Travel Gear

You know you travel more than most when you start to have people who work the counter recognize you, can answer questions better than the airport staff, know exactly where each gate is at nearly every airport, and have the security check down. I am on land for another week and a half, and then up in the air on my way to Barcelona, then flying to Venice, then flying to Florida, then two weeks later to Ohio. Apparently I love cruising altitude more than steady turf. Yesterday I was lucky to sit next to a woman from Connecticut and talk about life, family, work, and everything in between. She was great. She has two kids and while I told her about Purse Blog she and I started to talk about travel gear. I couldn’t help but keep my mind from wandering about what would be perfect kid travel gear. Today I found a cool back pack for a dude and a cute roll on for a little girl. Funky and fresh, the Lipstik Luggage Roller is hand-painted and features, pink, denim, aqua, and purple coloring throughout. The front zipper pouch sports the words “love” and “peace” in paint. Easy to carry for a toddler to a tween, this roller is cute and affordable. Buy it through Neiman Marcus for $125. And for the cool dude, the Diesel Logo Backpack comes in an army green with blue denim trim and a white “Diesel 78″ on the front. Toss in an iPod, hand held game player, and a car magazine, and your cool dude is good to go. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $65.

Personally, the thought of buying luxury luggage makes no sense. Even if the bag is just a carry on, you are looking to have it exposed to dirt, residue, spills, scuffs, tears, and stains. I am not sure it makes me a hypocrite, but I do travel with my designer bag as my ‘purse’ carry on, and many times my bag ends up sitting on my lap. But to roll on an extravagant piece of travel gear, the kind of extravagance that people only dream can be on their handbag, is absurd. Right? Must be wrong, because the Bottega Veneta Intrecciato Trolley is being sold to the rich and famous and BV obsessed. Measuring approximately 20″ x 14″ x 9″, this trolley adheres to BV’s signature woven Nappa leather. The size is a perfect carry on, but if you have a commuter flight beware; your precious bag will get thrown under the plane with the rest of them, and undoubtedly will not be treated any kinder than the plain black luggage from Target next to it. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this piece, but until I am flying private plane only, this will not be on my list. Buy it through Bottega Veneta for $3960.

picture via Ny Mag

There are some people who are home bodies and some people who can not sit still. I definitely fall into the latter category, I can not keep myself in one place for an extended amount of time. From New York to Ohio to Florida to vacations around the world, I am always on the move. Granted some of my trips leave me with a broken arm, but I can’t stop. This month I am off to Spain and Italy and then in May off to California. Personally, I never cared much for nicer luggage. Give me a bag that works and a bag that i can spot on the belt and I am satisfied. But the Samsonite Black Label by Alexander McQueen is the most bold line created by a quirky and outrageous designer along with Samsonite, a brand that is well known for its durable travel gear. Don’t expect a plain black bag from this creation, check out a roll-on with a skeleton like body and sleek and edgy designs. For more information, check out Samsonsite Black Label.

Not many men have a skincare regime everyday. Trust me, getting Vlad to rub a bit of lotion on is a feat. But for the men that have been truly tamed, or the females that don’t mind a very simple and unisex bag, the Ermenegildo Zegna Toiletry Kit can help you travel with the necessities. Toss in your sun screen, cleanser, toner, lotion, and tote this brown leather and silver tone hardware kit on trips. As long as your regime is not completely ridiculously long, this 6″H x 10 1/5″W x 4 7/10″D bag will be a great travel companion. Via Bergdorf Goodman for $395.

To me Bottega Veneta has to try really hard to go wrong. If they continue using their signature woven leather and continue using rich supple leather, they will remain on top as timeless and beautiful. Simplicity is part of Bottega Veneta’s plan and the Bottega Veneta Woven Cosmetic Case is a complete hit because it does not stray from their norm. A perfect stocking stuffer, this cosmetic case is designed with rich and supple brown woven leather which is accented with goldtone hardware. The two pull tabs come together to nearly resemble a small bow on their top zip. On the inside there is canvas lining and this little chic travel accessory measures 4½”H X 7½”L X 2″W. A total and simple hit for me and I would sure be happy to see it down in my stocking. Via Saks for $290.

