The life of the travel editor isn’t all jet setting and beach parties. On occasion, I am required to empty my office mail box. Today, I found 8 books (I’ll review the one on Wisconsin; I’ll throw the others on the give-away shelf); a Country Inn & Suites puzzle in a tin (a note promises that completing the puzzle will give you a small taste of the Country, but, frankly, I don’t have the time right now); and a small box filled with Hershey’s Kisses and a press release, which I scrupulously ignored (as a journalist, I avoid gifts — no free rooms, no ipods from the Prez — but I admit to popping the occasional chocolate kiss as long as I don’t see who was trying to sway me with my weakness).

But the real show-stopper was a sample of “Go Girl!, Don’t Take Life Sitting Down” a new feminine hygiene product that allows women to potty while standing up, from Minnetonka-based FedMed, Inc. Such a curiosity — and I’m not talking about the double punctuation at the end of Girl. The device is made of pink silicon and shaped something like a triangle with a short hose at the pointed end; you tuck the wide part against you just so and your tinkle flows out of the narrow end. It is neatly packed in a hot pink cylinder with a plastic bag for disposal (though you can also choose to reuse the Go Girl). Seems to me, you have to unzip and pull down your pants (or hike up you skirt) anyway, so what’s the point? In the forest, there are trees; in grimy bathrooms, muscles can hold you up from the seat. The promotional material says that Go Girl is made for the active, traveler and germ-conscious woman. I say it’s also for the woman willing to throw away $5.99. What do you think?

 Given that it’s a tourist hot spot, it makes sense that the Walker Art Center’s gift shop stocks a nifty selection of  travel accessories, from miniature maps to appealingly packaged sanitized wipes. We especially love the Oscar + Dehn soothing eye mask. Where do you get your travel gear? Are there certain products you swear by?Â