One of the favorite travel bags for casual overnight or weekend travel is the backpack. Take a small backpack for day or overnight, or travel light and take it with you without the hassle of waiting to claim bags once you arrive. And with a backpack, you do not have to worry about lost luggage. Encourage those on your list to take along a belt bag for carrying cash, credit cards, cellular phone, sunglasses and other items they will want to keep close. Belt bags are handy for shopping, walking or jogging, sightseeing and more. Get several for active friends and relatives who are planning their next adventure, whether it is a walk in the park or climbing Mount Mulanje.

For business travelers who cannot take a holiday from the computer, a laptop bag that meets TSA checkpoint friendly guidelines will save time – one that has a full zip-around opening that allows the bag to lie flat for easy access to the notebook. Get a laptop bag that is stylish and durable, easy to carry and one that is padded for keeping the notebook safe.

This holiday season, electronic gadgets are the rage. For hikers, walkers and joggers, the pedometer with alarm is just what they need; friends will thank you for the added safety feature. For health and fitness, I am told that 10,000 steps daily is a good number to aim for when counting steps. An added bonus is a pedometer that shows distance and calories, ideal for weight watchers, for the health conscience, and for those who simply enjoy a good walk in the park or around the block.

Once you have your gift list, one-stop shopping is easy. And travel bags, including save the environment–backpacks and belt bags, and electronic gadgets are all available on the web. Spend less time shopping, and more time enjoying the holidays.

People who love to travel, visit exotic locales, foreign lands, dazzling beaches, for them the job of a travel agent is the best suited. They would prefer it infinitely more than any old desk job, however lucrative that may be.

Nowadays many consider that the internet has lessened the viability of the lucrative and interesting job of any tour agent. The internet has made it easy for an individual to make his own plans, his own reservations, and buy his own tickets, instead of rushing to the travel agent every time.

This is the reason why financial analysts feel that the travel agents role being redundant, their wages are also facing a fall. Around the year 2002 the median annual salary of any agent would have been $26,630. The most popular agents in the US were reported to earn as high as $41,660 or even more.

But the current trend has been $20,800 to $33,580 as seen by the Department of Labor in the US.

The fact is that the travel agents are not making much of an earning. The only perks they receive are the special privileges and discounts while touring.

But the funny part of the picture is that most agents do not even avail these because given the salary they receive, it is a luxury for them to travel far and wide!

But in spite of all these facts there are people who still desire of travel agency as an earning avenue. The following are some tips for them, about how to go about it.

1. For those who are keen on becoming a travel agent, knowing a second language is a must. This is because they have to deal with people from diverse speech communities and knowing another language comes handy.

2. A training of minimum 6-12 weeks is necessary for any aspiring travel operator. From this they come to know about the basic tenets of the job.

3. A functional knowledge of the computers is also needed to handle the transactions and invoices and the reports that are done through computer.

4. The travel agents must always be up-to-date regarding the current trends in the field of functioning. They must also know about the best and the most popular places of tourist’s interest.

5. A certification from the Certified Travel Counselor adds to the value of an agent.

It depends entirely on a persons own ability and aptitude, the quality of his work as an agent. As long as the agent derives full satisfaction from his work, the salary should not be a reason for his/her qualms.