Travelers are always in need of the portable, the packable, the efficient and eco-friendly travel item. Here are nine budget gifts to make that journey easier.

TRAVEL BLANKET, $20

Night flights from Hawaii to the Mainland are notoriously drafty. In an era when airline blankets may be nonexistent, bringing your own is a wise move. Eagle Creek's cozy, micro-fleece travel blanket is 60 inches by 36 inches, weighs 10 ounces and packs into itself to use as a pillow. A zippered pocket keeps eyeshade, iPod and eyeglasses close at hand. $20; matching neck pillow is also $20, both at Bag 'n Baggage, Ala Moana.

30 WORDS LANGUAGE GUIDE, $8.95

"Our experience taught us that just 30 words can be the difference between a mundane travel experience and an unforgettable adventure!" say Erin and Andrew Kitchell, sibling founders of "30 Words Language Guide." A useful guide also needs to be on hand, not in your backpack.

The size and thickness of your passport, the guide categorizes common travel words and phrases, and — hooray! — provides straightforward phonetic pronunciations. Color-coded topic headers make it easy to find what you need and easily construct sentences. A medical page contains phrases for emergencies, and a record of personal contacts. South American and European Spanish, Arabic, French, German, Mandarin Chinese and, shortly, Italian. For semester-abroad students, it's a tool for travelling with gusto and grace. 30words.com.

ARMPOCKET, $23

Made of fabric created from recycled plastic bottles and natural bamboo, the Armpocket is a "hands-free carrying system," a place to stash essential items when you don't want to carry anything. It's soft, and lightweight with three zippered compartments. The Aero 10 is the smallest of three models, and will carry key, cards, iPod, cell phone. Also good: It doesn't slip down your arm. Water resistant to protect electronics.

Company spokeswoman Jytte Nielsen reports plenty of online interest from Hawaii customers but no outlet in the Islands yet. Order from armpocket.com. The Aero 10 is $23 and comes in yellow, pink, gray and black (two larger armpockets also available).

TRAVEL TRAY, $8.95

In hotel rooms, this flat-folding Travel Tray is a useful landing place for coins, keys, wallet, jewelry, eyeglasses. It packs perfectly flat in your bag, and assembles with four quick snaps into an 8-by-5-by 2-inch-deep tray, with separate eyeglass compartment. Weighs 3 ounces, $9.85. magellans.com.

PACK-IT SYSTEM, SHIRT-FOLDER, $23.85

Pack-it folders organize packing in a snap. Folders, cubes and shoe bags come in assorted sizes and colors for every travel packing item. Roll clothing or fold using the special folding board, then slip the neat stack inside the mesh Pack-It folder. This briefcase-size Pack-It 15-inch holds up to six shirts.

BELLE HOP LUGGAGE TAGS, $13

Brighten up gloomy-looking bags with cheerful luggage tags and matching lock, from a wide range at Bag 'n Baggage, Ala Moana, and stores around town.

GOTOOBS, $24.85

Easy-to-squeeze GoToobs travel bottles are carry-on friendly and TSA-approved. The pliable plastic bottles have a wide opening for easy filling, and pre-labeled ID windows make it easy to identify contents. Fill with shampoo, soap, lotion, sunscreen or conditioner. Assorted colors, set of four (two 2 ounces and two 1[0xbc] ounces). $24.85, Bag 'n Baggage, Ala Moana.

SOLAR-POWERED LIGHT CAP, $25

Not geeky enough to wear a headlamp on the trail? A solar-powered baseball cap lights up the path and provides reading light. According to GoFastandLight.com, the yellow beam can cover distances of up to 20 feet and, when fully charged, lasts for up to two hours..

The cap is eco- and packing-friendly. The coin-size batteries should last a lifetime, so no need to bring extras. It takes eight hours in the full sun to completely rev up the batteries, 11 hours under a slightly overcast sky and 2,700 hours indoors. Perfect for Hawaii's sunny climate and moves easily from day into evening. gofastandlight.com.

MOLESKINES, $17.95

Once the favorite notebooks of Bruce Chatwin and Ernest Hemingway, Moleskines soft leather-bound journals come in a variety of sizes, colors, and page weights. The newest series of city notebooks — which cover urban hot spots around the world, such as Paris, New York, Prague and Tokyo — include guidebook-style fold-out maps and transport information, but also have blank pages to recall your trips and a place to keep tickets and souvenirs. City guides are $17.95, moleskin notebooks start at $10. Barnes & Noble, moleskines.com.

— Chris Oliver