October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and while I don’t have breast cancer, I do have numerous relatives and friends who have had this particular disease wreak havoc with their lives. If you know of someone who has been touched by cancer, take a moment right now to think about them and send positive vibes their way. You can make a meal and drop it off to show them you care. You wouldn’t believe how comforting it feels to be a mom who is feeling a bit poorly and a neighbor shows up with a hot meal that feeds the entire family. It relieves some of the stress the family is feeling (and plus a full belly always seems to make a man happier too).

I had a golf ball sized mass removed last week and can I tell you, all those meals my family and neighbors have dropped off sure have comforted me in a way that medicine can’t. I haven’t had much of an appetite, but my mind is at ease knowing that my family is being fed something besides fast food.

If you aren’t one of the culinary gifted, don’t despair. I’ve searched around for travel related gear that helps support breast cancer research so that we can all stop this disease before it affects the next generation. To learn more about Breast Cancer Awareness Month,check out www.nbcam.org. Be sure to check out the tips and facts available on the site, and if you find a lump, see a doctor as soon as possible because the earlier the detection, the better. Save the tatas!

Pink Plane Quiet Platinum Headphones – Oh how I love these noise reduction headphones. They block out the noise of an airplane and the whining of kids. Plus, they are in a gorgeous pink color and ON SALE. This item comes with a travel pouch and plug converters so that they will even work in airplanes with two-prong plugins. ProTravelGear.com is offering these limited edition Pink Plane Quiet Platinum Headphones at a discount when purchasing multiple sets. And the best part? 10% of the proceeds from each sale of this item will be donated to breast cancer research.

MomAgenda – This is the planner for the mom (or dad) that travels and needs to keep up with soccer practice, piano lessons, and when there’s an opening for a romantic weekend or girlfriend getaway to the spa. The MomAgenda will help the parent on the go keep up with what’s on the schedule for up to four kids so that there aren’t any conflicts when planning a trip to Las Vegas. 20% of proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. $44

Sony Vaio W Series Bundle in Berry Pink – I totally want one of these. This mini notebook comes in Berry pink with matching sleeve and mouse. It features 2 USB ports and 160GB of hard drive memory. It is perfect for web surfing, email, and light computing when traveling. It weighs only 2.6 pounds with battery and isn’t just stylish, but cause-worthy. The Vaio W Series Bundle is one of two special items that Sony is offering to support breast cancer research. Starts at $499

Belkin DualFit for the Cure – Ultra-comfortable armband is hand-washable and water-resistant. It gives you full-protection and easy navigation access to your iPod, while minimizing the bulk on your arm. Belkin will donate $2.50 from the sale of this product to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Available only at Bewst Buy. $24.99

Aveda Hand Relief – Avoid dry hands from flying with the Limited Edition Pink Hand Relief. This hand creme contains Licorice extract, Meadowfoam seed oil, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E. Four dollars from each purchase goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. $21

Blotting Linens by Boscia – Boscia is a preservative-free skin care line. Their Rose Blotting Linens are perfect for taking care of trip weary faces. The package is small, discreet, and will help keep you looking fresh when you arrive at your destination. Plus, rose scented linens will get your mind freshened too! 10% of the proceeds from the sales of boscia Rose Blotting Linens will be donated to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation (www.dslrf.org) to support breast cancer research.

Earth Tote – When I travel, I always pack and extra bag to carry home souveniers. Earth Totes has an eco-friendly bag where “Pink is the new Green”. Five dollars from the sale of each bag goes towards Avon’s Breast Cancer Crusade. $18

BMW Online – I was surprised to find that BMW offered an extensive collection of pink ribbon items at an affordable price. Their online store donates 80% of the gross proceeds from all sales of BMW Pink Ribbon Collection items to the Susan G Komen Foundation. Products include stylish travel mugs, travel document holders, and this rolling Weekender Carry-On that meets most airline carry-on restrictions. $60

Flip Flops with Bling – Imagine walking poolside or beachside as the sun glints off these Breast Cancer Rhinestone Flipflops at Avon. In fact, imagine lounging by the pool wearing these with a glass of bubbly in hand because you’re celebrating remission. Heck, they just look cute and not only are you helping raise awareness for breast cancer research, but you’re getting a great deal at only $10 per pair.

