Getaway Gear

By Lisa McLaughlin

Hang on to your boarding passes this holiday season--it's bound to be a bumpy ride. Luckily, there's a new generation of travel gadgets designed to ease your passage in style and comfort. Case in point: the Travel Brush Kit, above, from Michael Marcus Cosmetics ($95). It packs eight sable makeup brushes into a compact just slightly thicker than a passport.

CHASING A DREAM Now that many airlines have started charging for pillows--or stopped offering them--it makes sense to start carrying your own. Goose-down pillows from Quixote ($52) have removable cases and can be compressed for easy packing.

GLOBAL TIMEKEEPER Flying through time zones can be disorienting. To help you cope, here's a chic 12-sided travel alarm from Moss. Each facet of the World Time Clock ($75) corresponds to a major international city. Rotate the clock to your destination, and the hands automatically point to the correct time.

GADGETS TO GO

INFLATABLE UPGRADE For long-haul flyers, the 1st Class Sleeper ($45, not pictured) can make coach seating more bearable. Designed by a pilot for off-duty trips, the inflatable seat liner also provides neck and head support.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? The Iridium 9595A satellite phone works with your SIM card virtually anywhere you want to go on the globe. It's the only mobile phone that gets a signal from pole to pole.

STEADY LONG-DISTANCE VIEWS Nikon's StabilEyes waterproof binoculars ($800) are digitally enhanced to provide an ultrasteady view, dampening movement from ocean waves, car vibrations or shaky hands.

NOISE-CANCELING HEADPHONES A bargain at $69, these foldable Noisebusters, with active antinoise technology, hook up to a personal stereo or an in-flight sound system to cut out airplane drone and annoying conversations.