Everlane Weekender Review

With summer on its way, it’s time for a weekend getaway. We know you’re already planning your beach trips and weekends in the mountains. We’re ready for lazy days spent in hammocks and strolling along the beach. But before you set off on your road trip, you need the perfect bag for a weekend away. Leave those rolling suitcases at home! We’ve featured some of our favorite weekender bags before, and now we’re going tell you about one we both own in this Everlane Weekender Review.

Everlane Weekender Review

Our Everlane Weekender Review

We both own an Everlane Weekender bag, so that’s a good start to this review and should really tell you something. Meagan bought a suede version that has since been retired, and Stephanie followed suit by buying the navy canvas weekender with the black leather straps. Continue reading

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

How to Pack a Duffel Bag

I’ve been trying so hard to pack less, but sometimes a long weekend away requires more than your standard set of outfits. I used to just stuff everything into my duffel bag, and that always resulted in a pile on my hotel room floor as soon as I needed something. Of course, I was putting my clothes in the bag in neat stacks, but it was getting things out that was such a nightmare. Now that I have a new bag and a few handy tools, I’ve really figured out how to pack a duffel bag!

How to Pack a Duffel Bag in 3 Easy Steps - www.afriendafar.com

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Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Our Top Posts of 2015

Since the end of year is quickly approaching, we thought it would be fun to do a roundup of some of our most popular blog posts since launching A Friend Afar earlier this year! They include content from some of our big trips abroad to Cuba, Greece & France as well as a day trip closer to home. It also includes packing tips, bag reviews, planning tips, and a guest post about family travel! Check out our top posts of 2015 below.

Top Posts of 2015- www.afriendafar.com #afriendafar #yearinreview

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Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.

Gift Guide for Travelers

Here it is, friends! We are so excited to bring you our holiday gift guide for travelers! Last week we shared our favorite travel-themed home decor gifts, but this gift guide includes our favorite goodies that make travel easier as well as those that let us display our wanderlust loud and proud!

Gift Guide for Travelers: Women who Travel

Gift Guide for Travelers:  Women who Travel - www.AFriendAfar.com

  1. Luggage Tag Charm from Jet Set Candy (represent your favorite cities or home base!)
  2. Everlane Weekender Bag  (our go-to weekender bag for every short trip! Have you seen our other favorite weekenders and our Everlane tote review?)
  3. Cord Tacos from This is Ground
  4. J.Crew Sleep Mask
  5. Let’s Travel Passport Stamp Phone Case from Casetify (currently protecting Meagan’s phone!)
  6. Jet Set Notebook from Sloane Stationary
  7. Passport Notebook Set from Rifle Paper Company
  8. Inside Suitcases 12 month Calendar from LittleLow on Etsy
  9. MIPOW Smart Power Tube Portable Battery
  10. Secret Paris Coloring Book (or any travel coloring book!)
  11. Cuyana Leather Travel Case Set

Gift Guide for Travelers: Men who Travel

Gift Guide for Travelers:  Men who Travel - www.AFriendAfar.com

  1. Cord Burrito from This is Ground
  2. Scratch Off World Map (keeping track of Stephanie’s travels!)
  3. Leather World Map Passport Case
  4. Leather Personalized Luggage Tag
  5. Cord Tacos from This is Ground
  6. Globetrotter Hotel Key Tag (we LOVE ours!)
  7. Baggu Large Zip Pouch
  8. Adventure Journal from Sloane Stationary
  9. MIPOW Smart Power Tube Portable Battery
  10. Herschel Novel Duffel
  11. Everlane Weekender Bag (our go-to weekender bag for every short trip!)

We love Monday Escapes at Packing My Suitcase and My Travel Monkey and Weekend Wanderlust with Justin + Lauren!  Join us over there!

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Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

Best Weekender Bags Under $200

Best Weekender Bags - AFriendAfar.com

Sometimes that rolling carry-on is just too big for your long weekend! We’re a little too old and a little too well-traveled to be carrying our old high school gym bags around, so we’ve rounded up the best weekender bags that make it easy to carry everything you need. These bags have all the stylish details we love and still hold up to constant travel.

The Best Weekender Bags Under $200

cuyana weekender

Cuyana Canvas and Leather Weekender Bag
Price: $150
Why We Love It: Cuyana makes a gorgeous twill and leather weekender in 3 colors. We love the leather strap, the contrast lining, and the gold hardware. With the option to monogram it, it’s a great bag to give or to get!

baggu

Baggu Sailor Stripe Weekend Bag
Price: $74
Why We Love it: Baggu bags are consistently showing up in our lists of travel must-haves and for good reason! This is a great price for a sturdy and roomy canvas bag, and the sailor stripe is so fun!

mark and graham

Mark & Graham Weekender
Price: $199
Why We Love it: This one comes in at the top of our budget, but we can’t get over the great details. The leather accents and monogram reflect an old-fashioned style of travel, and the long shoulder strap makes it easier to tote around when full. It comes in 4 colorways, and while we love the natural canvas option, this navy version is less likely to get dirty.

