Spending up to 40 weeks per year away from home, I travel for a living: from Mongolia to Mumbai to Machu Picchu, I write about my life on the road for a number of national print and online publications. (“On the road,” literally: I wrote this on my laptop in the back of a chauffeur-driven car on a rutted road through rural Cambodia.) While days spent in business class and nights in five-star hotel rooms sound like an easy gig, keeping the wheels in motion can be wearying. It helps to have good gear in your suitcase — and, for that matter, a good suitcase). Here are my recommended gifts for the traveller: items that I use already, or hope to use soon. Unless otherwise indicated, all gift pricing is in (sometimes adjusted) Canadian dollars; no pricing includes S&H fees.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 18-CATEGORY OVERVIEW OF DailyXY’s 2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Samsonite Silhouette
I’ll admit it — I’m a hardcore souvenir hound, so while any frequent traveller prides himself on packing light, I always need extra room for my finds along the way, whether it be exotic Rajasthani paintings on ancient rice paper or a cool blowgun from the (non-dotcom) Amazon. Samsonite’s tough but elegant case is perfect, providing plenty of compartments for my precious cargo. $500

Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Long overseas flights become bearable when you can relax and enjoy a few movies aimed at the lowest common denominator. Mindless movies become much more pleasant when the audio is crisp and free of the drone of airplane engines, and Bose’s always impressive noise-canceller is the gold standard. $350

Canon PowerShot G12
Great photos are key for recording your adventures for posterity (and, perhaps more importantly, engendering extreme jealously among your friends). This Canon camera is compact enough to fit easily into a daypack but sophisticated enough to give the photographer some good options on ISO, shutter and settings. $550

iHome iHM79 Rechargeable Mini Speakers
Sometimes, a little travelling music makes a big difference. Filling a hotel room with your own tunes can make it feel a lot more like home. These tiny speakers pack an audio punch, without weighing you down or taking up precious suitcase space. $60

Apple iPod Touch 32GB
Picking up your email in far-flung places can be a challenge. Roaming charges and access can be wildly unpredictable, but you can usually depend on encountering a few WiFi hotpots each day — something you can always tap into with an iPod Touch. (Of course, you could also bring an iPad, though they’re eminently less transportable for daytrips.) A nice added bonus: load up with apps, Angry Birds, movies and music, and you can take a lot of your favourite things with you wherever you may roam. $300

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Image courtesy of fomu.