Great Escape Publishing Staff Picks -- 2007 Holiday Gift List

** From Jackie Flynn, our marketing director:

1. A set of noise-canceling headsets so I can listen to music and language tapes — and not my husband — on our next flight.

2. An MP3 player, so I don’t have to listen to my husband at home either (and can also listen to audio walking tours on our next trip).

3. A new digital point-and-shoot camera because I was kidding about not wanting to listen to my husband. Photography is his passion, and I want a new camera because travel photography is something we’d like to start doing together.

** From Terry Frank, our product manager and Great Escape Publishing workshop coordinator:

1. A digital Canon Rebel camera. I’m ready to upgrade from a point-and-shoot to an SLR and I want a quality camera on the low end of the price spectrum. After all my research, I think the Canon Rebel is the best buy for me.

2. A zoom lens because my sister and I compete our horses in three-day events and I’d like to get closer pictures from the sidelines.

3. A camera bag to hold it all.

** From Bonnie Caton, our new staff writer and member liaison:

1. An online subscription to Writer’s Market because I’m only just getting started in travel writing and this is a staple.

2. A print subscription to National Geographic Adventure Magazine because it’s full of adventure travel to exotic and dangerous destinations… and some things are better lived vicariously.

3. A copy of Stephen King’s “On Writing” because Lori just finished this book and she’s been raving about it.

** From Jennifer Stevens, the creator of The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program and a regular contributor to The Right Way to Travel:

1. Both Liz Claiborne and Land’s End make great cotton, wrinkle-free shirts I love to pack. I’ll have more than one of those on my list.

2. Another wheeled duffle bag/suitcase that also doubles as a backpack. We already have one of these, which I love. With now three kids to herd as we travel, we could use another bag my husband or I can wear, if necessary, as we get from baggage claim to wherever it is we’re going. (Oh, and not black. It should be something bright we can set the children to looking for as the bags go by on the carousel — keeps them occupied!)

3. More travel games. We spend a lot of time in the car around the holidays because my husband’s family lives in Nebraska. The kids are getting old enough now that road-trip travel games are just as fun for me as they are for them.

** From Lori Allen, director of Great Escape Publishing:

1. I want one of those UV light water purifier wands. SteriPEN (http://tinyurl.com/32tl3v) has a good travel-sized one that makes any clear water safe to drink with UV light instead of chemicals. (This’ll come in handy during our photography expedition in Hong Kong this February.)

2. A Gorillapod for my camera. It’s a flexible tripod that can wrap around poles, benches, you name it. (Just be careful if you get one of these that you get it for the right sized camera. They come in various sizes.)

3. A wish ornament from RedEnvelope. You can write a wish and store it inside the ornament till next year (or forever). Since it’s our first Christmas together as a married couple, I’d like this to be the first ornament my husband and I place on our tree.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]