There’s a debate about just how long people should wish each other a Happy New Year – should it be the first day in January? The first week? The whole month? I don’t have an answer but as a rule I wish people a Prosperous New Year when I have my first contact with them in the new year, for about the first week or so as people come back from holiday. After that you can assume that the new year is taking care of itself. And of course, New Year is a time for new beginnings. With this in mind, this regular column is about to have a make-over. Much research, many discussions, numerous cups of coffee, the occasional glass of something stronger, a lot of soul-searching and a good holiday has resulted in some fresh ideas. In 2009, the column will refocus on issues that you have shown that you like. Every month, there will be a ‘Destination’ column, which will look at the unusual history behind a town or a venue. Quirky stories, human interest anecdotes or unknown histories will be revealed to your startled gaze. A new feature will be a ‘Personality’ column, comprising an interview with a tourism professional. The first interview is already lined up – and I promise it will be quite a scoop if I can pull it off. Another feature will be articles about tourism events, such as festivals or commemorations, and profiles of significant tourism products. It will be a case of  ‘Have laptop, will travel’. And every so often there will be topical issue or controversy to be aired, just to keep you hot under the collar. There’s nothing like a spurt of righteous indignation to get you going in the morning! In the meantime, while we are waiting for all these good things to come back from extended holidays, here are some New Year travel gadget ideas. Many is the time I have yearned: “If only I had a….”  And as soon as I got home I got myself one.   All of these make excellent gifts (hint, hint) but if no-one is likely to give them to you, you will just have to treat yourself. A good stainless steel flask. In my experience, those flasks where you push in a button at the top to release the contents invariably start to leak. They’re also a devil to wash. The best gift I got in 2008 was an old-fashioned screw-top Hurricane/Thermos flask – indestructible, practical and leak-free.  A picnic basket. Those rucksack-ey things with plates and glasses and knives and forks are good up to a point. A better bet is the Fortnum-and-Mason-type hamper with the crockery in the lid and the frilly gingham lining for the pâté and caviar. The only drawback is that you require two butlers to carry it – otherwise it shreds your legs and bruises your knees. No, the best picnic basket is that steep-sided flexible woven job with handles on top – the kind of thing that Granny uses to carry her knitting in. It might not be glamorous but it is the only thing that works. It is high enough for an upright flask, roomy enough for all the food, easy to carry, and it stands on its own.  Staying with short trips, a nice rubbish bag for the car is a good idea, preferably fabric with handles that can be lined with a removable plastic shopping bag. I am always impressed when I see a car pull up to a roadside dustbin, someone climbs out and deposits a rubbish bag into the bin. I get apoplectic when I travel behind a vehicle from which the driver and passengers merrily toss their rubbish out the window. Littering kills small animals, strangles birds, causes veld fires, creates a health hazard, and looks unsightly. Rather keep the rubbish inside the car until it can be disposed of responsibly. A corporate gift I received once was a soft zip-up fold-out bathroom bag with a hook inside so that it can be hung behind the hotel-bathroom door. This has now become my regular travel companion. Another useful gift was a blow-up travelling pillow – the one that fits around your neck. It is great for long car journeys when you want to let the other person drive while you take a nap. If you don’t have a pillow (this has been proven), upright sleepers either snore resoundingly, or dribble. You’ll know you’ve been guilty of this if you should wake up suddenly and there is a terrible silence in the car and thereafter people are very polite to you, albeit a little distant. A day-pack is always a good idea whenever you go sightseeing. I once made myself a type of waistcoat with lots of pockets, like a photographer’s jacket. It could hold money, papers, books, refreshments, maps and a myriad other things, leaving my hands free -  although I ended up looking like a knobbly potato. The best travel companion ever, of course, is a good travel book of your destination. How anyone can ever go anywhere without a comprehensive book is beyond me. And of course the very best book for South Africa is TB Bulpin’s Discovering Southern Africa. So Bon Voyage and happy travelling in 2009. Oh, and a Prosperous New Year!