Sadly, nothing could bring back the golden age of travel – a time when people dressed up to travel, when manners existed, and the world was safe. At least that is the image I have in my mind so if you know otherwise, please don’t ruin it for me. These days, it seems like nothing but people traveling in pajamas and zoris (flip-flops), angry passengers, and travel bans. Despite all of that, I think we can all bring a bit more travel style to our adventures. My latest find will help me do just that!

Before I reveal that purchase, please note that I travel lightly, take a very pared down wardrobe, and look for ways to condense whenever I can. This style may not work for you but if it does or you want to try it, read on. My suitcase is tiny by most standards and I maximize the space in both that bag and whichever bag I use as my personal item. As a refresher, my bag is the Lucas Under Seat Cabin Bag and I use either my Le Pliage zippered tote for personal trips or my large Fossil tote in the Sydney model which they discontinued, but this one is very similar. Sometimes, like twice a decade, I wish I had a little more room in my bags. This doesn’t happen too often and usually when I am shepherding things to friends in foreign countries. In the past I have come up short on a bot of extra space – but that has all changed!

Meet my new luggage love! This is Fossil’s Kendall Weekender! I got it for a wicked good sale price, especially considering how well Fossil bags seems to wear. I have several of their bags which have been through hell and still look great. This bag is larger than my Le Pliage (length is 17.75″ versus 11.75″, height is 10.5″ versus 7.75″) and the barrel shape gives it a lot more space to pack yet not so much that I run the risk of adding a ton of extra weight.

Gorgeous bag in a leather that will last – Kendall Weekender

It has one exterior pocket that fits a cellphone and 3 interior fabric pockets – 2 slide and 1 larger zippered for a wallet and other valuables. It comes with a detachable shoulder strap, but I won’t use that unless absolutely necessary as it does seem a bit thin and I imagine it would cut into your collar bone if the bag is overly loaded.  The leather is a gorgeous saddle brown. The color doesn’t match my Sydney tote and satchel exactly, but close enough to where I’d be the only one to notice….and, erm….now you’d notice, since I’ve pointed it out. It also comes in a black cotton twill with leather accents at a lower price point and can be seen here.

Below is a crappy phone photo comparing the size my Le Pliage with the Kendall. As you can see, the size is a bit bigger but it will still easily go under the seat in front of me or in the overhead bin, if I get stuck in a bulkhead seat. Even better? The Le Pliage folds down to nothing and the clear base I use in that bag can easily go in the bottom of the Kendall. So, if I plan to do day tripping where I need a tote, I can fold up the Le Pliage (sweet girl, her pronunciation needs serious work but at 1:16 she demonstrates the fold) and tuck it into the Kendall with room to spare.

I will road test this bag next week on a fast business trip and give it a longer workout a few weeks after that when I head to Mexico with some extra items that I am taking to my hosts. In addition to my clothes, camera and usual pouches of in-flight stuff, I will have some additional clothing, accessories, and eGear and I anticipate that my new bag will work perfectly. I know I can’t bring glamour back to travel with just a bag, but I know I will feel extra glamorous carrying this one!

What do you think? Are you a fan of this bag? Is there a bag you carry that harkens back to the golden age of travel? Let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by!

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