Travel Essentials: Part 1

So I know I've been relatively absent lately but I've been traveling so much! I figured this presented a great opportunity for me to do a post about all of my travel essentials. There's way too many things I love for traveling to put into one post so I'll be doing two! Part 1 will be all essential suitcases/bags/totes that make my trips a little less stressful and are just all around life savers.

1. Vera Bradley Large Duffel Bag - this duffel is the perfect weekend bag. I don't like to use large rolling suitcases when I'm only going somewhere for a weekend, they're just inconvenient and heavy. What I love about the duffel (besides the obvious - it's adorable) it that it fits SO much stuff in it. I'm a notorious over-packer so having a lot of space is ideal for me. It's also easy to carry around, it has large straps that easily go over your shoulder. Lastly, it's bright, cute, and looks great in the backseat of my car :) I'll make a note that I use this duffel for weekend road trips only. The website says it's carry-on compliant but I don't believe that's the case, there's no way you'd be able to carry this large of a duffel on a plane. I would also never check this bag because I've seen Vera duffels get ruined (the handle got detached from the bag) because of the not so gentle handling from airline employees. However, I make weekend trips much more often than I do week long vacations so I definitely have gotten my money's worth out of this bag. This is the exact size and print that I have :)

2. Lilly Pulitzer Insulated Cooler - this is another essential bag I like to bring on trips with me, plus it's Lilly so I already adore it. What I really love is the insulation, you can use it in multiple scenarios. The first one is obvious, for any type of beach/lake trip the cooler is ideal for holding drinks, refrigerated snacks, and such. So easy to pack up and throw it in the boat. Another practical use I've found is for carrying cosmetics and hair products. It's so nice to have them separate from my clothes because all too often something spills and ruins whatever it's next to in the suitcase. Any spillage in the cooler though can be easily wiped off and nothing gets ruined! I also enjoy the bottle opener that comes attached to the bag, how convenient... :)

3. Longchamp Le Pliage Tote - okay I'm obsessed with my Longchamp. Before I purchased one, I didn't really understand the hype but I've had mine for almost a year now and I'm so in love. I use it for school, work, traveling, running errands, you can use this bag for literally any ocassion. The size is absolutely perfect and the material of the bag lets you easily wash off stains. I made the mistake of bringing mine to a party once and some drunk idiot spilt beer all over it (I know right, so annoying) however, I used a washcloth and water to clean it the next day and it looked like brand new! Anyway, it's perfect for traveling because I can fit my magazines, Nook, water bottle, and anything I forgot to put in my other suitcase in there. My Longchamp is always my carry on bag when I fly. 

This is the exact Longchamp I have :) I'm in love with the color because it's so different - it's discontinued now so I rarely see ladies with the same one! Also, if you're looking to buy a Longchamp but don't want to shell out $125 keep an eye out at big department stores' outlets. I got mine from Off Saks Fifth Avenue (one of my favorite stores) for $98! They definitely don't carry them often but that's where you should look if you want to find them on sale. 

Alright, so I've covered all essential bags and duffels for traveling - stay tuned for Part 2 which will cover essential clothes and cosmetics for traveling! And let me know what you think of my picks :)

xoxo,

rFe