Tweezers – My friend Becky (who also does hair) breaks out her Tweezerman tweezers whenever anyone needs a brow cleanup. These pink tweezers feature a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness and even a bit of glitter bling. One dollar from each sale of these Precision in Pink Slant Tweezers goes towards CancerCares. $25

Insulated Cooler – PinkRibbonMarketPlace.com has a new item that is darling for a road trip. This insulated cooler in pink holds up to 14 12-ounce cans. Features an easy to carry adjustable shoulder strap, double zip closure, outside front pocket and mesh back pocket. $14.95

For those of us who are addicted to coffee and its many variations, finding a decent cup of java while on the road can present a challenge. I love my hometown Community Coffee, but I’m not adverse to seeking out small coffee shops when I’m traveling. Here’s my take on the various products offered to help one enjoy coffee while traveling:

McDonald’s iced coffee drinks – Two words: Run Away.

Burger King’s iced mocha -  It would do in a pinch and is a deal at $2.

Sonic’s frozen coffee blend – This was pretty tasty, but I could feel the fat contained in this concoction sliding down my throat and straight to my behind.

Starbuck’s – I don’t care for their regular brews, which taste over roasted and burned. However, when in an airport, I will line up for a Cafe Mocha or Frappucino. Beggars can’t be choosers when enroute to a destination. I did sample their new instant coffee, VIA, and was disappointed.

McDonald’s iced coffee was the most disgusting thing that has ever passed through my lips with VIA a close second.

I usually try to find something redeemable to say in my experiences and to make my opinion a bit more palatable, but there is no other way to word this opinion.

Another challenge for getting a great cup of coffee is brewing it while camping or experiencing a lack of electrical power. When my family goes camping, we bring along an old percolator and brew Community Coffee over a campfire. We even used this method during Hurricane Gustav when hubs and I were working nights through the emergency. No power anywhere, but we seriously wanted the comfort of our favorite coffee. I tried using a power inverted to hook up our electric coffee pot, but it was a no-go. After Gustav I found a neat gadget for brewing coffee from a vehicle:

Koolatron Travel Coffee Maker – This coffee maker is affordable, portable, and 12 volt. I wouldn’t recommend brewing the entire pot while the car is in motion (wouldn’t want to burn yourself). It would, however, be useful at a rest stop, camp site, or just in case of a power outage.

Here are some tips on finding coffee while traveling:

Text: Send a text message to Google (466453) with the subject coffee

Web browser: Find the nearest Starbucks at mobile.starbucks.com

Phone: If all else fails, call 800-235-2883 and the Starbucks operator will assist you in locating the nearest Starbucks.

The first thing my son packs for any family vacation road trip is a game system. I’m always glad when he brings it, because as a family we love playing multi-player games in the evenings or if the weather prohibits an outdoor adventure.

When we aren’t traveling, the neighbors will stop by for a visit on the back patio. The kids break out the games and before we realize it, we have a neighborhood game-fest in progress.

The entire neighborhood was excited when a package arrived at the door late the other evening. It included copies of a brand new Wii game. We broke open the package and tried out Family Party: 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun.

I was Ninja Mom, while the kids raced boats at Summer Camp. My husband enjoyed the family football game. There are even board games and many other types of games to keep a family entertained. I wouldn’t suggest this for the smaller kids because there is a small bit of mild cartoon violence, but for the 10 and up crowd, we’re good to go!

Here’s what the company says:

Bring the outdoors in with the greatest value in family entertainment—Family Party: 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun has something to offer everyone exclusively on the Wii™ with a wide variety of engaging and addictive party games featuring martial arts, team sports, individual athletics, and challenging brain games.  Players can choose from over a dozen cute characters, participate in up to four player competitive action, and unlock games and challenges to achieve the highest score and win medals!  Offering hours of at-home entertainment, Family Party: 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun is a great value at $19.95 and a perfect follow-up to the 2008 smash-hit for families and friends to enjoy together.

Want to win a copy of Family Party: 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun? Just leave a comment stating if you think it is okay to allow kids to play video games while traveling. That’s all! One entry per email address. Contest ends September 29, 2009 at 11:59pm with winner being announce sometime the next day. US residents only. Must be 18 to enter.

Winner Update: Congrats to Jaclyn Reynolds!

I go everywhere with this item. Seriously. It fits neatly in the side pocket of my Tom Bihn Smart Alec backpack. I’ve pulled this sucker out at airports, in hotel rooms, and it has even come in super-handy at tech conferences like SxSw and BlogWorldExpo.

No longer does a traveler have to moan and groan while reaching to plug in the cell phone charger. No longer does a traveler have to switch out items for charging. This power strip from CableOrganizer.com has multiple outlets, including a USB charging port. Now all of your charging problems are eliminated.

