By Ron Stern 
As everyone knows, traveling in this day and age can be stressful and expensive. Here are a few travel accessories and things that I can’t do without.
An Air Ambulance Card, which can be obtained at airambulancecard.com.
Things can and do happen and if you are hospitalized in another country and you have to be flown back to the United States, the average price is over $100,000. The problem with some of the medical evacuation plans on the market is that they may contain limitations such as medical necessity or nearest appropriate facility. In these cases, they don’t necessarily have to transport you back to the U.S. For a very modest price of $195 for individuals and $295 for families per year, the air ambulance folks will send an aircraft for you and bring you to the hospital of your choice. It also works domestically as well. Either way, this is pretty inexpensive considering the peach of mind this delivers.
If you’re like me and dislike paying for airline bag fees, then finding suitable alternatives for checked bags is a must. For several years I have been using the cleverly designed SCOTTEVEST and find it to be one of the best ways to level the playing field. Their complete line of stylish yet comfortable smart travel apparel includes a jacket that can carry a whopping amount of items in 20 interior pockets.
SCOTTEVEST, which can be found at scottevest.com.
Always innovative, the company’s newest addition is called the Transformer Jacket, owing to its ability to rapidly transform from a lightweight jacket into a vest in just a few seconds. The secret comes from 12 rare-earth magnets that are concealed in the shoulders and sleeves allowing you to simply pull on the material to create a vest. You can then hide the sleeves in a special pocket until you are ready to transform back into a jacket just as quickly. After a couple of tries, I was able to convert from a jacket to vest in about 10 seconds.
Sleep Number Deluxe Travel Pillow, which can be found at sleepnumber.com.
The Sleep Number Deluxe Travel Pillow is what I take on trips to ensure a good night’s sleep. This pillow fits neatly into my roller board carry-on bag, which is 14 inches by 19 inches by one inch. It is constructed of high density memory foam surrounded by a soft down alternative. The pillow is also hypoallergenic for those with allergy issues. They are priced at $59.99 and you can also order online at sleepnumber.com or by calling (800) 753-3768.
Ron Stern (aka: The Global Gumshoe) www.ronsterntravel.com
