May/June
1999 Issue
Traveling
Light--or Not
Whether your
plans include biking through the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife
Refuge on Sanibel, sailing to the Keys, or flying halfway around the globe,
the islands offer as many travel-related products as there are destinations.
SAX designer tote bags, complete with free cold pack,
always come in handy for long or short journeys. They’re available
in lots of styles from Sanibel’s only department store, the Sporty
Seahorse Shop. The Spiderman Activity Book will help keep young travelers
from becoming bored in a car, plane, or train. When the beach is on your
itinerary, don’t forget Florida Sun Guards for Sun Bathers, which
are nose guards that attach to most eyeglasses. If you go in the water,
try World Standard Swim Gear’s earplugs with “soft rubber that
contours to the ear.” All ages are sure to have a good time with
the Koosh pocket kite. “Fun on the go and easy to fly in all winds,”
it really can be kept in a pocket, as there’s no frame. 362 Periwinkle
Way, Sanibel, 941/472-1858.
Taking photos can be an important part of taking trips.
Suzanne and Jim Pickens have owned Photo Sanibel for 25 years and
their advice is worth noting. “Your primary travel accessories should
be a lead bag for film, to protect it when going through x-ray machines
at airports; and the other is a pocket tripod,” Suzanne explains.
“It’s only about four inches high. It bends so you can angle
it on a fence post, for example.” Also useful is a travel bag/camera
case that doesn’t look like one, to deter thieves. It looks more
like a mini-backpack and is adaptable for your shoulder or waist. Bushnell
zoom binoculars are small and handy for traveling. Hooked on the freedom
of single-use cameras? They keep getting better and better. The Advantix
enables you to switch between a standard and a panoramic format. 1571
Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-1086.
Footloose Outfitters, located at Jerry’s
Center, and Footloose of Captiva have big selections of indispensable
hooks, Velcro watchbands, rings, and clips that are handy for keeping
track of things when traveling. The stores carry ultra-comfortable shoes
and sandals manufactured by Sperry, Sebago, and Teva. Kipling brand backpacks
are popular, too. An impressive Timberland backpack comes with wheels,
handles, and pockets and is small enough to carry on a plane. 1700 Periwinkle
Way, Sanibel, 941/472-4717; Chadwick’s Square, Unit #220, South Seas
Plantation, Captiva, 941/472-1707.
Savvy travelers seek lots of information on their destination.
Sanibel Island Bookshop has a wide selection of Rand McNally and
AAA maps and atlases. It carries DeLorme’s Florida Atlas & Gazetteer,
which “shows every little road,” according to storeowner Steve
Beck. Activity books for children include Friends of a Feather, known
for its bulging eyes; and Mad Libs, a longtime favorite. The New York
Times Crossword Puzzle Collection is neat, Beck explains, because it’s
broken down by the day of the week; many people “don’t realize
that Monday’s is simple and then it gets harder until the weekend.”
Choose one of the shop’s blank books to keep a journal of your adventures.
1711 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-5223.
In the Tahitian Gardens shopping center, Audubon
Nature Store offers entertaining and educational travel-related games
and tools for all ages. They include 3-D Slide Puzzles, billed as “the
perfect travel puzzle,” with pictures of a koala and baby, dolphin,
fish, turtle, or frog. Geospace Magnetics Great Travel Games makes handheld
Word Spin and Word Spin Junior, for one, two, or more players, who spin
the magnetic wheels to form words. It was named 1995 Game of the Year
by the Australian Toy Association and the Best Mind Game of 1995 by American
Mensa. Going hiking, camping, or orienteering? Be sure to take along a
compass. Stargazers may want to carry the Sky Search Kit, which contains
a star and planet locator, map of the moon, and nebulae-galaxy map. For
ages 8 and up, employee Julie Palmer recommends the handheld Celestial
Seeker, which illuminates its 20 Northern Hemisphere constellation cards
with a night-vision red light. 1985 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/395-2050.
