Finding the perfect travel bag

Something that drives me absolutely c-r-a-z-y when I travel is my bag. Typically, the bag that works on the plane is too big and bulky for a day of touristing. I’ve gone through backpacks that I thought would work (but were too easy to pickpocket from), purses that I thought were perfect (but would hurt one shoulder and require constantly fixing), and crossbody bags that I thought would solve the purse problem (but turns out they never have enough room). Not to mention the fact that things were either too casual or too fancy. Being a woman is just too stressful sometimes.

So today I’m going to be discussing how to pick the perfect travel bag, and the one that I am beyond obsessed with.

My new travel bag: I discovered Palo Rosa MX when one of my friends was wearing one of their bags on my recent trip to Las Vegas and I couldn’t believe how it matched absolutely everything, fit a ton of stuff, was versatile, great quality, and MONOGRAMMED. I knew I had to have one. You’ll be seeing this bag for my upcoming trips to Vancouver, San Diego, and Europe (so hopefully you don’t get sick of it).

1) S I Z E

When I travel, I always need something that can fix a my DSLR, a water bottle, and all my other items that somehow take a lot of space! But for me it’s all about something big enough to fit everything, but small enough that it’s not inconvenient to carry.

2) Q U A L I T Y

Real story time: I decided to take a “cheap” bag to Europe and I’m not sure what happened but one of the straps broke (and that was the only bag I had brought). I then spent an entire afternoon hunting down another bag. Not ideal.

3) C O S T

When it comes to travel bags, I want something that looks nice, but isn’t so nice that I’ll be upset if it gets lost/ruined/stolen. I think cost is really about your budget. For me – anything from $50-$150 is a comfortable cost for a bag that is good quality but not too expensive. Anything more I would be pretty sad if I lost it!

4) V E R S A T I L I T Y

Traveling means being out and about all day. When I travel I often need a bag that works for day and night. The tassel and monogram on the bag elevates it from just “backpack” which means it works for a nice dinner and a day of touristing.

5) S A F E T Y

This one is probably the most important one. On my new bag there is a mechanism that firmly shuts the bag before you even button it closed. It would be pretty impossible for someone to pickpocket. That’s always a major concern for me when I travel. There’s nothing worse than a stolen wallet halfway through your trip!

| Palorosa MX Backpack | ROMWE Jeans c/o | Zara leather jacket (old, similar) | Banana Republic Tee | WearMe Pro Sunglasses c/o | Vintage scarf (similar) |

Disclaimer: the Palo Rosa MX item above was given to me at a discount. However, all thoughts are my own!