Stella & Dot Versatile 3-in-1 Getaway
Price: $138
Why We Love it: You’ve got to love a bag that does double-duty! Stella & Dot’s Getaway bag is the perfect size for the overhead bin when expanded, but it also fits under your seat when zipped down to its smaller size. We love the blue ikat and the red elephant designs!

Everlane

Everlane Twill Weekender Price: $98
Why We Love it: I have this bag as well as the twill tote, and I love packing it for a long weekend away! The leather straps are very sturdy, and the canvas is thick, water-resistant, and beautifully lined. The interior zip pocket and the outside pocket keep my cords and smaller items contained. It’s a great bag! Check out Hitha on the Go’s instructions for how to pack a duffel – it features this weekender.

Lo & Sons Catalina Canvas Weekender
Price: $120
Why We Love it: Lo & Sons makes an amazing carry-on bag for business travelers, and Stephanie’s currently toting it around Istanbul right now for work! Their Catalina Canvas Weekender is even roomier and more affordable, and it comes in 7 fun colors. We love the lower zipper compartment to keep shoes or dirty laundry separate and organized. The bag is even machine-washable, so it’s ready for an adventure!

Herschel

Herschel Supply Co. Novel Duffel
Price: $80
Why We Love it: I can’t even begin to count how many designs this bag comes in, but at just $80, it’s worth treating yourself to this fun buffalo check print that is everywhere this fall! Like some of our other favorite bags, the shoe compartment and padded shoulder strap will make your weekend travel a little easier.

Sole Society mason

Sole Society
Price: $80
Why We Love it: We’ve been seeing this bag all over travel and fashion blogs lately, and the customer reviews are really looking good! It’s a chic vegan leather in a classic style at a great price point. What’s not to love?

Do you carry any of these weekender bags? Let us know your reviews in the comments!

Looking for the perfect carry-on personal bag? You can find our favorites here along with a review of how our Everlane tote held up during a trip to France.

 

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

The Best Carry-On Personal Bags

We’ve been traveling a lot lately for both work and pleasure. That means we’ve been doing a lot of packing and unpacking and a lot of browsing online for better options and ideas. We even have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Packing Tips! All of that travel has us thinking that what and how you pack can really make a difference in your transportation experience.

As checked bag fees have become the norm, traveling with only a carry-on whenever possible is now the primary goal for most travelers. If that’s the case for you, and you’re heading out for longer than a weekend, you’re going to want to make the most of your personal item. [See what we include in ours here!]

There are many options out there in a lot of price ranges. We’ve pulled together our favorites for the budget traveler and those with a little more money to spend. If you haven’t read our review of the Everlane tote, which includes a lot of the details we look for in a bag,  check it out here. Also check out our review of the Lo & Son’s O.M.G. bag, which is very similar to the O.G. bag featured below!

Our Favorite Carry-On Personal Bags

Best Carry-On Bags - www.AFriendAfar.comTop Row: Stella & Dot – The Shift | Coach Leopard Turnlock Tote | Dagne Dover Tote
Second Row: Baggu Duck Bag | Everlane – Tote
Bottom Row: Longchamp Paris Le Pliage | J.Crew – Downing Tote | Lo & Sons – The O.G.

Looking for a great weekender bag? You can find our favorites here!

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

What's in My Carry On Tote? www.AFriendAfar.com

Packing Tips for the Perfect Carry-On

Did you read my Everlane Tote review last week? I’ve decided it’s the perfect affordable carry-on tote bag for your flight, and with its slim silhouette, it transitions easily to a great day bag. Below, you’ll find my best packing tips and the items I can’t leave home without when I’m flying, and they all fit in my new Everlane Tote!

