1.The Swiss Army Flash - The humble pen knife has in the past, been pimped to be part of a credit card but now the designers are going back to basics with a slight technical twist. This edition comes complete with a two GB USB Flash drive and an LED flashlight. There’s even a write protection switch to help prevent accidental deletion and of course, the standard issue lifetime warranty. You can grab one ‐ new or used – for around £10 on www.amazon.com 

2.Travel Hair Straighteners - The days of the bedraggled backpacker image are fading into a distant memory, especially with the invention of gadgets like this. For less than twenty British pounds you can pick up a pair of tiny hair straighteners, built to withstand a good international travel bashing. The website www.travelhairstraighteners.org.uk    offers the best slection including the £15 top notch, Marks and Spencer option.

3.Digital Luggage Scales - When you’re travelling with an 80 litre backpack it’s easy to fill it up with material mementoes of the places you’ve been to, Unfortunately said nostalgia can lead to some pretty hefty overweight luggage charges, so use these clever (and lightweight) hanging scales to keep track of the weight in your backpack. Grab them for £12 from www.iwantoneofthose.com 

4.Solar Powered Gadget Charging Backpacks - Hot off the production line in 2010 is the Voltaic Backpack. Complete with several solar panels, this badger can charge up the majority of 12 volt devices with its simple plug in – interface. So you can hike across the alps and charge your gadgets at the same time. Better yet any spare energy is stored up in a detachable battery pack. Alas given the novelty value and the niche market, these are a little pricey and start at €199, but they are awesome. See www.voltaicsystems.com  for the options available. 

5.Beachbuoy Waterproof Cases - All outdoor swimmers pay attention – thank you please. This simple waterproof bag can protect your valuables, electronic and not, from water to a depth of nearly five metres. They’re the perfect companion for river swimming in Basel, skinny dipping in Brighton and lake loving in Interlaken. Beachbuoy waterproof cases start at £14.95 on www.proporta.co.uk 

6.USB Rechargeable Batteries - This is quite frankly an awesome invention. Think about it – yor’re in an internet café or plugged in with your laptop in a dorm room, and the batteries in your camera are dead. Simply plug in your USB drive, charge away and depart with a full compliment of batteries. Power to the inventor people! Two rechargeable USB batteries cost around the same as twenty environment killing regular batteries, but they last forever, save the planet and look super cool so get over it. You can grab a pair for £11.99 from www.usbcell.com  

7.Waterproof GPS Case - This one’s only useful for the hardcore outdoor activity backpacker types so if that aint’ you, skip ahead to the next gadget. If you are in possession of a pocket GPS you’ve already shelled out a fair amount for this awesome guidance system. The last thing therefore that you want to happen, is for it to get soaking wet and stop working, half way up Ben Nevis, so pick up a waterproof case from www.sportsdirect.com  for £16. 

8.Stash Sandals - This gadget is most certainly James Bond‐esque and my personal favourite in the top ten. The stash sandals from Reef have a secure tray in the heel where you can hide cash, credit cards and other valuables of a similar size. I’m not sure if they’re water proof but they will keep the beach bag pilfering thieves off your heels! Grab a pair off www.amazon.co.uk  for around £39.99.

9.Livescribe's Pulse Smart pen- This pen is like the universal translator in Star Trek (geek apologies) in that it magically allows you to understand the language of any other culture on the planet. Simply download a language app to the pen, roll out a page of the special pen paper, write down the phrase that caught your attention and wait. Said phrase will be translated for you through the speaker and the screen attached to the pen. It’s pricey at around £150 but worth it if you’re a curious international learner type. Grab one from www.livescribe.com 

10.The O.R.B Ring - This invention – also fresh off the production line in 2010 – can be worn like a ring or morphed into a blue tooth‐esque head set. It displays incoming caller IDs, text messages and pre‐programmed reminders. Also it’s so subtle that most people won’t even notice that it’s there! You’ll find them on www.hybratech.com