That fantasy seems particularly quaint in these days of endless security lines, shrinking coach cabin space, almost-predictable delays, and ever-rising prices. Because travel can be such a trial, it's more important than ever to be properly equipped.

			The Traveler's Toolkit
			•  Getting There •  Getting And Staying Connected •  Staying Organized And Efficient •  Staying Entertained

To make your on-the-go life easier, we've assembled our top picks for the well-appointed traveler's toolkit. This baker's dozen of travel tools will help you get to where you're going easily, communicate clearly, and stay organized, efficient, secure and entertained. Some of these items are gadgets, while some are services. Some you attach to your notebook or cell phone, while others can be stowed away and forgotten until you need them in an emergency. We've even included a state-of-the-art carry-on bag.

To make this list, tools must be both essential and elegant. In other words, these aren't nice-to-have items, but are well-designed must-haves that are worth the trouble of buying and carrying with you.

No, these products won't make the airlines run on time, provide more space in coach class, or solve the myriad other frustrations of business travel. But they'll help you travel with more peace of mind, simplicity, and, yes, flair.

Getting There
The first task in traveling is getting there. These two travel essentials are gracefully designed to help you breeze through airports and get to your destination with a minimum of fuss.

The Little "Everything" Bag: Targus Overnighter Notebook Case

Courtesy of Targus. Click image to enlarge.

For seasoned business travelers, a well-designed travel bag is as essential as, say, a cell phone or a laptop. That's particularly true on short trips when you need to travel light, and want to bring a single carry-on for your computer, clothes, and other travel accessories.

Targus' Overnighter Notebook Case is that one bag designed specifically for short trips. This compact "rollie" is, essentially, two cases in one — a notebook and gadget case with a compartment for clothing and other personal items. It also has a side pocket for fast access to items like boarding passes. It comes in two versions, one for notebooks with screens as large as 15.4 inches and another for 17-inch notebooks.

The area for electronics has pockets for everything you are likely to carry, from your power cords to PDAs and media players. The area for clothing and personal items is discreetly compartmentalized so that when you open the case to take out your laptop in that important meeting, your jammies won't fall out. With judicious packing, there is plenty of room for two days' belongings.

This particular bag is black, making it (depending on your personal preferences) either boring or perfect for business meetings. In either case, bags such as this one from Targus help you stay light on your feet for those quick, intense trips.

Targus Travel Overnighter Notebook Case; street price: $80-$105

Your Trusty Guide: Garmin nüvi 350/360

Courtesy of Garmin. Click image to enlarge.

You get to a new city, rent a car, and then try to figure out how to get to your final destination. Or you cab to your hotel but can't find the location of your meeting, which is supposedly within walking distance. GPS is an oft-used solution to these problems, and Garmin's recently released nüvi 350 is one of the most elegant options.

The nüvi 350 is a diminutive (2.8 by 2.1 inches, 5.1 ounces) color device that combines spoken turn-by-turn directions anywhere in North America or Europe with the ability to play MP3 music and audio books as well as view images — it has 700 MB of internal storage for media files. It's small enough to hold comfortably in your hand, or you can plug it in to a car's cigarette lighter with the included adapter. It comes with a suction-cup mount for cars.

The nüvi 360 adds Bluetooth, which enables it to act as a hands-free control center for your Bluetooth-enabled phone. After pairing the nüvi with your phone, you can dial numbers from your contact list and answer calls by tapping buttons on the nüvi's screen, speaking directly into the device's built-in microphone.

Oh, there are downsides, most notably the $964 retail price for the nüvi 360 and the fact that, while the nüvi 350 already is available, the 360 won't be available until this summer. But if you want top-of-the-line GPS, a nüvi 350 or 360 is a must-have.

Garmin nüvi 350; street price: $673-$899