travel Better and reports clocking more than 70,000 miles each year in the air, says gadgets help business travelers feel at home by making their time on the road not only efficient but also enjoyable. "If you're away from friends and family, you want to make sure you're comfortable, even pampered," Ashley says.

Travel technology has to do more than keep customers comfy, though. Ashley knows that these toys need to be efficient and reliable--even when airports and hotels aren't. That's why he breaks them down into clear, useful categories: stuff to help you find your way (like portable GPS systems), stuff to help you communicate (like electronic translators), stuff to make air travel tolerable (like noise-canceling headphones), and stuff to keep your other stuff working (like universal chargers). Put them altogether, Ashley says, and it should be smooth flying.

In Pictures: 10 Gadgets Business Travelers Need

Joining in the appreciation of travel gadgets is Mika Lepisto, head of Travel Gear Blog (travelgearblog.com) and director of Portland, Ore.-based BootsnAll, a network of 60-plus travel blogs. Like Ashley, Lepisto says he doesn't just write about flying off to far-away places, he also does it, taking up to eight domestic business trips a year. Speaking from experience, Lepisto reminds travelers to take only the gadgets that they really need. "When you travel on a business trip, you have a purpose," he says, and so should the things you bring.

What pragmatic gadgets would he recommend? At the moment, he's loving his T-Mobile G1, which he says makes a great business tool. "If you use Google apps, it'll sync from Google to the phone," Lepisto says. "It's not going to be useful for Fortune 500 companies, but small businesses, a lot of them use the Google products. I also like the full keyboard." When it comes to typing e-mails, he points out, a full keyboard means fewer keystrokes and less stress on the road.

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First and foremost in the briefcase of a businessperson on the go is a laptop, preferably one that is ultra portable for traveling ease, says Lepisto, who recommends aiming for something light and small like the Eee PC. "It's easier to get it in and out of your bag at the airport, if you need to check your e-mail really quickly, or for the security inspections," he says. Though these mini laptops may only be good for browsing the Internet, writing e-mails and running a presentation or two, what travelers lose in technical prowess they gain in the ability to fit their computers on airplane tray tables.

Sure, a small laptop makes sense, but only the seasoned business travelers know the little things, like which mouse to buy. The answer: laser mice, since they're more responsive on desks without mouse pads, like those in hotel rooms.

Market Info

Christmas shopping typically begins on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and nearly every year certain "must-have" toys emerge that spur parents to camp outside stores and then, at the crack of dawn, to stampede inside for a chance to snag the coveted plaything for the Christmas tree. Think Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmo, and Nintendo's Wii. This year, as many consumers watch their homes and 401(k) accounts shrink dramatically in value, the must-have toy may go the way of the dodo, say analysts such as Howard Davidowitz, chairman of retail consultancy Davidowitz & Associates. "The customer is so pressed for money, so scared, and so in debt," he says. "They are so focused on price that the huge must-have toys are gone."

Parents will still buy toys for their children, of course, but they may not muster the energy and funds spent in years past. "The toy industry is not recession-proof (BusinessWeek.com, 11/19/08), but historically it is more recession-resistant," says Julie Livingston, a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Assn. "This year parents might buy fewer of the special high-end toys, but they won't give up toys for their children." Market research firm TNS Retail Forward surveyed 4,000 shoppers in October around the U.S. and found that a third planned to buy toys this year, down from 38% in 2007. Those that plan to buy toys will spend 12% less than they did last year.

When retailers can't count on pent-up excitement and demand for the "hot" item, they turn to one-upping each other with promotions, says Mandy Putnam, a vice-president with TNS Retail Forward. "Retailers have anticipated that toys might not be as popular this year so they're going to have to promote the heck (BusinessWeek.com, 11/11/08) out of what they have to get shoppers through the door."

Classic Toys Still Conquer

Trudy Lonegan, a mother of two boys in Chapel Hill, N.C., is one of the many parents scaling back on costlier items. In previous years, Santa brought her sons popular gifts like a Nintendo Wii or a Razor USA scooter. This year she's steering clear of high-end gifts. "We're planning a frugal Christmas," says Lonegan, 39, who works in sales for a human resources consulting company where her pay is variable because it is commission-based. To economize on her holiday gifts, she will go to Costco (COST) to get iPod Nanos for her sons or shop online where she can compare prices. Her husband, a woodworker, will also make gifts for their sons like hat racks and shelves for their sports trophies.

Certain classic toys such as Hot Wheels, Barbie, and Play-Doh will still be popular this year, but customers are likely to trade down within brands, predicts Eric Johnson, a management professor at Dartmouth and a toy industry analyst. Parents will go for the $10 Barbie instead of the Barbie Dream House or Jeep, he says. "We don't have anything like the Furbies that generated fistfights when the Wal-Mart opened on Black Friday a few years ago. There is nothing in that category."