1. View, store, and play digital photos, video, and music with EPSON's 40-GIG P-2000 MULTIMEDIA STORAGE VIEWER, a compact Mac- and Windows-compatible unit with USB 2.0 and a brilliant 3.8-inch LCD screen. $499; www.epson.com

2. Besides translating more than 400,000 words and phrases in 12 languages, FRANKLIN's EURO INTERPRETER helps untie your tongue with phonetic spelling. $80; www.franklin.com

3. The WHICKEY & COX, a padded photo hauler from new-to-the-U.S. Australian bag company CRUMPLER, has space for two lenses and a camera body (two if you squeeze), a trick front tripod strap, and removable innards so you can lock your gear at the hotel and fill the pack with other goods. $200; www.crumplerbags.com

4. Fleet-footed travel demands a multitasker like LOWA's SCIROCCO, a lightweight multi-use shoe that grips trail and cobblestone alike—and won't attract withering looks from the concierge. $95; www.lowaboots.com

5. Think of ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS' TRAVELER as an easy-packing patch kit for the body, with treatments for cuts, blisters, and other travel trauma. $36; www.adventuremedicalkits.com

6. A few stirs of HYDRO-PHOTON's battery-powered STERIPEN kills waterborne nasties with the same UV purifying treatment used by a growing number of municipalities. It's especially handy when refusing a dubious glass of water would be culturally awkward. $150; www.steripen.com

7. Thwart slash-and-dash perps lurking on busy streets with PACSAFE's STASHSAFE, a wire-reinforced hip pack with lockable belt. $35; www.pac-safe.com