?Travel Companion: Little Cream Books are handy hardback guidebooks that spotlight a specific travel theme such as romance, golf, architecture, health, or drives. Full of info compiled by upscale event and travel planners, each edition is formatted like an address book and focuses on the finer things in life in 26 destinations across the globe. $19, including deluxe gift box. www.littlecreambook.com

?High Tech: How sweet would it be to have the option of checking in to your hotel before you get there? Marriott Hotels has been testing a wireless check-in system at its Town Center locale in Redmond, Washington. While in transit to the hotel, guests with Windows-powered Mobile Smartphones or laptops can simply connect to the hotel’s property-management system, check in, and then pick up their room keys from an automatic dispenser in the hotel lobby. By the time you read this, testing should be complete, and a rollout plan for wireless check-in at all of its hotels will be well under way. www.marriott.com