Global Adviser

Week of Nov. 24, 2008

Budget Travel Gift Guide

By THEUNIS BATES
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The credit crunch may have cut into your Christmas budget, but there's no need to look like Scrooge when your gifts are opened. Here are five high-spec, low-cost gadgets, costing $100 or less, that deserve a place under your tree.

Creative Zen MP3 player
Save big by ignoring Apple and bagging a thrifty MP3 player from Creative Labs. The $90, 4GB Zen boasts a 21⁄2-in. (6.4 cm) color screen and can hold up to 1,000 songs or 16 hours of video. Its credit-card dimensions make this iPod rival the perfect stocking filler. www.creative.com

Garmin Forerunner 50 and Foot Pod
Help a runner up the pace with Garmin's high-tech sports watch and foot sensor. The Forerunner 50 ($100) records the wearer's speed, distance and calories burned. Then the watch wirelessly transmits the data to a PC, allowing the fitness fan to keep track of progress. www.garmin.com

Samsung S860
Need a camera for a technophobic relative? The easy-to-use, 8.1-megapixel Samsung S860 ($90) has a 3x optical zoom and face-detection technology. So even if Uncle Bob's vision is a little blurred after a few eggnogs, his pictures will still be in focus. www.samsungcamera.com

Hot Choctail Maker
Would-be Willy Wonkas will melt when they see this kitchen gadget. Just throw in your favorite chocolate, some milk and — if you're feeling festive — a splash of liquor, and the Hot Choctail Maker ($55) will heat and blend the ingredients into a warming winter brew. www.firebox.com

Elmo Live
Wired with advanced animatronics, this super-cute Sesame Street doll ($65) dances, raps and tells stories — complete with hand gestures — in a freakishly lifelike manner. And when Elmo gets lonely, he'll ask for a hug. You'll find it impossible to say no. www.fisher-price.com

For more travel tips and stories visit time.com/travel.

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Week of Nov. 24, 2008

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Week of Nov. 17, 2008

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Week of Nov. 3, 2008

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Week of Oct. 27, 2008

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Week of Oct. 13, 2008

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Week of Oct. 6, 2008

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Week of Sept. 22, 2008

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Week of Sept. 8, 2008

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Week of Sept. 1, 2008

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Week of Aug. 25, 2008

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Week of Aug. 18, 2008

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Week of Aug. 11, 2008

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Week of Aug. 4, 2008

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Week of July 21, 2008

A new crop of watering holes pairs cocktail hour with a new generation of gourmet Singaporean snacks, a stylish spa hotel offers the best of Taiwanese design and nature, and Agnes Water is a best-kept secret among sun worshippers, but for how much longer?

Week of July 14, 2008

Marine life at a Greek eco-hotel, a Dubai hotel is an oasis of calm, a bilingual guide highlights 50 of the best outdoor dining spots, the outdoor sculptures at Sudeley Castle and immerse yourself in the seductive tango culture of Buenos Aires

Week of June 30, 2008

A Murano glass exhibition, David Cronenberg's film The Fly now a sci-fi musical, a full-length golf course at St. Andrews is no place for beginners, Seville's seductive hotel and food writer Lydia Itoi's tips on Finnish dining

Week of June 16, 2008

Stencil graffiti has moved from the streets of Paris into art books, a year-long party in Quebec City, a mix of medical review with the shameless luxury of a spa treatment and a museum in Italy melds beauty and function

Week of June 9, 2008

Close your eyes, lean back and sleep tight, at Mimolette, the scions of Singapore, three locals tell you how to spend a night down under and trekkers looking for alternatives to Tibet and Nepal are finding nirvana in the Indian Himalayas

Week of June 2, 2008

Design duo Le Tramac give worn-out antiques a colorful update, five of Nature's great spectacles across Africa, a new book about the Louvre treats and after a 25-year makeover, the historic New England capital is getting hip

Week of May 26, 2008

A new book looks at how landscaping transforms Asia's luxury resorts, a tranquil beach resort lies just a short drive from China's notorious boomtown, and Jakarta's Bunga Rampai offers home cooking in a sophisticated setting

Week of May 19, 2008

A Parisian hotel built in an old bakery, a new set of lead-crystal decanters inspired by the bird life of Murano, a Singapore crab dish served whole and eaten with your hands and four birdhouses that let you say "the flock stops here" in high-flying style

Week of May 5, 2008

A new museum gives China's avant-garde a wider stage, the biggest thing to hit sauna design in centuries: windows, and let locals in the know give you the lowdown on the bustling Taiwanese capital

Week of April 28, 2008

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Week of April 21, 2008

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Week of April 14, 2008

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Week of Apr. 7, 2008

Locals tell you how to stay cool in Ghana's equatorial capital, get away from Phuket's throngs in the manicured jungle of Six Senses on Yao Noi, and grab a hard-to-find bottle from Colares in Portugal while you still can

Week of March 31, 2008

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Week of March 24, 2008

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Week of March 17, 2008

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Week of March 10, 2008

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Week of March 3, 2008

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Week of Feb. 18, 2008

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Week of Dec. 17, 2007

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Week of Dec. 10, 2007

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Week of Dec. 3, 2007

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Week of Nov. 26, 2007

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Week of Nov. 19, 2007

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Week of Nov. 12, 2007

Scooting your way through Bangkok traffic jams, the disabled volleyball championship in Cambodia and an evening in Beijing

Week of Nov. 5, 2007

Brazil's Campana brothers reuse materials to create fanciful forms, New York gets another look at Jack Kerouac's visionary work and London's Hayward Gallery explores the relationship between painting and photography and

Week of Oct. 29, 2007

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Week of Oct. 22, 2007

Exquisite Chinese snuff bottles, the world's best culinary festivals and the renovation of London's landmark St. Pancras station

Week of Oct. 15, 2007

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Week of Oct. 8, 2007

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