There’s an art to traveling. Your travel essentials must fit in a carry-on tote large enough for everything, yet small enough to fit under the seat in front of you on the airplane. And for wealthy travelers style is paramount.
Personal stylist and image consultant Cynthia Kennedy points to polished, structured totes as trending among travelers. “Think elevated materials (pebbled leather, coated canvas, recycled nylon) with clean lines and minimal branding,” says Kennedy. “Totes now double as work bags, travel organizers, and shoulder candy.”
According to Future Market Insights the global tote bag industry will have an estimated market size of 1.76 billion dollars by 2034.
The right travel tote requires the right proportions to carry all of the essentials, yet work as a cross-body too. This Mother’s Day, an exceptional bon voyage looks like a chic travel tote. These 17 chic travel tote bags will cause a commotion for looky-loos everywhere.
Lo & Sons O.G. 2 Travel Tote
The O.G. 2 travel tote bag ($378) is a Swiss army knife for travel totes. The suitcase pass-through sleeve is durable and snug, the bag itself fits underneath most standard airplane seats, and there’s a dedicated padded compartment for a laptop and loads of pockets for essentials.
Morgan Rhea Wilma Jean Tote
The Morgan Rhea Wilma Jean Tote ($845) is a scrumptious travel tote bag inspired by Savannah, GA’s streets, floral scents, and sights. Morgan created this bag in honor of her great-grandmother Wilma Jean and this is one of the first bags she made at Savannah College of Art and Design. The beautiful floral silhouette print and SCAD Bee on leather trim justify the pricey price tag. It’s also just really cool looking.
House Of Grey Wolfe
Sensory lovers will swoon over the Tote Bag from The House of Grey Wolfe. It’s constructed with 100% cashmere, wide and deep enough to hold a laptop, along with all other travel essentials. Clean this bag with dry-cleaning only.
Sea Bags
All Sea Bags are made by hand on the waterfront of Portland, Maine from repurposed sailcloth. The Sea Bags large Chabeague Travel Tote ($250) is the perfect travel tote bag for moms who are planning summer seafaring escapes. There are six exterior pockets for essentials like water bottles, sunglasses, and a phone, with three additional interior pockets. The nautical look is sophisticated and serene, and easy to spot clean. The rolled leather handles are a special touch. Its sister bag, the Chebeague Crossbody ($150) is also a performance-based bag with adjustable leather straps, another favorite among travelers.
Voglia Travel Mini Bucket Bag
This poppy-peppered Voglia mini bucket bag ($75) is versatile enough to hold all your travel essentials and converts to a cross-body for on-the-go travel. This travel tote bag is easy to pair with a sweet summer frock or jeans and compliments both effortlessly.
Loop Couture Hanna Maxi
The Hannah Maxi tote ($720) from Loop Couture is available with a gold-flecked natural cork handle or dark brown natural cork. Each is hand-crafted from European nylon rope with hand-sewn natural cork from Portugal. The lobster clasps are handmade and removable to suit your style.
Pamoja Zuri Tote
“Zuri” means beautiful in Swahili, and the Pamoja Zuri Tote is just that. Contemporary and sleek, the Zuri tote is made of full-grain leather with a cotton-lined interior. For travelers looking for a chic travel bag, the contrasting panels make a statement with edgy lines and gorgeous craftsmanship.
Deseri ROSA Handbag
This crazy-elegant and sophisticated tote is spacious, durable and comfortable. The Deseri Rosa ($775) is the perfect size for luxury travelers who emphasize fashion and function. This tote fits perfectly under an airplane seat and is the ideal cross-body travel tote bag.
Beautifect Go Mini
The Beautifect Go Mini ($169) is an unusual choice for travel, yet a sparkling new choice if beauty is paramount. The Beautifect Go Mini doubles as a beauty bag, holding all of your beauty essentials, and a unique travel bag for statement-making travel. The Go Mini comes in nude and black with rose gold hardware, a detachable shoulder strap, 5x magnified mirror compatibility, USB-C rechargeable and an optional folio-style mirror case. New everyday travel bag, is that you?
Smythson Milton Crossbody
The Smythson Milton Crossbody Bag ($895) is curiously small enough for long-haul travels, and yet large enough to hold travel essentials. The adjustable shoulder strap and zip closure make this both an ultra-chic and ultra-safe travel bag.
Nicks Boots Leather Travel Bag
Complimenting the chic, street-cool of Nicks Boots is the Nicks Travel Bag ($649.99), which comes with adjustable shoulder straps and lots of space for a laptop and more. The bag comes in black and brown variations, mahogany, tan and ash grey. Everything Nicks is made entirely in the U.S.A.
Alexis Drake Amika
The Amika Satchel Crossbody ($358) is a reflection of divine craftsmanship of Italian leather and shiny hardware. There’s an exterior zippered pocket and two additional back pockets. Both gorgeous and practical, the black and whiskey is sophisticated. There’s also a boxwood green with a coastal navy that just pops. This a chic travel workhorse for sophisticated travelers.
Briggs & Riley Traveler Tote
With generous interior storage for travel, Briggs & Riley Traveler Tote ($219) has a snug slip-through panel for stacking on a carry-on and a quick-access outside zip compartment for security essentials.
Code Republic Savannah Designer Laptop Bag
Drew Barrymore, Eva Longoria, Portia De Rossi and Jennifer Lopez are among many celebrities who swear by their Code Republic Designer Laptop Bag ($595). This travel tote bag is a travel workhorse with elegant accents and lots of storage, including a 14” laptop.
Sprayground
The Skychain Supply Tote bag ($90)from Sprayground is a showstopper, pictured here in red. The bold red is made from 100% cotton with a large interior, top zipper, D-ring key clip and handsome hardware.
Dooney & Bourke
The Dooney & Bourke Pebble Turnlock Handle Tote 30 ($219) is made from Italian pebble leather and can be worn as a hand-held or crossbody. This handbag carries all of the Dooney & Bourke signature handsome features and hardware and has also been treated for winter repellency. This is a great all-weather option for fashionable travelers.
Sattaché Classic Bag
The Sattaché Classic Bag ($195) is an eco-friendly luxury bag that transitions for five different style options, among them: over-the-shoulder, cross-body and backpack. It’s loaded with thoughtful compartments for easy traveling and large enough to accommodate necessities. The Sattache Classic bag is PETA-approved vegan, made from recycled ocean materials, and is an easy flight companion.