I bought an orange carry-on and slide-over tote bag from Tumi about ten years ago. These two bags have seen me through many flights, weekend getaways, and other excursions. When I was little, we had these bright orange leather suitcases. My mom loves to tell the story of when I packed my orange suitcase and told her, “Don’t worry, mom, I’m going to North Carolina. I’ll call.” Throughout my childhood, this little antidote has been shared with countless people. So when it was time for me to get my first actual luggage, I inevitably went with orange. It’s not the same bright orange, but you get the point. That little girl who loved to travel just grew up and bought some hella expensive luggage. I absolutely love my Tumi luggage. Although they don’t make it anymore, I’ve been so impressed with the quality and style I might invest in some more soon.
Note: They look different colors, but they are both
fabulously the same orange!
When it comes to packing up my things and heading to a new destination, I go with Eagle Creek packing cubes.
In 2017 I went backpacking through Europe with a friend of mine. Before that trip, I had never heard of packing cubes, and I didn’t really see the point. Boy, was I wrong! Those suckers saved me from unpacking my entire backpack on numerous occasions. When I was preparing for Europe, I didn’t know what I was doing and brought far too much. Since then, I have scaled back and really tried to pack staples and a few fun prints to mix things up.
I will be using my packing cubes and my fabulous Tumi bags for our upcoming Caribbean cruise. I have a couple of small Eagle creek bags that clip onto luggage or inside of a bag. These help store many must-have items but don’t seem to have a place. I use the smallest bag for Band-Aids, Neosporin, medicine, wipes, and tissues. The second bag I use for all things electronic. The third size I use for books, my Kindle, and travel documents. These fit nicely into my personal carry-on item. They are easily organized inside my bag, and I can find anything quickly when I stow my bag under the seat. It’s also the perfect size to store and still has room for my feet!
The “big” carry-on bag has got these great cinch straps. When I put my packing cubes in and cinch them down, it’s the perfect fit. I tried many methods for using the cubes. Sometimes I go with the type of clothing, some for shorts, shirts, dresses, etc. Other times I go for outfits. But I always pack an extra cube for dirty clothes—nothing like having clean clothes next to dirty ones on a multi-stop vacation. Underwear, socks, and bras go into the zip pouch inside the bag’s lid. From there, I have Eagle Creek bags for my shoes, and voila!
The moral of the story is to stick with what works. For me, these have been my Tumi bags and Eagle Creek products.
