2022 Frequent Business Traveler Holiday Gift Guide: Diamond Edition

Deck the halls, as it’s time for the 2022 edition of the Frequent Business Traveler Holiday Gift Guide: Diamond Edition.

The tradition of the Holiday Gift Guide at the magazine dates back to 2012, making it almost as old as our yearly report of the New Year’s Eve cult classic, “Dinner for One.”

Shopping for the holidays can be daunting, but we’ve got you covered.  From the practical to the luxe, we have sought the best of the best in Champagne, candles and scents, smartphones, tablets, and more, which will send just the right message to friends and family.

Keep in mind that, when wrapping your gift, presentation does matter. When you give someone a present, it’s more than handing something to someone (socially distanced, of course) and saying “Here, I spent money on you.” Rather, the use of beautiful gift wrapping paper, a nice ribbon, and a non-run-of-the-mill card says that “this is something I’ve given thought and consideration to and you mean something to me.”

MOLTON BROWN MERRY BERRIES & MIMOSA HOLIDAY LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION

Molton Brown, the English perfumier, introduces a limited edition collection each holiday season.  This year, the company chose to create an homage to mischief and merriment with Merry Berries & Mimosa.

The Merry Berry scent is floral meets fruity.  It bursts with aromas evoking red berries, soft mimosa, and winter citrus, and has a soothing musky-woody base.

The Merry Berries & Mimosa Signature Candle features a gold, 1970s-style rattan print that celebrates the perfumier’s heritage.

The Merry Berries & Mimosa Bath & Shower Gel comes in a berry appropriate red ten ounce (300 ml) container, while the Merry Berries & Mimosa Body Lotion is presented in a pristine white bottle, also ten ounces, with a red berry-colored label and will prepare you for any upcoming revelries and happy mayhem you may encounter during the holidays.

Molton Brown Merry Berries & Mimosa Candle, $50, Molton Brown Merry Berries & Mimosa Bath & Shower Gel, $37, Molton Brown Merry Berries & Mimosa Body Lotion, $46, at www.moltonbrown.com

APPLE IPHONE 14 PRO MAX

The all-new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max may look like their immediate predecessors but, unlike what came before, they can actually help save lives.   It provides emergency satellite communications and can detect if the user has been in a car crash.

Emergency SOS via satellite feature currently works in the United States and Canada and the service is being expanded to other regions.  Those (un)lucky iPhone 14 users who find themselves in dire straits without a cellular or Wi-Fi signal can now connect with emergency services and summon help via a text session.

The phones use a dual-core accelerometer, barometer, and other sensors to detect the incident and, if the user is unresponsive after a ten-second countdown, it will call emergency services and share your location data.  The feature relies on new algorithms Apple developed using over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data. “It looks like you’ve been in a crash,” the iPhone display will say.  “IPhone will trigger emergency SOS if you don’t respond.”

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, from $1,099 at apple.com

GLERUPS WOOL FELT SLIPPERS

Everyone loves slippers but Glerups wool felt slippers are a class of slipper unto themselves.

Glerups began with the Glerup family’s small flock of sheep in Denmark.  Founders Nanny and Ove Glerup would make shoes from the sheep’s wool for friends and family and, in 2005, turned their hobby into a business with a factory in Romania.

We tried these slippers on cold winter nights and found that they will keep your feet warm without overheating. They breathe well so your feet won’t perspire and you can even wear them outdoors, such as we tried on the terrace.

Glerups Wool Felt Slippers with Natural Rubber Sole, $135 at www.glerups.com

THREE PEAKS MANUKA HONEY – THE TONGARIRO JAR

If you aren’t familiar with Mānuka honey (we weren’t), here is a brief primer.

Bees transform the nectar of the mānuka flower of the mānuka tree, which is indigenous to New Zealand, into a multifloral honey.  It turns out that Mānuka trees are capable of photosynthesis not just in their leaves as other plants do, but in their nectaries as well, producing the nectar sugars and other ingredients that give mānuka honey its unique flavor.

The striking Tongariro Jar, which comes in equally stunning packaging, represents one of the ancient Three Peaks Mount Tongariro and is produced by Three Peaks Manuka Honey, a boutique honey producer.

