The best travel gifts are those that make getting from here to there easier -- not more complicated, less fun or, worst of all, heavier. If it fits in your carry-on, so much the better. Travelers' needs are as varied as their destinations, and so we looked in stores and online for items that would meet the basics, as well as for those cutting-edge gadgets that make travel more interesting, in prices ranging from less than $10 to more than $200. -- Gifts under $25 -- Coghlan's Compression Sacks Perfect for: Whitewater rafters, backbackers, car campers Why they'll love it: These nylon storage sacks come in three sizes -- from 7 inches in diameter and 16 inches high to 10 1/2 inches in diameter and 23 inches high -- and help smoosh down your stuff so that you can pack more in. Ideal for laundry, sleeping bags, towels and other gear that can easily be squeezed, the sacks sport four buckled straps and flip-top lids, all of which can be zipped into a disc-shaped bundle the width of a sandwich when not in use. Cost: $15-$18 Find it here: coghlans.com, sporting goods stores, Army/Navy surplus stores -- ? la Carte Maps Perfect for: Savvy sightseers, off-the-beaten-path seekers Why they'll love it: This quirky mapmaker makes the process fun and interesting, and the hand-drawn guides to the 14 cities ? la Carte has done so far are exquisitely conceived (including New York and Washington in the United States, and Paris, London and Tokyo abroad). Each one looks like a piece of art but is a detailed map, including tidbits about places to eat and things to do written in the margins by a local. The maps are laminated and moisture-resistant, and they come with a letter from the maker with basic get-around info as well as access to the company's site for more insider info on the destination. Looking for a custom job? You can either get a blank map with no guide details that comes with stickers so you can customize it on your own, or contact the company to start one from scratch. Cost: $12 Find it here: alacartemaps.com -- PodFlexPro Perfect for: iPhone/Droid addicts, fitness buffs Why they'll love it: As anyone who's tried to watch a movie on their iPhone during a flight knows, tilting it against the seat in front of you can be an exercise in frustration, and holding it is a drag. The PodFlexPro is a shapeable holder with a space for any similarly sized unit, open on one side for headphones and USB cord. The PodFlexPro is sturdy, but as the name suggests, very flexible, so it can be shaped to hang on a closed tray table, chair back, gym equipment or backseat of the car, or you can make it into a stand to set upright next to a computer. Cost: $25 Find it here: podflexpro.com -- Freehands gloves Perfect for: Teens and other texters, gamers, the tech-obsessed Why they'll love it: Courting frostbite when you have to answer your cell or text in the dead of winter? Freehands designer Josh Rubin came up with these comfy gloves when he got tired of answering his iPhone with his nose -- they allow you to use just your index finger and thumb by popping them out of their glove tips. The material is overlapped to keep those fingers warm when closed, and they have magnets to hold the tips back. Styles include a variety of colors in recycled fleece, wool and faux fur, as well as a ski version and cashmere. Cost: $16-$24 (ski gloves $45, cashmere $80) Find it here: freehands.com -- High Road map light Perfect for: Road trippers, back-seat drivers Why they'll love it: As anyone who's ever tried to read a map in the dark by the scant light of the overhead in the car while navigating oncoming traffic knows, it's an accident waiting to happen. Even if you do pull over, it's still hard to see. The map light is the answer, an 11-by-6-inch acrylic screen that illuminates whatever you clip inside, and even has a magnifying lens to really get a look. It plugs into a 12-volt DC outlet. Cost: $13 Find it here: protravelgear.com -- $50 and under -- Undercover Bear pillow/blanket Perfect for: Kids of all ages Why they'll love it: OK, we'll admit to initially getting one of these for a child and then stealing it for ourselves. The fleece bear head is ideal for wedging right in the small of your back on an airplane to make the journey more comfortable, and it also is just the right size for putting your head on during a car ride. But wait, there's more -- the stuffing is really a soft blankie, and you can inflate the blow-up insert and zip it back in the bear