Monster Cable’s mini power strips are a compact and convenient way to power your devices. The dual sided design includes wide spaced outlets so you can plug in large adapter plugs. You can safely charge up to four devices at a time as these mini power strips come equipped with a resettable circuit breaker to prevent overloads. The 24k gold plated plug is corrosion resistant to provide you the best possible power transfer and it illuminates to indicate you are receiving power. Monster’s power strips are ideal for travel as the flat wrap cord folds away neatly and will fit into a standard sized laptop or travel bag. These 4 outlet power strips are ideal for use on laptops, cell phones, PDA’s and charging stations.

I’m not too keen on hearing screaming kids when I’m on a flight. I really don’t want to listen to screaming kids, especially when they’re MY screaming kids. Now, moms all  over the globe can block out the whining of their six year old with this nifty noise reduction headset. No longer will you have to miss out on the sultry whispers of your romance movie while in flight. The only downside that I could find was the bulkiness, but that far outweighs the noise aspect. I really wish I would’ve had these on-hand when I flew to Hawaii and was stuck between a four year old and a dad with a toddler. I was soooo looking forward to quiet flight while I traveled solo and left my noisy ones at home. Oh, the irony.

The Plane Quiet Platinum is a full around-ear active noise reducing headset. It’s combined high fidelity sound, active noise cancellation, and low price, make it an unbeatable value. The Plane Quiet Platinum is also one of the lightest,active noise canceling headsets available. Experience “The Sound of Silence”. Compatible with: iPod ®/ MP3, CD, DVD players/laptop computers/ desktop computers. This item can be purchased at ProTravelGear.com.

I’m so excited to add that for a limited time, these also come it pink. Plus, each purchase will also help silence breast cancer! Pink Plane Quiet headsets are $99.95

A while back I was searching for something small and easy to use that could record snippets to provide content for my YouTube page. A wise family travel blogger I know, Sheila of BootsNAll’s Family Travel Logue, mentioned that I should try the Flip Ultra Video. She claimed it was so easy and simple that a kindergartener could use it. So, the research began.

I found the Flip Ultra Corporate Site that listed its predecessor and also a newer models, the Flip Mino and Flip Mino HD. I compared all of them, including available accessories, such as a mini tripod and even an action mount for catching those skydiving trips. Both the Ultra and the Mino looked really cool with just a few differences. The Mino is a little smaller and has a rechargeable battery, whereas the Ultra can still fit in a pocket and uses two AA batteries. The Mino is also more expensive at $179.99US MSRP and only comes in black or white. The Ultra is listed at $149.99 and comes in a variety of cool colors.

I searched on eBay. I checked out Amazon. I even went to Target and Walmart searching for this elusive gadget. I wanted to see it in person before I purchased it. I had given up my quest that day and continued on to Sam’s Wholesale Club to satisfy my inner bulkaholic before calling it a day. Imagine my delight when I saw, illuminated under fluorescent lighting, a large pyramid stack of Flip Ultra Videos for $124.99 each. What a steal! Of course, I added it to the grocery bill and crossed my fingers that my hubby wouldn’t notice.

I couldn’t wait to check out and opened my new treasure in RedBugg. My son was so excited, he tore at the plastic casing with his teeth like a puppy with a new peanut butter filled Kong. He placed the batteries in it and began recording with one touch. When we arrived home, we popped out the USB arm and plugged it into the computer. The easy to load software comes pre-loaded in the camera and is super easy to use.

So far, we’ve taken that little find and filmed numerous travel memories. Heck, we’ve even dropped this thing a few times and it is still going strong. This fun, easy, and affordable little gadget definitely gets the seal of approval from me. Thanks for the tip, Sheila!

Did you ever wonder how to kill all those yucky germs when traveling? No need to carry around an endless supply of antibacterial wipes to clean surfaces. This travel size UV sanitizing wand from Overstock.com is under $40. It takes less than a minute to get sanitary with a UV Sanitary Wand. Cleaning appliance turns on when pressed up against a surface. UV Sanitizing Wand is great for the home, office, breakroom or traveling. UV light only turns on when up against a surface, the light will not turn on when the wand is right side up making it kid friendly. It only takes 45-60 seconds to clean an area.

I tested this product, and while I can’t tell you if it actually kills germs (how can you tell?), it is light-weight and compact. I almost felt like a Jedi as I swung this wand around trying to kill minute species of cells. Retails for around $37.