For most females, our purse is our lifeline. In everyday life we never know what we might need, which is why it can often seem like a bottomless pit for everything from hair clips to tissues to receipts and a good book.
But on your travels it is even more essential, potentially serving as a carry on bag and backpack in one. Important features include some sort of theft protection and comfortable straps for long wear. It’s also a good idea to have a cross body feature so that it is harder to pull off your shoulder. The last thing you need is to get your bag stolen. We’ve discussed whether or not you should travel with a purse, but if you decide that you want to, here are our picks for top travel purses that are both functional and cute!
PacSafe Citysafe 400 GII Hobo Bag
As an owner of another PacSafe bag, the Slingsafe 300 GII, I absolutely love this company’s products. You can expect the same features for this purse, namely the mesh-lined fabric, zipper clasps and plentiful pockets. I find this purse to be a bit cuter than the Slingsafe 100 Anti Theft Travel Purse because it looks more like one I might carry back home.
- Pros: lots of colors, zipper clips, compartments
- Cons: strap adjustments
Travelon Anti Theft Purse
The Travelon has many of the same features as the PacSafe purses. Guest blogger Kristen told us about the different features of her bag and how it kept her from being pickpocketed in Portugal. The cross body bag’s outer pockets mean that there is a place for everything.
- Pros: zipper clip, slash proof strap, multiple compartments, expandable pockets
- Cons: long strap length
Manhattan Portage Vintage Messenger Bag Jr.
Long before I started traveling, I got this bag to be an everyday cross between a purse and a backpack. Since then it’s been to San Francisco, New York and everywhere in between. I like that it has enough room to hold a notebook or anything else you might need.
- Pros: simple design, clasp, size
- Cons: shoulder strap isn’t very comfortable
Keen Brooklyn II Travel Bag
While Keen is typically known for their footwear, they also make some great travel bags, like the Brooklyn model. The interior has enough room for all your knickknacks as well as an outer pocket for your boarding pass and passport.
- Pros: plenty of pockets, made from recycled aluminum
- Cons: few color choices
Tom Bihn Small Cafe Bag
This bag is the perfect size for travels and has a clasp and zippered pocket to keep others from getting in. There are lots of nice colors and it doesn’t necessarily make you look like a tourist.
- Pros: clips for organizing pouches, key strap, sturdy nylon
- Cons: cost
What Should You Carry In Your Purse?
While traveling, here are a few items that I recommend always carrying with you. Some items can be substituted if you have a smartphone.
- A map of your destination, which you can typically pick up for free at the visitor’s center
- The address to your hostel or hotel, ideally a business card
- Pen and paper
- Copy of some form of identification, preferably passport
- Bandaids in case of blisters
- Sunglasses
- Lip balm
- Hand sanitizer or wet wipes
- Scarf for churches or other religious sites
>> You might also be interested in this post on non-travel handbags that are useful for travel.
What’s your favorite travel purse, and what do you carry in yours while traveling?
Great timing with this post – I was just thinking about getting a purse for an upcoming trip!
I recently bought the Keen Brooklyn II bag for my trip to UK in May. I usually carry a pretty big purse (I’m a mom…), but have been carrying this bag since mid-February as my every day purse, just to make sure I would be able to function with a smaller purse for 14 days! So far so good!
Great choices! Anyone ever try a Rickshaw bag? Quality, space, comfort, smarty bag.
I like the Baggalini travel purse. Mine is a cross body type and very light, but still fairly roomy for essentials.
I have the Tom Bihn MCB and use it every day – but for travel I switch since it does NOT have a zippered main pocket and thus is a bit problematic.
Also, don’t carry your passport in your purse, take your licence or id card, but the passport is harder to replace and should be kept on your person (ie, hidden pocket).
Agreed. I always keep my passport in a totally separate location from my other belongings. If you lose that… trip becomes quite a nightmare.
I am carrying a Bagalini cross body bag on a trip through Italy. There is a double zipper pocket on the front that also has a large magnetized flap covering it. I centre the zipper pulls, lock them together with a small combo lock and the flap covers the lock. Who knows my passport and extra cash are locked in there. Another great feature is a wallet clip. I can take my wallet out and use it without unclipping it. If a pickpocket did open the purse, he’d still have another obstacle. Cons: The strap is the same material as seatbelts and like a seatbelt, it chafes my shoulder when I wear sleeveless tops. Good value, especially if you can find one in a second hand shop.
I carry a Baggalini Everyday Bagg when traveling that I can drop in a backpack or large tote bag if need be. I also carry plenty of tissues, never know when you need them in emergency!
For most city touring I love the Kipling bags. In particular, I bought two of the Defea bags, one in silver and one in red, and they hold everything I need for a day of touring, including my camera, an extra lens, etc. It is very durable and lightweight canvas material, it has an inside clasp for wallets, and lots and lots of pockets with good heavy duty zips. I also bought the 22″ Kipling rolling duffle and dragged that bag all over South America, Iceland and Africa, and it withstood some pretty rough handling along the way. I’ve also bought a number of their smaller bags, including a small bag for going out in the evening that holds just my wallet, phone and a lipstick. I absolutely love the Kipling stuff. I’ve travelled all my life, and this is the best.
I’ve been a huge fan of the PacSafe messenger bags and think their layout, build quality and safety features are unsurpassed and won’t go on about them here, but I wore out my last CitySafe bag and decided to try the Hobo.
Ok, first off, it is HUGE. And I’m a tall woman. I almost sent it back, but decided to give it a try, and I really like it now–but this is how I hack it…One: I never fill it up–I load it up just with things I’ll need for the flight or the day. Two: I use sub-containers to hold papers, winter gear, books, airplane amenities, toiletries–it helps organize the big space and I can throw folders or pouches in when I need them. Three: I put a large travel wallet that I keep any valuables in (id, cash, camera, Nook, etc.) and if I’m going someplace that has a coat-check I check my coat and the big bag and keep the smaller bag with me. The bag has a security hook t hat I tether the wallet inside the bag as an added security feature.
The inside of the bag has a sleeve for laptops with a snap (where I keep flat things like magazines or papers); an inside zippered (with a hook); a place to hook your keys; and side pockets for pens, a phone and one of the pockets is RFID-proof. There is an outside zipped pocket that also unzips at the bottom so you could slip the bag over the handle of a rolling bag,but I don’t use it that way. I only use the outside pocket for maps and guidebooks that I need to have easy access to. There are also pockets on each end that I put my travel umbrella in if I need it and carry my water bottle too–they have elastic you can cinch up which is nice. I also stow my camera in the pocket at the front when the bag is slung around me so I can get to it quickly. You can change the length of the strap though you might want to look at the instructions online–it took me a couple of tries to figure it out.
If you are a small person you might want to check out the dimensions first, but I love having a bag that can adapt to changing conditions and lets me stuff my coat inside it or buy groceries, wine, yarn and tote it home…
I just purchased the Keen Brooklyn II online for an upcoming trip. The biggest reason I was drawn towards it was because of the internal water bottle pocket. There’s nothing I hate more than a loose water bottle on day trips. I hope it’s as good as I’m hoping!