Don't Buy This Stuff (5)

Think of this fifth edition of the ‘Don’t Buy This’ blog as a ‘Fancy Special’.  Our pick of non-essential travel items comes direct solely from The Fancy; an enticing collection of um…’stuff’ for sale designed by occasionally ingenious but largely baffling arty types who think the world needs to be filled with overpriced and innovative solutions to problems no one has. We at Seven Seas Worldwide, experts in travel and shipping abroad, have discovered five travel items from The Fancy you absolutely shouldn’t need. 

First up, is the Bell & Ross Flight Compass. There’s no denying this is a snazzy-looking watch with its anti-glare, matt black carbon finish: simple in design but multifaceted in application. Oh and expensive. Stupidly expensive. The dial is made up of three concentric discs, graduated for the hours and minutes with a plane and yellow index marks engraved under the glass. It’s five grand. That’s right. Five thousand dollars. We’re not sure why.

Next, it’s the relatively harmless but still outrageously expensive Cork Board Map, ideal for the well-travelled exhibitionist.  The Cork Board Map (despite the cryptic name) is a map of the world in cork board. It invites you to pin postcards, photos and assorted pictures to the relevant locations on the map. There’s no denying the Cork Board Map would look great on a bare wall in the kitchen, rich with memories of past holidays but there is an element of self-importance about such a concept, plus at $120, your globetrotting adventures would need to be noteworthy to justify forking out for it.

Now this I would actually consider buying. Ladies and Gentlemen, Flamingo Towel Clips. Having just returned from a holiday on the Algarve and still unable to comb my hair down successfully, I know a thing or two about windy holidays, and a pair of Flamingo Towel Clips at $15 would certainly have been thrown into my excess baggage before departure. 

This could also be the perfect answer to the ‘weekend getaway bag’ (sorry, these things are actually looking quite purchasable in the cold light of day – well, apart from the watch, that’s ridiculous):  The Large Duffle Bag by Herschel Supply Company. Priced at $120, the Large Duffle Bag (I can’t stand these fancy names they have), is a must-have for those who love compartments – and then get annoyed with compartments because they can’t find anything due to there being too many compartments. The most attractive compartment must be the one at the bottom to keep your shoes in – nifty!

And finally, for those wishing to take to the natural hot springs of Iceland and also want to look a bit like a human Sennheiser microphone, we recommend this floating cap.  Only $117. That’s like two weeks’ of groceries. But hey, it’s your money. This floating cap apparently adds a ‘new dimension to the water experience, one of relaxation and total bliss. How, exactly, this isn’t clear, but who are you to question a modernistic, online novelty item-selling website based in Reykjavik?

Regardless of whether you're stuffing your single suitcase or bringing everything and the kitchen sink on holiday with you, you might want to get a free shipping quote from us to see how much we can save you on your excess baggage, just in case.