Nothing ruins a vacation faster than hitting snags that should be avoidable...things like a cellphone that doesn't work, a lost or stolen passport, or a long plane delay with hungry, cranky, bored kids.

So we polled our well-traveled friends and came up with these top 5 travel essentials.

1) Travel wallet: It could be a money belt that goes around your waist or a wallet "necklace," but you need something that will allow you to keep your passport, money, and an emergency credit card at hand without attracting the attention of pickpockets like a purse would. Something that goes under your clothes is ideal, plus it leaves your hands free for taking photos or holding a bottle of water.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education -- or STEM ed, as it's called -- is a big deal. Over the past few years, we've opened a huge gap between the U.S. and the rest of the developed world and, ironically, hiring in high tech is up while management and financial hiring is down or flat. In short, there's no better time to get our kids interested in technology.

But how do you get young ones interested in computing, electronics, and engineering? It's easy: You sneak it in the same way you sneak vegetables into their mac and cheese!

As the Big Blizzard of 2013 bears down on us, everyone is rushing out for provisions. Water ... check. Canned food ... check. Extra blankets ... check. But people are forgetting one very important, critical accessory during this major weather event: the right iPhone app. Yes, the right application can mean the difference between life or death if you are stuck out in the cold or buried under 10 feet of snow. Check out the 5 best apps to help you survive any blizzard.

Politics of gun ownership aside, I thought it would be interesting to address a fascinating (and sometimes frightening) discussion about 3D printing.

3D printers are some of the coolest technology I've seen in a long time. They essentially "print" objects using plastic and allow you to quickly and easily make toys, tools, and spare parts. With a little skill, you could feasibly print almost anything. To be clear, these parts aren't amazingly durable, but they're great for building little projects at home. We have a 3D printer at our house and my son enjoys watching gadgets appear on the build plate.

I'm here in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013, a bacchanal of amazing technology where everything - and I mean everything - is shiny, fun, and new. There is, to be clear, lots of stuff here and plenty of things I could talk about, but I wanted to share a few cool things that I spotted in my travels.

So Christmas is over and your house is full of gadgets. Now what? As the proud owner of far too much gear, I don't often follow my own rules of the road, but here are a few quick tips to keep them safe for you and yours this holiday. 

Congratulations to our winner, EmilyJ604!

Every great entertainment room has a great media player. We love this one from Sharp because it allows you to play both Blu-ray 3D movies and regular DVDs, as well as listen to CDs, and stream MP3 audio files straight off of a USB disk. AND it connects to Wi-Fi! Whoa. So much tech talk. So many acronyms. Yup, now my head's spinning.

One lucky Stir reader is gonna win a Sharp 3D Media Station Blu-ray Disc Player. To enter to win, tell me:

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a peripheral was stirring, not even a mouse.The Dropcams were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The Nexuses were charging by the kids' beds,While visions of Angry Birds danced in their heads.And Mama with her Mini, and I my iPhone,Were tapping away by that pale LCD glow.