"This is a great game. I love it. It's awesome."

A fantastic gift.

Are you sick of quarantines and vulgarity? Tired of staying home and playing the same old (un)fun and games? Wise Up! is real-world excitement that's not only unfair, frustrating, and physical, but also educational. Yes, it's jam-packed with thought-provoking and original trivia, but that's not what we mean–it's educational in the sense that you'll find out very quickly how cutthroat and ruthless your family and frenemies are. Guaranteed to ruin any get-together, bbq, or holiday party, it comes in a handy travel tin that you can give (or take) to anyone, anywhere, any time.

Easy to learn. Hard to win.

It's simple to Wise Up! Players take a card, in turn, and poses the Question to the player to his/her left. If that player answers correctly, they keep the card. If not, the player to his/her left tries to answer it. Play continues clockwise.

There are 150 thought-provoking Questions, like: What was Sleeping Beauty's actual name? What is the circumference of a golf ball? Name a mammal that lays eggs. Where is the zygomatic arch? What are the eight Ivy League schools?

But wait a sec!

Wise Up! also has 50 devilish Challenges, such as: Throw this card on the floor and pick it up without using your hands. Or how about: Swap shirts with the player to your left. Anyone for a "Thumb War?" Jonathan Ikegana's verdict on the "Knuckles" card: "It freakin' sucks!"

As with the Question cards, the Challenge cards are presented to the player to the card captain's left, who then tries to meet and/or complete the challenge. If successful, he/she keeps the card. If not, the player to his/her left gets a shot at it.

For a Group Challenge, the best player, as judged by the card captain (the player presenting the Challenge), gets the card. The player with the most cards at the end wins.

Don't stay home without it.

You can take Wise Up! anywhere you want to go: beach, mountains, grandma's, or even The Ritz in Paris. Better yet, Wise Up! is a totally-original, fast, and effective antidote to the cooped-up, Corona Virus blues.

Seriously, why not try some intellectual distancing this summer instead?

WISE UP! THANKSGIVING SPECIAL: Buy Two Wise Up!s and get FREE shippiping. Use coupon code "AWAD" at checkout.

*Mike Cataldo, Harvard, Class of 2004

Best Travel Gifts Ever

In our journey through life, both metaphorical and literal, we always try to keep in mind poet Gary Snider's simple mantra:

Stay together. Learn the flowers. Go light.

Here's our list of the best travel games and gifts you could ever give or receive–the funnest, most faithful, practical old-school compagnons de voyage in the history of the universe, whether your adventure is a local daytime jaunt over hill and dale, a well-needed holiday to the seaside sun and sand, a longer, stranger in a strange land-type quest, or a quick Caribbean cruise, these accoutrements will ensure ease and delight.

Or you could always just stay home and go on a figurative vacation of discovery deep into the heart of your own head from the comfort of your own couch.

Seriously, these gifts, for ludic and literate ladies, as well as the cultured and discerning gentleman, are uniquely portable magic:

1.) Leatherman. The "Sidekick," a personal gift to us from Tim Leatherman himself is our EDC.

2. ) Hip flask. Ours is a slim, vintage sterling-silver 8 oz beat-up BYOB beauty we bought years ago on ebay. For water, wine or whiskey.

3.) Deck of cards. Fun and games anytime. We carry the classic Bicycle in blue we bought at Walmart for three bucks.

4.) Earplugs. Invaluable, especially when some damn cock is announcing the brand-new day right outside your window in the smeary Delhi dawn.

5.) Paperback. We would recommend Golding's Lord of the Flies, or The Stranger by Camus–both are precious, portable jewels.

6.) Local guide book. On our last trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains we brought along the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States and it made our hikes so much more eye-opening and educational.

7.) Handkerchief. Sounds kinda pretentious/dumb, but it has a million uses. We've carried a classic white cotton one from Geoffrey Beene in our back pocket for 40 years.

8.) LED flashlight. Ours is tiny but wow!-bright, uses a AA battery, and has a handy pocket clip.

9.) Vintage film camera. We always carry our gorgeous Rollei 35 wherever we go. This German gem slows our time down, while we manually frame our life at a different speed and in a more artistic and careful, considered way. We love it.

10.) Can of Sardines. No, we're not referring to our travel-version of One Up!, and we're not being facetious. We always carry a couple of cans of actual sardines with us–you never know when you'll get peckish, and a welcome gut-punch of protein and omega-3 can be a mood/life-saver.