Everyone loves a “what’s in my bag” post, and this one is “packed” with the Top 10 Travel Essentials that we don’t leave home without! A long-haul flight may require a lot more to keep you comfortable, entertained, and sane than a short flight or train ride, but these are the items we’ll be packing no matter the trip. If you catch us at the airport, here’s what you’ll find in our bags…
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.
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 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 & 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 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 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
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.
I’m heading in a different direction today on A Friend Afar. I’ve been sharing all of my stories from France lately, but today I’d like to share with you one of the ways I stay inspired by travel when I’m at home. In addition to framed photographs from our trips and souvenirs like textiles and ceramics, we have a few vintage suitcases in our home. Our suitcases are stacked on a vintage luggage rack and serve as a nightstand in our bedroom.
Here’s a nightstand similar to ours. [Source: Home DIT]
I love this stack of vintage suitcases holding a vintage globe. Perfect vintage wanderlust style! [Source: Charity Chic]
Another bedside table, and I love the old camera placed delicately on top. [Source: Style Me Pretty Living]
Don’t limit yourself to side tables – these larger pieces of vintage luggage make a great coffee table and conversation piece! [Source: Eye for Design]
Here’s an interesting twist! This suitcase is attached to the wall as a shelf, and it makes a great nightstand with its pockets and storage space! [Source: Design Sponge]
I love these matching suitcases as a low side table in a living room. Since they’re stacked lower to the ground, the room still feels spacious. [Source: Style Me Pretty Living]
How fun is this suitcase medicine cabinet? They just added a mirror and attached it to the wall. So easy! [Source: Blake Sloan]
Do you have any suitcases that you use for storage and decoration? Tell me about them in the comments!
1. I love the plant sitting on top of these beautiful suitcases. [Source: Eye for Design]
2. See how easy it is to make a side table with storage? [Source: Globally Gorgeous]
3. Potted succulents and old books are displayed in these pretty suitcases. [Source: Apartment Therapy]
4. You can even paint your suitcase for a fun and quirky piece of furniture. [Source: Apartment Therapy]
5. What a lucky find these Louis Vuitton suitcases were! [Source: Victoria Pearson via Apartment Therapy]
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!
Top Row: Stella & Dot – The Shift | Coach Leopard Turnlock Tote
Second Row: Baggu Duck Bag
Bottom Row: Longchamp Paris Le Pliage
Looking for a great weekender bag? You can find our favorites here!
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!
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!]
[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!
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?!
My mom traveled in style in Burgundy with her grey and black Everlane tote.
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:
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!]
I’m a hyper-organized travel planner. I definitely love a lot of spontaneity, but when I have too much time between booking and departing, I tend to spend a lot of my free time planning out all of the details. That’s just how I satisfy my wanderlust in the meantime. I have a few tools and apps that help me keep it all together for the most organized travel planning possible:
I save so many details here, and I love that I can access it very quickly on my phone. I usually create a spreadsheet schedule that includes arrival and departure times, especially if I’m traveling by trains in addition to planes, hotel confirmation numbers and contact information, and any other details I might need. Another perk: you can share all the details with your fellow travelers!
Above: Schedules are easy to make and view in a spreadsheet.
In addition to my travel schedules, I save the following in Google Drive for easy access:
Above: the custom Google Map I created for an upcoming trip.
Think about it. You’ll look less like a tourist if you’re looking down at your phone instead of at a large, unfolded map.
You definitely need to try out City Maps 2Go and MAPS.ME. These apps are a recent discovery for us. These apps, available for both iOS and Android, allow you to save your destinations on detailed maps even when you don’t have Wi-Fi or data. How brilliant is that? It’s another easy way to find your destination without having to pay for roaming or Wi-Fi!
Most airlines now have apps for your phone that let you check-in online without having to print a ticket. They can scan your phone at the gate. So easy! This is especially great for the minimalist traveler with just a carry-on. There’s no need to stand in line for a check-in counter or kiosk!
Call me old-fashioned, but I like to have some hard-copies as well. For a big trip with lots of stops and connections, there’s something that just eases my mind about being able to quickly flip through a stack of reservations and train tickets so that I know they’re all there and in order. I have a trip coming up that includes 3 hotels, one AirBnB, 3 separate train journeys for 3 people, bicycle rentals, and a car rental. I’ll do a quick print out of all my reservations, color-code them by city and put them in chronological order.
Finally, consider printing directions and addresses in your destination’s native language, if it isn’t one that you speak well. This can save you lots of headaches when hiring a cab!
Yes, I’m a huge organization nerd, but now I have a simple back-up system stowed neatly in an envelope. For what else are you going to use that flat exterior suitcase pocket?
Here are some of my favorite document organizers. You can use a travel wallet or just a flat, zip-pouch to keep your documents close by!
Top Row: Delfonics x Monocle | Tokyo Travel Organizer | Prendre Multi-Case
Middle Row: Clair Dot Medium Pouch | Aspinal of London Travel Wallet | Kikki.K Adventure Awaits Travel Wallet
Bottom Row: Mark & Graham Zip Pouch | Stella & Dot Zip Pouch | J.Crew Calf Hair Pouch
[Featured Photo: Boarding Passes by Mark Hamilton]
