Travellers' Checks | Hi-tech cases that follow your phone vs. lo-tech hooks that let you tow your luggage

Doing away with the need for new-fangled hi-tech gadgetry, meanwhile, is My Hitch, a very lo-tech plastic hook designed by part-time inventor Robert Lian (above). An American airline pilot (as was Robert Plath, who came up with the first practical two-wheeled suitcase, in the 1980s), Lian proudly demonstrates his invention on his website, www.mybaghitch.com, hooking one end of the S-shaped device to his belt and the other end to the extended handle of his carry-on bag. And as he walks around, nonchalantly, coffee cup and phone in hand, like it was the most natural thing in the world (“I’ve walked for miles like this!”), you can’t help but admire him – a regular guy with a simple solution that, while it might – alright, does – look a bit silly, actually seems to work (as long as you don’t have an elasticated waistband or need to run for your plane) and is already on sale. The Cowa Robot will, sooner or later, retail for US$699. The My Hitch is priced at US$17.95.