How to be chic and organized while traveling: A review of Baggalini
The need for a great travel bag
Why do some people feel so stressed out when they travel? It's because when you're away from home, you lose sight of where all your stuff is. Whether looking for crucial items -- passport, phone, wallet, maps, keys, it can be dangerous to search in the wrong place at the wrong time. You don't want to be emptying the wrong carry-all in a dark hotel hallway, as you're being seated on the plane, wherever there are too many prying eyes or in deserted parking lot. I discovered that there's no need to be tempted into disorganization -- that you don't have to sacrifice style for function -- with Baggalini! I was happy to be hosted to experience it.
Not that long ago, the prevailing thought was, if you wanted to be fashionable, you carried a purse. If you wanted to take everything you needed, your choices were an awkward dufflebag or backpack. Not only are the big, hollow forms of hand-luggage not as fashionable as you'd want to be in the most elegant hotels and resorts, but also, they make you a target as a foreigner.
About Baggalini
Baggalini as a brand was founded by two flight attendants. That not only caught my attention for their requirements of durability, but also for their well-earned reputation for looking sharp. I've read many books on the heyday and glamour of what used to be called "stewardesses" all over the world. Several famous socialites -- like Kris Jenner -- and high society women, including the Queen of Sweden, met well-coveted catches while working as flight attendants. You'd better believe that they didn't do it looking dowdy!
The Have It All
The "Have It All" may very well change your life. It's a wide profile bag that has leather-look accents and floral metal studs that can look girly or rocker-chick, depending on how else you're accessorized. The outside is completely wipeable, a smooth parachute-like material. Two outside deep pockets have adjustable stretch closures: perfect for sticking dirty shoes, water bottles or rolled up magazines.
The top of the bag zips closed, with sizeable, decorative and sturdy zipper pulls. Inside, the lining and pockets are breathable mesh. Two additional deep pockets can keep damp clothes from messing up all your other things or building up tremendous mold. There are other mesh pockets, perfect for compartmentalizing everything. The bag also includes a sizeable privacy pocket, for those items you don't want on view if your bag has to be open in public.
Having spent nearly two decades as a travel writer, I have seen the globe. Having the right hand-luggage/carry-on/day bag not only makes the journey smoother, but also looks appropriate wherever you go.
