Travel alarm clock

For people who travel with their mobile phones and who only travel to countries where they can still use their mobile phones and stay in range, travel clocks have become quite redundant.

But for the rest of us -- for those of us who want to travel without being easily reachable, or who really get off the beaten track and out of mobile network range (still a portion of Southeast Asia) -- a travel clock is still mighty useful. You'll only need to miss one flight because you slept late to realise the importance of not relying on a flakey hotel receptionist to knock on your door to rouse you.

Plenty of travel clocks are on the market, but the Casio auto calendar thermometer travel clock gets great Amazon reviews, with high points for durability, reliability and conservative battery use. Some do complain about the snooze button only giving you an extra five minutes' of sleep. Though as one reviewer remarks: "When you're travelling, who wants to sleep in all day?" Many reviewers say they have happily had theirs for more than 10 years.

The clock has an inbuilt thermometer, which is of course handy for being able to whinge about how hot or cold it is with other travellers, and to brag about how lovely and tropical or chilly and cozy it is to your pals back home.

Where to buy

At Amazon.com for around $15.

In the UK, Amazon.co.uk have a similar Zeon Westclox travel alarm clock for £19.99 for shipping to UK addresses.