TRAVELING IN STYLE : Side Trips : Meet the Press

There’s something almost achingly romantic about a flower pressed in a book, and pressed flowers are a particularly evocative (and free) souvenir of places you visit. But somehow, preserving a blossom in the pages of your Fodor’s or your Robert Ludlum lacks a certain flair. Instead, try the Naturalist Plant Press, available from The Nature Company. It’s sheets of reusable blotter paper strapped between two wooden covers, measuring 6 1/2 inches by 8 inches--just the right size to tuck into a carry-on or knapsack. The kit, priced at $19.95, is available at Nature Company stores in Beverly Hills, Century City, Costa Mesa and seven other Southern California locations. Or it can be ordered by phone at (800) 227-1114 (ask for Item 302505). A word of warning, though: Travelers must declare pressed flowers at state agricultural checkpoints or U.S. Customs. Among other things, eucalyptus leaves and the blossoms of fruit trees are forbidden.