Packing Tips - Packing the Perfect Carry-On - www.AFriendAfar.com

Packing Tips for the Perfect Carry-On

My Everlane Tote: High quality construction, chic style, and a zipper top make this my go-to travel tote for business and vacation.
Travel Wallet / Passport Case: I love a passport case that is long enough to hold my boarding passes, my cash and cards, and my passport. These are a few of my favorites right now.
Travel Journal: I grabbed a pocket-sized one from Rifle Paper Co. for a specific short trip, but I’m thinking about getting this one to record a lot of future trips in one location. And of course, a Moleskine Journal  is always a great option with that pocket in the back!
Baggu Shopping Bag: I know we’ve mentioned them a few times, but we really don’t leave home without them!
Cardigan and Scarf: It can get really chilly on a plane. We love cardigans like this in colors that go with everything and a lightweight but large scarf that can double as a blanket if needed. We’re also crushing on this cape for winter travel!
Reading Material: I found a few magazines on France tourism on my most recent trip, but I always have a large selection of AFAR, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and my new favorite: Wherever Magazine. They all fit in this bag with room to spare.
Small Zipper Bags: I bought this cute elephant one in Thailand a long time ago, and it holds my smaller camera, ipod, headphones, and any power cords I’m bringing with me on the flight. Smaller zip bags are the best way to keep things organized, and here are a few of my favorites: Nylon Baggu, Leather Baggu, Stella & Dot, and Flight 001
Small Make-up Bag: I keep a few of my solid toiletries in here so I can freshen up after the flight without getting into my rolling carry-on. I love these NARS lip pencil (I like the Velvet Matte in Cruella Scarlet Red) and the L’Oreal Concealer Crayon as great solid alternatives to my usual liquid concealer and lip gloss. Savannah Bee Company makes a great chapstick in wonderful flavors like blackberry and Earl Grey tea.
Clear Zipper Bag for Liquids: I’m thinking about just investing in one of these so I won’t have to keep using Ziploc bags. For your 3oz liquids, check out this great website with tons of really nice travel-sized products. I always bring my small bottle of Fresh Seaberry Face Oil and my travel-sized Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer.
Downy Wrinkle Releaser:  This is one liquid that I can’t travel without! I’m allergic to ironing, especially when I’m on the go, so this amazing de-wrinkling spray keeps me from looking like I’m living out of a suitcase.
Eye Mask: Falling asleep on flights comes easily for me, but staying asleep does not.
Sunglasses: My Warby Parker prescription sunglasses have been game-changers. I love their quality and their price.

Check out our other favorite packing tips and tricks here, and follow us on Pinterest for more great ideas!

[This is not a sponsored post, friends. We just wanted to share our must-pack items!]

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

An [Updated] Everlane Tote Review

An Everlane Tote Review www.AFriendAfar.com

[We’ve updated this post with a review after taking our Everlane tote across France. See the end of the post for more on how it worked for us. ]

My mom and I have been searching for the perfect carry-on tote for our upcoming trip to France, and we had some pretty high standards. We needed a bag that was:
– large enough to hold all of our needs
– but not too big that it can’t be used as a day bag
– zipped!
– chic, obviously!
– well-made with great reviews
– and at a really good price point

Not only that, but since it’s easier to pack light when you stick to a color palette, Mom needed one that came in black, and I needed a brown one. We didn’t need the same bag, of course, but when we started reading all of the great reviews about the Everlane Tote, we knew we needed to check it out. It seemed to fit all of our needs, so we ordered the black leather with reverse denim, which is a pretty heather gray. I was eyeing the brown leather with navy twill, but decided to wait and see what the black one looked like in person. Let’s just say, I’ll be ordering the navy for me really soon!

Everlane Totes

I already have one of Everlane’s amazing weekenders, and it has been such a JOY to pack for trips to my mom’s house in the mountains and all of our other weekend trips! I was thrilled to see that the tote we received (with free shipping!) was of equally great quality!

I really love that the tote has a slim silhouette. I often find bags that I like, but they end up being rather bulky. This bag will hold my make-up and small toiletry bags, my travel magazines, my camera, my tablet, and it doesn’t take up too much space. The inner pocket is the perfect size for my wallet and passport case. The zip top stays hidden instead of sticking out on the ends, which I think is a wonderful detail that makes it even more sleek. The black leather straps are sturdy and a great length for throwing over your shoulder, and the cotton twill is wonderfully thick. Even after all of those great details and the sturdy construction, it’s still incredibly light weight! Friends, we have found our new favorite bag! Oh, and did we mention it’s ONLY $40?!

Everlane Tote Review - Everlane in France - www.AFriendAfar.com

My mom traveled in style in Burgundy with her grey and black Everlane tote.

Everlane Tote Review Update

After trying out the grey and black tote with my mom, I ended up buying the navy tote with brown leather handles for myself. As I had expected, it worked great for my trip to Paris, Provence, and Burgundy. Here’s what we learned:

  1. It’s a great tote for carrying on a plane or train and for keeping your belongings safe from pickpockets because of the zip top.
  2. After filling my tote with everything from wine bottles to dripping wet water bottles and every other souvenir or picnic in between, the material held up very well and kept its shape. The handles never felt like they were carrying too much weight and never threatened to tear.
  3. I was glad I had my tote when exploring Versailles and the Louvre because it held my belongings without being bulky. Those places are crowded enough as it is. A slim profiled bag is a must.
  4. I was, of course, blogging while abroad, and it was a great size for my smaller laptop and my guidebooks.

Follow this link to grab one of your own!

Everlane Tote Review - Everlane in Paris - www.AFriendAfar.com

Carrying my tote around Paris on a drizzly day!

[This is not a sponsored post, friends. We just adore our new Everlane tote, and we can definitely vouch for the sturdy construction and timeless style of our wonderful weekender. If you’re on the lookout for some stylish and affordable luggage, do check them out!]

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.