Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gear. Show all posts

Friday, July 27, 2012

Summer Travel: 5 Travel-Friendly Sunscreen Products



When it comes to flying to a beach vacation or a lake getaway, you need some travel-friendly sunscreen products that follow TSA's 3-1-1 rule. From Miami to Croatia, I tested out some samples.

Top from left: Control Corrective Day Cream SPF 30, part of the Sun and Sport Travel Kit ($82) or about $25 on Amazon.com -- The 2.5-oz. bottle held more than enough sunscreen to cover my body on a recent two-day beach trip to Rovinj, Croatia, where I swam in the Adriatic Sea. Bonus: The watermelon scent is a refreshing break from the coconut smell of other sun products.

Supergoop! SPF 40 Sunscreen Day Cream ($16, www.supergoop.com) -- After suffering an allergic reaction to other sun products, I've started using this 1-oz. travel-friendly size for my face. I like that it rubs in easily and doesn't make my face feel greasy. I also used this while in Italy in June, when temperatures in Rome reached above 90. Best of all, it didn't streak when I splashed my face with water to cool off.

Bottom row: Supergoop! wipes -- These space-saving towelettes are helpful for applying sunscreen to your neck and other hard-to-reach places.

Coppertone sunscreen stick -- Unfortunately this sunscreen stick dried out my face, but it worked fine on my legs during a trip to Miami's South Beach.

Aveeno -- When in doubt, I go with the 3-oz. Aveeno for my face. It's easy to find in drugstores in your destination for under $10.

Photos by Amy Chen

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Indestructible Gear?


With all the travel gear out there, how can you believe the outrageous claims of durability? For the September 2009 issue, Budget Travel staffers took supposedly invincible gear (a drop-proof laptop bag, windproof umbrella, waterproof-pocket shorts, spill-proof mug) and pushed them to the max.

The Challenge: Can this Senz windproof umbrella ($50) live up to its name? The umbrella's sleek design promises to withstand winds of up to 40 mph.

The Test: I unfurled the umbrella on the Staten Island Ferry, at Top of the Rock, and in a moving Mini Cooper convertible. See the results here. Keep in mind that if you ever find yourself battling 40 mph gales, you should probably ditch the umbrella and go inside—a tropical storm has a minimum wind speed of 39 mph.