There are entire travel sections for children and young-at-heart
adults at Cheshire Cat Toys in Tahitian Gardens and at the Bell
Tower Shops in Ft. Myers. A wipe-off Busy Board contains hangman, connect
the dots, and tic, tac, toe. It was voted Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation
Product of 1997. Klutz Press books are terrific, says Sanibel-based employee
Linda Turansky. Titles include Kids’ Travel, which is full of license
plate games, songs, and geography activities; A Backseat Survival Kit,
Glove Compartment Games, Backyard Stars Guide, and a sticker book. The
store has other sticker books, including some by Little Dover books. Turansky
notes, “Little Dover books cost just a dollar. Parents can pack four
or five of them, including story and coloring books, when they take their
kids to not very kid-friendly restaurants.” Lots of adults like the
Rush-Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle, a Rubik’s-cube-type analyzing game,
Turansky reports. 1999 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-3545; and the
Bell Tower Shops, 13499 U.S. Highway 41 SE, Ft. Myers, 941/482-8697.
Oenophiles on the go will be pleased to find a variety
of accessories at The Sanibel Wine & Coffee Company. Luggage
by Wine Enthusiast has room for two bottles and comes with four glasses
and an opener. When you want to keep your wine cold, try California Innovations’
Ultimate Wine Cooler, which holds one bottle, two glasses, and a corkscrew.
Two bottles fit into the plastic BYO Chiller. Traveling cigar smokers
will find help here also: The shop carries a small humidor, called the
Traveldor, and an even smaller Pocket Traveldor. 2003 Periwinkle Way,
Sanibel, 941/472-1144.
Also in Tahitian Gardens, the pint-sized set will find
a perennial favorite: Hello Kitty lunch cases and travel cases at Needful
Things (941/472-5400). Card sharks can choose playing-card sets bearing
a wide range of nautical-theme designs at Spices & Spoons. In addition,
the store features SAX designer tote bags and insulated lunch bags (941/472-5599).
When traveling, pack your jewelry and cosmetics in leather
boxes and cases crafted by Wolf Designs. They’re available at the
Mole Hole in Sanibel’s Forever Green Shopping Center and at
the Bell Tower Shops in Ft. Myers. A lovely wooden wine carrier, which
holds a bottle and four glasses, is a great thank-you-for-our-visit gift.
Naturá makes a sterling silver travel candle set that holds four
votives. A compact cribbage board, handcrafted in Oregon, will help while
away the hours on extended trips. Sanibel shop manager Mary Dorsey suggests
that bored children might enjoy a miniature oil wand kaleidoscope. 2055
Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-2767; and the Bell Tower Shops, 13499
U.S. Highway 41 SE, Ft. Myers, 941/433-4700.
In its stores at Sanibel’s Periwinkle Place and
Chadwick’s Square on Captiva, H2O Outfitters sells the popular
Original Tilley Hat of Canada, made by Tilley Endurables. Leatherman’s
compact-sized tools, such as pliers and screwdrivers, are for sale, as
are Wenger-brand Swiss Army knives. The useful Swisstech bills itself
as “a tough five-in-one tool with the original self-locking key ring.”
Silverfoot rings and buckles are available, as are Spyderco jackknives.
2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-8890; and Chadwick’s Square,
Unit #310-320, Captiva, 941/472-7507.
Planning on partaking in a sailing or boating adventure?
Floateyes, the Original Floating Eyewear Cord, can help keep you from
losing your sunglasses if they fall overboard. Get yours at the West
Wind Surf Shop. It also has Everglades Everyday unscented insect-repellent
towelettes. The conveniently packaged product promises to ward off “mosquitoes,
chiggers, biting flies, ticks, gnats, and fleas.” 2075 Periwinkle
Way, Sanibel, 941/472-3490.