After a very exciting Buckeye weekend, Megs and I took the trip down to South Florida to visit her wonderful family. While waiting for my bag to finally roll out on the conveyor belt in the baggage claim, I noticed a business man in his mid-30s who grabbed a Louis Vuitton Pégase 70 and jetted off toward the cabs outside the terminal.

No matter how well I may or may not be doing in life, I could never see myself spending nearly $3,000 on a piece of luggage that I knew would go through an abusive bag hell. It is unnecessary to say that the baggage folks at airports will bang your expensive bag around as much as the next, generic suitcase. Do you think it makes any sense to spend a big premium on designer luggage?

With my allergies in the state they are in, I’d love to pack up and leave (which is what I will be doing in 10 days- Can’t wait!!!) For traveling we all know that a good and easy overnight bag is key. For something fun and quirky for your travels there is the 31 Corn Lane Weekender Tote. Designed from retro pink and brown, which is one of my favorite color pairs, this tote measures 16.5″x13.5″ which gives you ample room for some weekend must-have’s or carry-on items. The best part is the matching pouch which has a checklist of toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, and makeup. That is quite the essential list because I always forget those! Buy the tote for a mere $50 through Fredflare.

I have been able to face the fact that I am not always practical at a young age. I still am not always practical. I realize that fashion is also not always practical. If I asked you to raise your hand if you have ever purchased a completely impractical item I bet there would be quite a few handbag lovers out there with arms raised behind their monitor. Mine is ;-)! But just because it is impractical does not mean we don’t continue to do it. Again, by we I most definitely mean I for starters. This all brings me to traveling. Many of us travel, and I venture to guess that many of us travel often. But do we travel in style? I may always look at the family carrying all the Coach or LV luggage and smirk, but deep down I wish it were me with the goods. I can’t help it. My love of handbags radiates into travel gear. While I would never want to check such a beautiful bag under, I wouldn’t mind carrying it on. The Prada Large Travel Bowler embodies the chic kind of accessory I want and the impracticality that I don’t need. This bowler is a canvas tote trimmed in gold and showing off buckle details. Yup, that is it. There isn’t much more to this bag, but that completely backward thinking side of me wants it to place nicely under the seat in front of me. Measuring 12″H X 17″L X 7″W, this tote should be easy to travel with and use as your oober stylish carry on. Buy it via Saks for the ridiculously impractical travel bag price of $985 via Saks.

I know I’m always looking for little bags to lug around my makeup and other essential non-essentials. Why not grab a leather cosmetic bag this time around? Not to mention, easily affordable leather is a big plus. The Leaders In Leather Red Tooled Cosmetic Bag mixes style with affordability in its handy dandy little cosmetic bag. Showing off a tooled floral and paisley motif, this leather bag is sure to be durable through all your travels. The all leather bag features a zipper top, an interior pocket, a removable wrist strap, and measures 8-inches L x 5-inches W x 1.25 inches H. With this bag, you are sure to add a little fun to your makeup regime. Not to mention, for the discount price of $26.99 through Overstock, you can’t really go wrong.

As I have found out with age, many men actually prefer women without makeup on. Yea, that’s no lie. But to most of us women, it is part of our daily routine. I remember my cycle with makeup. It began around 6th grade with a lip gloss obsession. I’m talking juicy lips that probably attracted flies like a sticky pad. I moved on in 7th grade to some eye shadow. But it was barely noticeable. Around 8th grade, things went terribly downhill with my thought that dark makeup made me look older. Yet with time and experience, I learned how to apply makeup and not look like a 5 cent hooker. But where to keep all the makeup? Why not in a fun Kate Spade Heddy Small Floral Print Cosmetic Bag? Made with the fun color wheel of green, pink, chocolate, lime, cream, khaki, peach, and black, the floral print bag is colorful and fun. The bag also has a green zip with leather zip pull and loop at one end so you can hang the bag. The inside is lined with a taupe and green spotted print fabric. If you need a little new bag to carry your makeup, try this bag for $55 via Net-A-Porter (also comes in medium size for $65).