head to have a pillow once again. Cost: $30 Find it here: luglife.com -- Trunki Perfect for: Travelers ages 3-6 Why they'll love it: When two 5-year-olds are so engrossed in the goings on between their suitcases to cause any trouble in an airport, you know you're on to something. A Trunki is a hardshell, animal-shaped carry-on (18.25 by 8.63 by 12 inches) on four wheels that can hold an energetic 100 pounds trying to outrace you down a people-mover. Pack it with toys and snacks, and spring for the stickers to keep them even more occupied. If you really hate your fellow travelers, buy the shoulder pack 'saddlebag' with zippered pockets -- and horn. Cost: $40 ($15 saddlebag, $2 stickers) Find it here: melissaanddoug.com; bippityboppitybaby.com -- Vagabond Luggage Tags Perfect for: The jet-setter who has everything Why they'll love it: In the ongoing struggle to discern our luggage from yours, it helps to have an edge -- in fact, something edgy like the luggage tags from Vagabond. Brightly colored, these identifiers are etched with saucy statements such as, 'Good Karma: A Bag That Goes Around Comes Around,' made of repurposed leather remnants, contain a concealed identity card and sport a sturdy buckle. Cost: $28 Find it here: The Watermark (303-577-0058); roapress.com -- Money belt Perfect for: Anyone Why they'll love it: It's the request we get most often -- where to find these? Safety is a constant concern no matter where you're headed, and hiding money is tough. A money belt is a good option, because while thieves might know about the belts, they're not the first place they think to look, they're impossible to snatch quickly, and they last forever. There are many styles to choose from: Eagle Creek sells a stylish, outdoorsy one, while National Geographic and other outlets offer manly, woven-leather options. Beltoutlet.com has two pretty, croc-print choices for women. Cost: $25-$50 Find it here: beltoutlet.com, eaglecreek.com, shop.nationalgeographic.com -- Mambe Waterproof Blankets Perfect for: Car campers/RVers, sports enthusiasts Why they'll love it: The Mambe blanket, a Polartec fleece deal that has a heat-reflective layer on one side and waterproof lining on the other, is perfect for the West -- it'll keep you warm and dry during a football game, windproof during one of those high-desert-plains picnics, and in a thunderstorm in a tent, is the best thing to have between your sleeping bag and a leak. Cost: $49 ($89 for a large; $79 for Extreme Stadium Blanket) Find it here: mambeblankets.com -- $100 and under -- Altec Lansing InMotion Compact portable speakers Perfect for: Music lovers Why they'll love it: We're always looking for the perfect pair of portable speakers to connect to an iPod or other MP3 player. There's no such thing, though -- if they have everything we want, they're ridiculously expensive, weigh too much and are too big. Altec Lansing makes this reasonably priced unit, however, and while we might wish for a remote, a clock/alarm or other bells and whistles, if we simply want good sound in a set of speakers compatible with most MP3 players that can be folded up in 2 seconds and easily transported in a carry-on -- not to mention a stable cradle -- we've found it. Bonus: The Compact gets way louder than most speakers this size while holding on to clarity. Cost: $58 Find it here: amazon.com -- ZOMM cell phone leash Perfect for: Harried friends, road trippers Why they'll love it: The main purpose of ZOMM is to flash, vibrate and then sound an alarm if you go too far away from your cell phone, which is a selling point for folks who forget their phones a lot -- leaving them on restaurant tables, in rest-stop bathrooms, on the hotel nightstand. But because the ZOMM attaches to your key chain, another attractive feature is that it allows you to answer your phone there, using the unit on the key ring -- meaning it's an additional hands-free speaker. ZOMM connects to your cell via Bluetooth, and also has a panic button and can call for emergency assistance. Cost: $80 Find it here: zomm.com -- Fatcat Solar Charger Perfect for: The hopelessly electronically addicted, backpackers Why they'll love it: With 12 tips -- including for iPhone, BlackBerry, most MP3 playerss and PDAs -- and the ability to charge hand- helds from 4.5 volts to 9 volts, the Fatcat battery pack is pretty versatile, and because it can be charged either by the sun or via an outlet, pretty useful. At 5 1/2 by 3 by 1 inches, the unit is