California-based Eagle Creek Inc.’s AdventureCare
items are sold at Island Pursuit at Periwinkle Place and at the
Bell Tower Shops in Ft. Myers. AdventureCare calls itself “the first
comprehensive line of health and personal care products specifically designed
for travelers.” They include Waterless Hand Sanitizer, Any-Water
Travel Soap, sun protection and treatment products, Amazon Insect Repellent
Lotion with DEET, all-natural Buzz Away Insect Repellent, and Congo Spray
for clothing and bedding. Island Pursuit stores also have Victorinox-brand
Swiss Army knives. A new invention called the Swiss Card is completely
flat, but, incredibly, contains a letter opener, scissors, ballpoint pen,
nail file with screwdriver tip, knife, toothpick, mini ruler, straight
pin, and tweezers. 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-4600; and the
Bell Tower Shops, 13499 U.S. Highway 41 SE, Ft. Myers, 941/437-6994.
Several Periwinkle Place stores offer terrific travel
items for children. Toys Ahoy manager Ann Morelli says that the
shop “sells tons” of Lee Publication’s Magic Pen painting
book, Dot-to-Dot, Funforms, and Magic Maze with invisible ink. Also big
are Klutz books, including The Amazing Backseat Bookamathing, The Cootie
Catcher Book, and The Maze Book. Child-oriented playing cards abound,
as do storybooks, coloring books, and soft-sided books for babies and
toddlers. 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-4800.
A new generation is being introduced to Colorforms,
which guarantee hours and hours of fun and are easy to take anywhere.
Pandora’s Box sells updated versions such as Teletubbies,
Blue’s Clues, and Kitchen Play Set. Little travelers will also enjoy
Portable Pets by Abrams. They are tiny books shaped like lady bugs, frogs,
crabs, and turtles. 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-6263.
Lads & Lassies carries soft-sculptured toys
that come in their own carrying cases, such as a house complete with family
members, or a pet shop. The two companies that produce them are called
Pockets of Learning and Wonder Works. Grandparents report being thrilled
with the way their grandchildren can take the toys to church, and they
are well suited for airplane journeys, too. 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel,
941/ 472-1180.
At The Village, Stanley & Livingston’s
specializes in “adventure” shirts, pants, shorts, hats, vests,
and jackets, with labels by Columbia, Royal Robbins, and Ex Officio. Items
made of duPont’s Supplex nylon will wash and dry easily. Ex Officio
clothing that bears a yellow sun tag is made with Rayosan to “block
a large part of UV rays.” Watership Trading Companies’ hats
protect your front and neck. There are also suspenders, leather key chains,
and money clips. As a bonus, the shop has a good selection of travel and
adventure books such as The Florida Everglades, Visiting Small-Town Florida,
Canoeing Florida, Fossils, A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago,
and Adventuring in North Africa. Itinerant anglers will love the four-piece
travel fly rods. 2340 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-8485.
The shelves at MacIntosh Book Shop are brimming
with travel titles, such as Florida Beachfront Lodgings, Fun with the
Family in Florida (by Sanibel’s own Chelle Koster Walton), and The
Florida Keys. A series known as Mini Day Trips has editions for all parts
of Florida. The Best Romantic Escapes in Florida and More of the Best
Romantic Escapes in Florida are popular sellers. There are many books
about traveling around the United States and other parts of the globe,
published by Lonely Planet, Let’s Go, or Fodor’s. Also on a
nearby shelf is the Timeshare and Vacation Ownership Review, edited by
Sanibel resident Keith W. Trowbridge. 2365 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, 941/472-5223.
The Golden Pear offers a marvelous collection
of soft-sided luggage for fashion-conscious adventurers. The Pomegranate
Co. creates garment bags, many sizes of duffels and totes, and even eyeglass
cases in the label’s signature gold-colored paisley cotton. Nordic
House makes easy-to-clean vinyl-coated garment bags and big duffels in
flower patterns or plaids. “We take special orders, too,” notes
Lois Hallof, a partner in the shop. A miniature leather-covered silver
flask will keep you from going thirsty in your travels, and a folding
walking stick is particularly ergonomic because it’s available for
right-handed or left-handed people. Indulge yourself after a long day’s
journey by using The Thymes Limited line of travel-size shampoo, body
wash, shower gel, and foaming milk bath packets. 2407 Periwinkle Way,
Sanibel, 941/472-5681.
