12 Pieces of Luggage for All Types of Travel
There are so many lists on the internet that claim to be the number one source for the best luggage for travel, and that every item on the list is an absolute must have for any “real” traveler. The difference between other lists and my list of top luggage for a trip, is that I have personally tested, used, broken, fixed, and continent hopped with every single piece on this list. It has been lost in Bali, thrown around in Mexico, clung to my back while running across a dock on Croatia, and shoved under the seat in front of me, testing its durability a million times over. So, while my breakdown of each item may be long winded and seem excessive, it’s because I have a personal story for every piece of luggage on this list. So, place your tray in the upright position and relax as I take you on a flight around the luggage storage room at my house.
Over packing means i can bring cute dresses like this pink number!
Backpacking for Her
If you have hung out around here enough, you already know that I’m not a backpacker. And if you’re new to my website, I’m not a backpacker. I personally love overpacking and having plenty of options to get dressed every day. With that being said, some places are just plain easier to not have a rolling backpack, and fighting against cobblestone streets with 360 wheels is not worth the extra pair of shoes in my luggage. Croatia was just that place. Upon arriving in Dubrovnik, we walked up and down staircases to find our Airbnb, and walked across some of the deepest cobblestone I’ve ever seen. Watching other tourists struggle to get their rolling luggage around the city convinced me that I had made the right decision to backpack, and I was glad I had invested in one I love.
The Deuter 60+10 is the perfect size for a 2-week getaway, and held everything I needed for my island-hopping trip. I was able to shove 10 rolled up dresses, 3 bathing suits, two pairs of yoga pants, 3 pairs of shoes, 5 tops, and all of my underpinnings and toiletries in this bag, no problem. There are tons of pockets to stash souvenirs (my breakable souvenirs went in the pocket that rested against my head), and a convenient hip pocket to store your cell phone and passport, keeping it close and in your line of vision. Another cool thing I love about this bag is that it is able to be unzipped from the bottom of the bag as well as opened from the top, so if you are storing particular items at the bottom of the bag, you don’t have to pull everything out to reach them. Simply unzip the bottom and zip back up!
Backpacking for Him
For the same trip to Croatia, my husband opted for the Gregory Baltoro 65, and had no complaints about the bag. This bag also has a convenient cell phone and passport pocket that sits on the front hip, and has tons of pockets to store all of your items, from souvenirs to clothing. He was able to pack everything for two weeks across Italy and Croatia in this bag, complete with swim trunks, shorts, t-shirts, and shoes. All of the heavy-duty clips on this bag kept everything in place, meaning items didn’t move an inch (even when we had to sprint across a shipping dock to buy tickets for the last ferry of the evening to Hvar). Another cool trick of this bag? It comes with its own rain cover in case you come across inclement weather.
Best Large Hard Side Luggage
This piece of luggage is my holy grail, my goes everywhere with me, and the number one piece of luggage I recommend to anybody taking a long trip. Exceptionally reasonably priced, this luggage has bang for its buck.
First off, the wheels are spaced far enough apart that it is a sturdy bag, and never tips over while wheeling it through an airport, even on those pesky moving walkways that somehow make everything harder to pull beside you despite them being there to make life easier (I’m looking at you, moving walkways in DTW). The wheels also spin 360, and are as smooth as Jif peanut butter. I never have an issue with maneuvering around cars in a parking ramp, or rolling this bag along cement. It moves with me when I walk, and is so easy to travel with.
Second, this bag expands to be BIG BIG BIG. I am an over packer in all senses of the word, and refuse to move to smaller bags for trips simply to minimize my packing routine. I have been known to bring 10 dresses and a pool inflatable on a 3-day trip to Mexico, and don’t regret packing my sunhat with a 30”+ diameter brim for one minute. This bag expands a full 1” ON BOTH SIDES when expanded, and I have never been in a situation where everything I wanted to bring (or bring back home!) didn’t fit, and had to be carried on in my purse.
Lastly, this baby is STURDY. I have had this bag for 4 years at this point, and I think I can get another 2 years out of it still. I am rough on bags, and travel more than most people, meaning this bag has been tossed around, dropped, thrown from planes, and dragged around multiple continents. It has held up incredibly well considering the price point, and I plan on rebuying this exact bag once this one loses a wheel.
Pro tip: I actually do not love the 20” carry-on that matches this bag. It tends to be top heavy, and does not wheel around well while travelling, particularly on carpet.
Best Tote Purse - J.Crew Large Carryall
I have had this tote bag for 7 years, and it looks as good as it did the day I bought it. And please do not mistake this for a lack of use. I believe I have carried this bag for 6 years straight (yes, the whole time I lived in Atlanta, and the whole time I lived in San Francisco), and there isn’t so much as a scratch on this bag. At its economical price, I have no problem shoving everything I can into this bag as a carry-on when I travel. Laptops, boxes of cookies, jackets, shoes, you name it, this bag has handled it. It is a great bag for planes, as it holds a ton of stuff, and folds down easily under seats. It may not have a zippered top, but I rarely wear it out while traveling, and opt then for a crossbody bag instead.
Best Toiletries Case - Tumi Dopp Kit
I purchased this Dopp Kit for my husband as a Christmas gift last year as a last resort since he is IMPOSSIBLE to shop for. You know, one of those people who needs “nothing” and has no real Christmas list. I saw an influencer recommend this bag, and thought it wouldn’t be the worst thing for him to have, and even if he didn’t “want” it, he wouldn’t despise receiving it either.
I loved that I could personalize the Dopp Kit with his initials, which is complimentary when you order on the Tumi website. It gave the gift a more personal touch, which means I spent more than 30 seconds pressing “Submit Order”.
