Le Travel Store in Downtown San Diego (Gaslamp Quarter), California

At least four out of ten people you pass on the streets of downtown San Diego each day are tourists visiting from elsewhere, and the city blocks here are littered with hotels large and small - some in plain sight, some hiding on top of restaurants and boutique shops. The strange thing is... there aren't many places around here that cater to travelers' items. That is, except for that marvelous little Le Travel Shop on 4th Avenue between E and F Streets in the Gaslamp Quarter.

If you are one of those who like to travel light without missing much of the essential items while on the road, Le Travel Shop is the magical gold mine of light-weight and space-saving ideas for very reasonable prices that will lighten much of your luggage's load without crashing your bank account. The store carries anything from tiny bottles for storing detergent or shampoo to foldable cup to tote bags (I bought one on sale for $10 the other day. It fits in the palm of my hand when folded in its tiny cover and is large enough to fit my laptop in when expanded!) to traveling irons to light-weight and convertible clothing (pants that can turn into shorts) to full size luggage... and the customary travel guides, of course.

I'm a fan of Rick Steve's Europe (a travel program shown every Saturday evening here on KPBS), but didn't know that he has a clothing and luggage line before... And a good line at that! Very practical designs and understatedly tasteful, too. His stuff weren't on sale the last time I walked in, though, so I spent most of my time drooling over the shelves of space-saving gadgets. The store carries a variety of brand and the clerk here know everyone of them inside out and is more than willing to help matching the perfect traveling goodies to your needs.

Browsing around the well organized shop and you'd find it hard to not end up buying a nifty little gadget or two to make your next travel a bit easier. The clerk there is always very nice and helpful without being intrusive (she'll let you browse in peace while being nearby in case you need anything). What the store doesn't carry, it can order for you.

This place is right across the street from Horton Plaza, so the Plaza's parking lot is the best parking bet for you (though, not being a part of the complex, they can't validate your parking ticket for you). There are some metered off the street parking spaces, but this is in the middle of Gaslamp Quarter's restaurant rows, so you'll need a lot of luck with that. Le Travel Store accepts major credit cards. All items are returnable within 90 days (sales items within 10 days).

Le Travel Store: 745 4th Avenue (between F & G Sts), San Diego, CA 92101. Tel (619) 344-0005, 544-0312.
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10AM-6PM, Sun: 12-6PM
Website: www.letravelstore.com