European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                With the translation master travellers can have the right foreign word at die tips of their fingers. Anyone on the go can get a lot of mileage out of a Multi bladed Swiss army knife. By Steve silk the Hartford courant wit Tho holidays just Down the Road More and More people Are out buying gifts if you re Short on ideas Here Are a few possibilities for the travellers on your shopping list. Most of the following items can be obtained through mail order Cata logs but Many can also be found in Luggage shops or in stores specializing Imp sporting goods or outdoor apparel. A few can be found at any drugstore or photo shop. Topping the list is a compact shortwave radio. With one of these Battery powered earphone equipped units anyone can go global a without leaving Home. Your favorite wanderer can tune in the news in English from Home or away anywhere in the world. Broadcasts on the voice of America or radio Moscow Alpine tunes on Swiss radio International or religious music on Vatican radio Are All within reach of Short Wae. And that s just for starters. The passport sized Grundig traveler ii which also features pm and am is available for about $99. When it comes to versatile travel tools you can t  that travel Well a Swiss army knife. These pocket hardware stores come equipped with everything from fish Scalers and corkscrews to screwdrivers and toothpicks. Swiss army knives Are available almost everywhere a cutlery shops Luggage stores sporting Good shops prices Start at about $15. International travellers might appreciate an electronic currency converter. These calculator like devices available at Luggage shops or through mail order companies help even the most math impaired tourist make sense out of pesos pounds drachmas or Marks. You can find these for As Tittle As $8. Better yet is a conversion master which not Only translates foreign currencies to Dollar amounts and vice versa but also converts Kilometres to Miles celsius to fahrenheit and kilograms to pounds. It s a calculator too. Conversion masters Are priced at about $24.50. For those willing to spend quite a bit More hand held electronic translators help take the Strain out of going somewhere where the local language is not one you speak. These Small units give foreign words for English words and vice versa. The translators also give phonetic Spellings definitions and in some cases verb conjugations. The translators Are still expensive in the $250-$300 Range but should be coming Down. Another electronic Doodad that s Handy for any traveler is a compact Waterproof flashlight. Pocket size lights Are Handy for anything from a late night walk along the Beach to coping with a Power outage. Among the Best Are mini mag Lites which project a beam that s adjustable from spotlight to floodlight. Flashlights in a variety of Price ranges Are available at outdoors stores. Here s a dilemma Many a traveler can appreciate How can you look Sharp when your evening Wear is part of the wrinkled wad of clothes stuffed into the Samsonite with wrinkle free it s easy. Just pull rumpled clothing taut Spray wait 10 seconds and smooth the creases away with your hands. Presto you re presentable. A 3-ounce Spray can costs about $4 and is available by mail order or at Many Luggage shops. Travel size hair dryers Are a sure fire item for the Well coiffed. They also come in Handy for drying out ski boots after a Day on the slopes pint size dryers can be found in drug and department stores be sure to get one that accepts different currents if you re buying for an International traveler. Plan on spending at most about $25. A another useful item for the toiletry kit is a collection of unbreakable plastic bottles with screw tops or squirt tops. Ecologically conscious travellers fill them with shampoo skin lotion or sunblock before leaving Home then save them for reuse later on. You might add a few Sample size containers of shaving Cream or toothpaste items that can t really be repackaged Home. And to make those items easier to find on the Raj item add a Clear plastic see through toiletry Case a that Way there s no rooting about inside a dark bag to find the dental floss. Even the strongest insect repellent May not fend off the most annoying of tropical nighttime companions a the ones with wings. To help your tropical traveler beat the bite and spend the night without getting bugged get him a Mosquito net. The Best Are like Small tents that can be set up Over a bed that Way there s no searching about for a Hook to suspend a hanging net. Clobe trotting photographers on your shopping list will make use of Lead shielded a Ray proof film bags. Airport officials assure flying photographers that a Ray machines at Security checkpoints will not harm film but they re Only partly right. Repeated exposure has a cumulative effect and unprotected film a Rayed several times May be damaged. Film Shields protect film from harm. They also need occasional replacement tiny holes that develop in the bags after lots of folding and unfolding provide an entry Portal for a rays that can then Ricochet around inside the bag. Any Good photo shop should have a selection of sizes $6 or so should buy a bag with a capacity of four Rolls of 35mm film $13 or so buys a bag that holds up to 22 Rolls. A folding table top tripod is another Handy item for picture people. For Low Light photography a sunsets Twilight shots or interiors a tiny tripods can be perched on a table top a chair against a Wall or placed on the ground. And they re Small enough to go everywhere. A Good one costs at least $25 cheaper ones usually Aren t. Solid enough to support a camera equipped with even a modest telephoto Lens. Any Good photo shop should have a selection. 24 stripes Magazine december 5, 1991 and