slightly larger than a cell phone and can store two to three times the power needed for one item. Note that it takes the longer end of the range for sun charging, about 8 hours (the instructions say 5-10). Cost: $99.85 Find it here: magellans.com -- AirTech backpack Perfect for: Everyone who carries a laptop Why they'll love it: Airbak technology just keeps getting better, and in this bag, it means that the air-filled bladder at the bottom of the pack that sits on your lower back better distributes the weight of your electronics, which in turn means a day at the airport is easier on the old bod. Additional features include super-padded shoulder straps, pockets for your phone, sunglasses, water bottles and other gadgets, and a separate, well-padded section for the laptop. Cost: $80 Find it here: airbak.com -- $200 and under -- ScotteVest jacket Perfect for: Adventurers who travel with a lot of gizmos, contrarians out to buck the airlines' baggage fees Why they'll love it: ScotteVest got a bit of press recently when the company's ad claiming it could eliminate the need for luggage was rejected by Delta Sky magazine. The claim is true -- if you want to look like the Michelin tire mascot getting on a plane. The Revolution Plus jacket features 24 pockets -- the Expedition has 37 -- into which you can jam some 40 pounds of gear, including a Netbook, six or seven smaller electronics and about two days' worth of clothes, but the real selling points for a ScotteVest are things such as waterproof and breathable materials, magnetic closures, internal as well as external pockets and other brilliant design elements. Cost: $200 Find it here: scottevest.com -- Kindle 3 Perfect for: E-reader fans who want the best right now Why they'll love it: Certainly Kindle just keeps getting better -- lighter, slimmer, faster, with a long battery life, exceptional e-ink illustrations in 16 shades of gray and a responsive keyboard. WiFi is free (through AT&T), and the books, newspapers and magazines come, of course, from Amazon. The downsides? No touch screen, no color and you have to buy the cover separately (leather $35, or $60 with light). Navigation can be a little clunky -- for instance, some prefer e-readers with the more intuitive setup of a button on the left for going back and a button on the right for going forward -- and because it's not a touch screen, the menus can be cumbersome. So is this the best e-reader? Well, the Barnes & Noble Nook is visually splashier, you can write on the Sony PRS-600 with a stylus, and the video and photo reproduction on the E FUN NextBook is remarkable. Meanwhile, there are rumors that Kindle itself may be coming out with an upgrade after the holidays. But the Kindle 3 is pretty sweet for the price, and available in abundance. Cost: $139 WiFi, $189 WiFi/3G Find it here: amazon.com -- CamBALL Perfect for: Outdoors enthusiasts, YouTube addicts, budding Steven Spielbergs Why they'll love it: This golf ball-size digital video recorder can be strung around your neck, clipped to your shoulder or baseball cap, attached to a mountain bike or simply set down somewhere to record video and/or audio, which can then be easily uploaded to a computer (and instantly to YouTube) or watched on TV. A separate waterproof case makes it fun for whitewater, as well, as part of a separate Sports Pack that comes with a variety of ways to attach the ball to your person. Learning how to manipulate the unit takes some focused time, but once you work through the instructions, it's fairly easy (those with large hands might find the tiny buttons touchy, however). Cost: $130, plus $40 for the Sports Pack Find it here: thecamball.com -- Travelpro Expandable Rollaboard Suiter Perfect for: Road warriors Why they'll love it: Millions of flight crew members can't be wrong -- Travelpro has long been the first choice in luggage of many a flight attendant and pilot, and the reason comes down to one word: wheels. Travelpro uses waterproof in-line skate wheels on its suitcases, and they last. The rest of each piece is built for durability as well, which is why of all the luggage we've been beating the daylights out of in the last decade, our Travelpro is one of the few still rolling. The 22-inch Expandable Suiter fits all carry-on dimensions, has a hidden pocket under the lining and a removable suit sleeve, and is covered in coated nylon fabric. The telescoping handle can take some abuse, as well. Cost: $200 Find it here: Bed Bath & Beyond 