I also love the sturdiness of the fabric. The outside is a tough, canvas like material, and the inside has pockets that are zippered shut with see though plastic. This means you can see the products easily and clearly through the plastic zipper, but any spillage or leaks en route are kept contained, and don’t get all over the rest of your bag, or even the rest of the Dopp kit.
This Dopp kit is also compact, but holds a sizeable amount of product. While it may be too small for a two-week jaunt through Europe, and won’t accommodate full sized bottles of product, this kit is the perfect size for a week-long business trip, which is exactly how my husband uses it. And by the way…he loves it!
Best Luggage Gadget - Luggage Scale
This gadget is going to win hands down every single time when I am asked what the best luggage gadget is. It has saved us from countless dollars spent on luggage overages, and is small enough that it is easy to tuck away in our tiny San Francisco apartment, which is a feat in and of itself.
Gone are the days of pulling out your bathroom scale, weighing yourself, stepping off said scale, picking up luggage, and then reweighing yourself and subtracting your weight. Simple in design, all you have to do is wrap the canvas strap around your luggage, and lift your luggage to get an accurate reading of the total weight of your bag. So much easier to use than the bathroom scale, and honestly, so much less time is wasted using this little handheld device. And the best part? It’s under $15.
Best Luggage Accessory - Laundry Bag
To be completely honest, I asked for this laundry bag as a gift for Christmas, as a list filler. I didn’t even really care if I got it, but thought, “Oh well. Makes my list look more robust.”
I received it, said thank you, and tossed it in my luggage for my next trip, which happened to be to Bali. While in Bali, I was doing a lot of activities, from checking out temples, to climbing Mount Batur at 2am to see it before sunrise. As my clothing got muddy and dusty, I took this laundry bag out of its little pouch, and began to fill it. This little bag was able to hold 2 weeks of laundry, and managed to keep the smell of sweaty clothing off my fresh and clean clothing. For $10, this bag is definitely worth the purchase, and has now come to every country I’ve seen since receiving it!
Best for a Business Trip – TravelPro 21”
As I recently started a new job, I will be traveling by air for meetings a few times a quarter. Each time, I want to make sure I have room for the essentials, a full outfit every day, a few pairs of shoes, my toiletries (sorry guys, I’m not relying on hotel soap when I’m meeting with my leadership team), and a comfy flight outfit for my travel home. I don’t want anything too bulky, but I also don’t want to check a bag as losing my luggage for even a day would be disastrous for me.
When I discovered this bag, it ticked all of my boxes. It held all of my belongings, was a reasonable price point, and the wheels glide like a dream. I have used one other bag that shall remain nameless in the past, and it was a disaster. It was top heavy, so my laptop bag kept falling off and spilling my wallet and pens everywhere in the airport terminal. The wheels didn’t roll smoothly, so I resorted to pulling the bag behind me. I looked a mess, and switched to this bag.
Now my bag and I glide effortlessly though the airport, and I can set a full leather tote bag with a laptop, paperwork, wallet, etc. all inside, and I know they’re going nowhere. It has fit in overhead bins of most planes (barring those that make every person gate check their bag regardless), and makes business travel less painful than it needs to be.
Best for a Week at your Parents – TravelPro 25”
I love this bag because while it is the same shape and idea as the TravelPro 21”, it is just slightly bigger, and holds just enough more to pack an entire week’s worth of outfits in one bag. With all of the same great features as the 21”, such as easy glide, 360 swivel wheels, and wide wheel stance to prevent tipping and encourage easy rolling, this bag packs not just easy travel punch, but also is a size big enough for even the most regular of over packers. This is usually the bag my husband uses when we travel, and he is able to easily fit a week’s worth of outfits, shoes, and toiletries in this bag, sometimes even two weeks’ worth if it’s a beach vacation, for which he somehow seems to pack less items…I wish he could teach me his ways!
Best for a Weekend Girls Trip Samsonite 24”
The perfect sized bag for a weekend of friends, theme parties, and Instagram perfect outfits. While not as big as the Samsonite 28”, this bag fits so much stuff, you may be able to get away with something even smaller! The reason I love this bag is because you can easily compartmentalize items in the bag, which means you can have all of your pool floats, photo props, and shoes on one side, and all of your cute outfits on the other side, not getting messy or possibly ruined. This bag rolls well, and does not tip over, as its width is able to handle the height of the bag, and all of its contents.
Best Carry-on Backpack
I do not even know where to start with this bag, that’s how much I love it. I originally bought this bag for my commutes in San Francisco, but realized it works wonders as a carry-on backpack as well.
This bag has a slim profile, which is great for moving with ease, and not hitting people with your bag while boarding the plane. We have all been there, somebody boarding lifts their luggage in the overhead bin, and simultaneously whacks you in the face with their overstuffed Jansport. Not this bag. It sits pretty flush to your back, and never invades others space, and doesn’t take up much room (which is why it was also amazing for a public transit commuter bag). And while is looks slim and sleek, this bag holds SO. FREAKING. MUCH. STUFF. In this bag, I am able to fit a laptop, laptop charging cords, an iPad, a DSLR camera and 3 lenses, snacks, and a change of clothes. If this carry-on backpack doesn’t do it for ya, I don’t know what will.
Best Luggage Tag
I’m sure a lot of you expected me to list “The Big Tag”, or some ultra-expensive, luxury tag on here. However, I have had a Vera Bradley tag on my luggage since college, and it is always the easiest to spot on the luggage belt. Obnoxious in print, and garish in color, these tags stick out like a sore thumb, and are easy to spot even through a sea of people, all lunging for their bags. Another plus? They’re shockingly durable. As I said, I have had the same tag on my bag for the last 11 years, and it shows zero signs of wear, tear, rips, or pulls. For under $20, this tag is a no-brainer to me.
