My wife and I do this all the time - holding our digital camera as far away as possible and make a photo of us standing in front of some place we visit. The photos come out pretty good most of the time. The XShot telescopic rod gives this type of photography more flexibility though.

With the XShot you can conveniently hold a mounted digital camera 3 feet away. The XShot sure comes in handy to make action shots of larger groups of people.
The telescopic camera rod can also be used to create fun effects with video cameras, like spinning it around you.

To stay portable the XShot closes to 9 inches, weighs only 3.9 ounces.
The XShot sells for $19.99 through Amazon.com. See also the XShot site.