If you want to play chess while travelling, then there are bandanas available which double as chess boards.  So you can wear the headgear to protect your head from the hot desert sun, and then take it off and play chess by the light of the fire (although, leaving the board on your head and playing chess would add an extra dimension to the game).

http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/catalog/ view/travelproof-bandana-gameboard

I won't be using it though as I don't play chess.  I played a few games when I was very young.  We had an old computer games system called the Intellivision which had a chess game.  I taught myself the moves.

But there were games such as soccer, ice hockey, ship wars, tank wars, tennis, golf Night Stalker, etc which were much more fun.  When I played Ice Hockey with my brother, the game took on more the aim of who could foul each other the most rather than scoring goals.

A few years ago, I was invited to coffee before church by a couple of guys from pastorate.  Within minutes, someone brought out a chess board and the two guys started an intense game.

When a game ended, I was challenged to a game and after some encouragement I reluctantly accepted.  For my first move, I moved a pawn forward two places.  For my second move, I think I moved a pawn forward a place (I can't remember the exact move).  The guy I was playing then got annoyed and packed up the pieces, saying that I obviously don't know how to play.  He then set up the pieces and challenged the other guy to another game.  I still don't know what I did wrong because the other guys wouldn't tell me.

Either I was really, really bad at chess or I was in fact a chess genius and the guy knew after only two moves that I, a mere beginner, was going to beat him.