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LIFE & STYLE

The Best Totes for Traveling

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I’ve been traveling a lot lately. In fact, I counted, and in the month of May, I will only be home in NYC for a total of 10 days. So yeah...I’m pretty much paying my ridiculous rent for my room to be empty. Oh the perks of working in fashion and living in New York. Okay, back to the traveling part. A really cool (but also super exhausting) part of my job is the fact that I get to travel all over the place. In the last three weeks, I have been to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Charleston, and Charlotte, and yesterday, I landed in Milan. I think it’s safe to say, I’m definitely racking up those frequent flyer miles. I smell a vacay coming my way! Forreal tho... if anyone wants to book a trip, let ya girl know. My bags are already packed (no, really, they are). All this traveling has not only taught me to be a master packer, to make an entire week of clothing fit in a carry on, that rewearing the same outfit three times in a row (in three different states) is okay, and that having a quality tote is most necessary.  

When I travel for work, I take my laptop, my work iPad, my personal iPad, and all the accessories (chargers, mouse, etc.) that go with them, not to mention all the other things I carry on a daily basis. I hate carrying five million things on the plane with me, so the only solution is to have a carryall tote that puts all others to shame. In a perfect world, it would be something a little like Mary Poppins’ bag (a girl can dream). But because bottomless bags don’t exist (even though the IKEA tarp bag comes pretty close), I’ve gone on the hunt to find the best totes for every kind of traveler.

The Convertible Tote

This type of bag is particularly great if you have a lot of heavy things to carry or if you just prefer to use a backpack instead of straining one shoulder. You guys already know I am a huge fan of the convertible tote from All Saints (#tb to one of my first ever Friday Faves), but there are so many others that have the same idea, but look a little different. Here are a few of my faves.

The Sophisticated Tote

The sophisticated tote is the perfect tote for a business trip. It shows that you know how to travel in a practical manner but also have an elevated sense of style. The sophisticated tote is optimal for a #girlboss, and can also be used on the daily. Bonus points for the ones that have built in laptop pouches.

The Carryall Tote

Carryall totes are amazing because they have SO much space!! If you are someone that carries a lot of pouches, and doesn’t need pockets and zips on the inside of your bag, then the carryall is perfect for you. Carryalls are basically just super fashionable baskets. You can carry as much as you can shove in. I have the reversible one from Target, and I swear, sometimes I lose my things inside of it. The only downfall is that carryalls usually don’t close. If you are in a crowded space and are carrying valuable items, things could get a little sketchy.

The Architectural Tote

Architectural totes are for the bold, fashion minded gals (and guys) out there. They may not be the most practical bags, BUT you will look damn good carrying one.

Personally, my favorite kind of tote to travel with is my convertible tote from All Saints. My bag gets quite heavy, and the fact that I can turn it into a backpack saves my neck from cramping and my shoulders from breaking. DRAMATIC, but really, it makes a world of difference. My suggestion would be to test out the different types of travel totes to find the right one that meets your needs. Or just do what I do and buy all of them and alternate :) Sorry. I’m 100% a bad influence on your bank account…

Comment below, and let me know which kind of tote you’re going to use the next time you travel! 
 

xoxo,

Zoey Leigh

Zoey Woldman