A travel-size French coffee press is available at The
Unpressured Cooker at the Olde Sanibel Shoppes. Of course, the store
also sells coffee mugs to take along in your car, truck, or sport utility
vehicle. For a trip to the beach or a picnic, there are insulated tumblers
“guaranteed for life.” 630 Tarpon Bay Road, Sanibel, 941/472-2413.
On Palm Ridge Road, Eckerd Drugs is the place
for travel-size mouthwash, toothpaste, razors, shampoo, motion sickness
tablets, and antacid. It sells colorful plastic cases for toothbrushes,
soap, and your favorite shampoo. If rain is on the way, try Weather Station-brand
collapsible umbrellas that come in super-mini or ultralight styles. Ponchos
are available as one-size-fits-all for adults, and one-size-fits-all for
children. When inclement weather sidetracks outdoor plans, keep everybody
happy by playing cards or handheld video games such as Bass Fishin’.
2331 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel, 941/472-1719.
Across the street at Palm Ridge Place, Ile Crocodile
features soft luggage by well-known Vera Bradley Designs, out of Fort
Wayne, Indiana. The all-washable pieces come in 15 patterns and include
duffel bags, garment bags, ditty bags, jewelry rolls, and cosmetic pouches.
There are even checkbook covers, credit card cases, coin purses, and eyeglass
cases. 2330 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel, 941/472-9166.
If cycling is your preferred mode of transportation,
make sure to visit the Bike Route Inc. to equip your bike with
an insulated sport water bottle called the Polar Bottle. Planning a long
ride? Trico Sports makes the Memoflex Gel Saddle pad “for comfort
like no other.” But if you want to feel like “riding on a cloud,”
try the Fancy Furry Seat Cushion. The name may sound funny, but for a
quick burst of energy, get some Gu in your tummy. It’s “power
fast-fuel gel” that you follow up with several mouthfuls of water.
Cliff Bars sell well, too, in flavors like crunchy peanut, carrot cake,
apple cherry, and chocolate chip. A recent customer bought six to give
to his children on the plane, figuring they’re bound to taste better
than airline food. 2330 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel, 941/472-1955.
Traveling can be stressful, of course, but a visit to
Sanibel 5 & 10 can help you keep your sense of humor. The Commuter
Voodoo, a small, cloth-covered stuffed car, bills itself as “the
safe alternative to road rage.” Store owner John Barden explains:
“Someone cut you off while driving? Stick a pin in where it says
flat tire, dead battery, potholes, next exit 400 miles, or stuck behind
old man in hat.” Doesn’t that make you feel a whole lot better?
The shop sells key rings shaped like little suitcases, which are perfect
for credit cards. Oh, and by a sign that says, “For people who appreciate
really tacky,” a wiggling hula girl waits to decorate your dashboard.
2330 Palm Ridge Road, Sanibel, 941/472-8288.
Nearby, On Shore Casually has a tremendous selection
of Allan Edward bags in many sizes, colors, and styles (941/472-3227).
The Sandpiper sells Kay King totes with built-in compartments, and straw
bags that are versatile for traveling because they weigh almost nothing
(941/472-4645).
The Island Beach Company Inc. on Captiva offers
an abundance of sun protection and treatment products. The store also
carries a wide choice of sun visors, including a “no headache twister
visor” that is adjustable, and Visual Healthwear, which will fit
over eyeglasses. Carryalls abound, including SAX designer totes, lightweight
net totes, plastic duffel bags, and easy-to-clip-on shell bags. 14820
Captiva Drive, Captiva, 941/472-3272.
Unusual—but perfectly legal—alligator skin
luggage tags, watchbands, key rings, purses, and belts are available at
the South Seas Shoppe. Blue-and-white South Seas umbrellas will
keep you dry in a rain shower, and if it gets really stormy, you may need
the emergency all-weather light, too, which sports the same logo. When
tiny key-chain flashlights suffice, try the squeezable ones that are decorated
with manatees. Chadwick’s Square, South Seas Plantation, Captiva,
941/472-5111.
–Libby Grimm