The all-natural honey comes from New Zealand’s central volcanic plateau, a UNESCO world heritage site.  We were captivated by its strong, earthy aroma and flavor.  It is a superfood that is rich in amino acids, Vitamins B and C, antioxidants, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and bioactive compounds.

Three Peaks Manuka Honey – The Tongariro Jar, 200 g, $139 at www.threepeaknz.com

GRÜNER VELTLINER WINE FROM AUSTRIA

Grüner Veltliner, the signature wine of Austria, is a white grape wine variety that is extremely food friendly. It’s typically consumed young, especially in the Heuriger or taverns of new wine in Vienna, although it’s also excellent after a long aging. Wines produced in the steep vineyards of Lower Austria produce Grüner Veltliners with excellent minerality while those in other regions exhibit more citrus and peach flavors, sometimes with the variety’s trademark notes of white pepper.

Frug Grüner Veltliner (pictured), Christina Grüner Veltliner (pictured), and  Zeit Grüner Veltliner, $13 to $18 at fine wine shops everywhere

BAKE ME A WISH WONDERLAND BAKERY BOX 

If you’re undecided about a gift for a recipient who loves freshly baked goods, the Wonderland Bakery Box may just be the right thing.  The box includes a seemingly unending assortment of holiday baked goods including jumbo brownies in various flavors, four different cookies including Ginger Molasses and Oatmeal Raisin, two candy cane and two snowman cookies, and three standard size brownies,

Our reviewers found it hard to resist these treats, even when they were intended to be left on the plate for our Holiday Gift Guide photographer to take pictures of.

Wonderland Bakery Box, $55, at www.bakemeawish.com

POCKETALK PLUS VOICE TRANSLATOR

A universal translator may sound like something out of science fiction. Indeed, characters in Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Men in Black all used universal translators to talk to alien beings.  But what about something for travelers who want to navigate planet Earth?  While there are apps from Google and others for this purpose, sometimes it’s easier to use a device designed and dedicated for a specific purpose.

Such is the case with the Pocketalk Plus Voice Translator,   With 82 languages under its belt, there are very few places even the most ardent traveler might find himself where immediate translation is not available.  The device comes with two years of connectivity that makes it available in over 130 countries.  Finally, a built-in camera will translate menus, documents, and signs.

The device’s look and feel, which is in keeping with design standards set by Apple and Samsung, makes it easy to hold it in one’s hand and, because it only has to perform one function – namely to translate – it is easier to use than any smartphone app ever could be.

Pocketalk Plus Voice Translator, $263 at www.pocketalk.com

BEAU JOIE BRUT SPECIAL CUVÉE CHAMPAGNE

Produced by Bertrand Senecourt, well-known for his sumptuous Charles Ellner Champagnes, the Beau Joie Brut Champagne comes from vines throughout the Champagne region that are between 25 and 50 years old. (Generally speaking, young vines make wine that is best for drinking early, while old vines produce the finest vintages with the greatest cellaring potential.)

The Champagne blend of sparkling wine, made from pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot Meunier, the latter also known as Schwarzriesling, may only be called Champagne when produced in the Champagne region of France, which is the case with the Beau Joie.

Beau Joie means “beautiful joy,” a name appropriate for a Champagne blend with a fresh crisp taste with a perfect balance of dryness and sweetness.  Expect floral notes on the nose that give way to crisp fruit flavors of citrus and apple.

Beau Joie Brut Special Cuvée Champagne, $70  at wine retailers

TEELING WONDERS OF WOOD CHINKAPIN SINGLE-POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY

This Dublin-distilled spirit was honored as the world’s best single-pot still whiskey at the World Whiskeys Awards.  It is a limited-edition whiskey made from 50% malted barley and 50% unmalted barley.

It is a new series, Wonders of Wood, a fully matured in virgin Chinkapin American white oak native to Eastern and Central North America that is known for its wide wood grain.

Teeling is also working with the Tree Council of Ireland, and as part of this release is planting an acre of native trees in the Wicklow area, something that is  fairly significant given Ireland’s deforestation.

We found the whiskey displays grassy and woody notes.  It is pleasantly malty and honey sweet with only a hint of spice.

Teeling Wonders of Wood Chinkapin Single Pot Irish Whiskey, $99 at fine wine and spirits retailers everywhere

(Photos: Accura Media Group)