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If you are a regular air traveler within or to the US, then you have probably at some stage had your luggage opened by airport security.

This can sometimes present a problem if you want to actually lock up your luggage to protect it from prying fingers (or anything else). Many people have reported that their locks have actually been broken by luggage inspectors.

Well some enterprising people have actually come up with a travel lock that allows inspectors in airports to have a master key that can unlock their luggage locks without the need to break them. Basically a skeleton key.

At first thought, this might seem like a good idea and it probably will be… for a while.

Me, well I don’t exactly have a lot of faith in the integrity and honesty of minimum wage luggage inspectors and to be perfectly honest I think it won’t be too long before other people also get access to these skeleton keys.

While these locks may dissuade opportunistic thieves to a degree, I don’t think they are the answer.

If you want true security for your luggage when you travel, then the only real option is to take luggage that is small enough to be classed as “carry on” so you can take it with you into the cabin and keep and eye on it.

But for those who insist on the facade of security, these locks might be a helpful stopgap measure.

If you try walking around any major city in the world, you’ll notice that at least one person is tinkering with an electronic device. Most likely, you’ll see a person jogging around the park while listening to an mp3 player, or someone in a coffee house setting up a task list on a Personal Digital Assistant. However, these gadgets don’t have eternal batteries. Most likely, they would even die out during the most inconvenient times. Cell phones are notorious when it comes to this – the batteries usually die out when you’re making or expecting a very important phone call. You’d either have to go home or use a car charger to bring your hand-held device back to life. While there’s currently no such thing as an everlasting battery to save you from all this trouble, MarcoGizmo.com has found the next best thing.

The Soldius 1 Solar Charger can save your dead batteries during emergencies. It’s a foldable and lightweight solar panel that you can take with you wherever you go. It has adapters for 7 different kinds of devices such as phones, mp3 players, and PDAs. It’s even compatible with over 250 types of mobile phones. Here’s a chart that let’s you check if the Soldius 1 is compatible with your gadgets.

The best thing about the Soldius 1 is that it is very simple to use. Just plug in the adapter on the solar charger, connect your device, and wait for it to be fully charged. This usually takes a few hours, just like any regular charger. Keep in mind that you’ll get better results if you place the Soldius 1 in direct sunlight.

The charger will also save you a lot of electricity and money since you’re practically powering up your gadgets for free. The initial price you have to pay for the charger may be a bit expensive, but it’ll pay for itself in the long run. Also, it’s worth every penny to have a convenient, portable charger that doesn’t need an electrical socket.

Cutting down on weight and bulk are two of the most important things for travelers. When you love technology the temptation is to go with small, multifunctional devices to overcome these hurdles. Here are a few ways to let your love of technology marry with your love of travel.

MP3 Player - Do you really need it when you’re travelling? Putting aside the fact that putting on the headphones in a foreign country is incredibly anti-social and almost guarantees that you won’t actually meet any of the locals, is it possible that you can use another device for your music listening needs? An MP3 player is just basically a glorified hard-drive - the same thing that’s in your laptop or on any decent PDA or even mobile phone these days. If you can get one of these other devices, then you do away with your need for an MP3 player altogether. Just make sure the other device has a decent battery life.

Laptop - How much computing power do you really need? If you are only going to be composing emails, writing some blogs and getting online to check out the latest travel conditions, then you probably don’t need a full size laptop. Any decent PDA with wireless and bluetooth is more than capable of doing these functions. If you don’t like the small keyboard then buy the foldable keyboard that is compatible with your device (most have them). Even if you need a laptop, then consider going with an ultra small device like the Sony Vaio UX series which will eliminate the weight problem.

Phone / PDA - If you are thinking of getting either of these devices, then you might want to consider combining them into a smart phone. Something that you can use to email, browse the web and make calls is probably enough functionality for most travelers. Carrying one device is always better than carrying two. Something like the Sidekick 3 will suit many travel scenrios.

The trick here is to combine functionality. If you take a phone with a built in MP3 player, then there’s no need for a seperate MP3 Player. If you take a smart phone, then you get PDA and phone functionality in one. Fewer and smaller are the catch cries for traveling with technology.

Everyone knows that living in the city can get pretty crappy at times. Crowded public transport, congested roads, unfriendly shop keepers - it’s enough for people like us to want to get out to the country or to another country altogether. Traveling can be the quest to find out if there’s something better out there.

Well, now there’s an index to find those places we need to go.

The New Economics Foundation of Britain reckon they have found the happiest country in the world.

And the winner is… Vanuatu!

The rating combines marks for life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint (measured as the amount of land required to support the population based on energy consumption).

I guess the rating doesn’t take in the happiness of dogs that are rumoured to be used as live sharkbait in the idealic island nation.

While Vanuatu takes out the top spot at the other end of the “Happiest Country in the World” index, which we can only assume is the “Crappiest Country in the World” is Zimbabwe.

I wonder if Mad Bob Mugabe is going to make an acceptance speech?

Whether you’re planning to go on a vacation with the family or a business trip for your company, Scottevest has the most gadget-friendly apparel for the technophile in you. They have a wide variety of styles ranging from casual to formal, allowing you to wear these stealthy clothes for any occasion. But Scottevest doesn’t offer regular clothing – they sell “technology enabled clothing”. The purpose of their product line is to keep all of your electronics tucked away while you’re on the go. James Bond himself would be jealous of the style and the functionality that comes with Scottevest products.

There’s almost no limit to what you can store in your Scottevest clothes. You can stash cameras, cellular phones, mp3 players, and other hand-held devices through the hidden compartments. Even snacks, magazines, and books are easy to carry around in the compartments. The jackets are also equipped with PAN (Personal Area Network), which enables the user to go online through their Personal Digital Assistants, or to receive a phone call just by pressing a button from the outside the jacket. They also have special wiring passages to avoid tangling up the earphones of your mp3 player with other wires. In case your devices run out of battery, there are specially made solar-powered jackets that have attached phone chargers, so you’re always good to go.

Most products also have hidden pockets for credit cards, cup holders, and your car keys. This means that you don’t have to scurry through your stuff just to find whatever it is that you’re looking for. Even when you’re in the airport’s security check, all you need to do is take off your jacket and you’re ready to walk through the scanner. You can basically carry around all your gadgets without the bulkiness of a bag. The only downside to owning a Scottevest is that their products are more expensive than their “regular” counterparts. Then again, your regular jacket isn’t capable of getting you online at the touch of a button.