Check out the best travel totes! No matter where you plan on venturing, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll need something to hold your daily items when you set out to explore a new place, whether that means wandering through cobbled streets in bustling European hubs or boarding your next plane ride.
For most travelers, this includes the necessities – wallet, cash, maps, phone, water bottle, and camera – but there are going to be days where you wish you’d packed a spare sweater, a change of shoes, or even a book for lazy days on streetside cafés! It is where a travel tote bag comes in handy; you can pack everything you might need for the day in one convenient carry-all.
With so many options available, we’ve compiled some of the best travel totes to help give you an idea of what might best suit your next travel adventure. Here are 11 travel-friendly tote bags that work anywhere, from a day of exploring to a mini weekend getaway!
The Best Travel Totes
Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Tote Pack
Price: $89 | Details: Recycled Ripstop Nylon, Main Compartment Zipper, Small Interior Zipper Pocket
Pros
- Simple Design
- Tough Materials
- Backpack/Tote Carry
- Decent Strap Length/Layout
- Laptop Sleeve
- Lightweight
Cons
- Organization
- Style
The Black Hole Tote Pack is a rugged, lightweight travel tote. The bag is all about function, and its unisex style adds a lot of versatility. The tote offers an excellent range of features, such as the ability to double as a backpack.
Strap lengths and layout feel perfect, and the interior is roomy enough to carry daily items, groceries, or gym clothes. It also features a laptop pocket, foam back panel that doubles as a seat, and two mesh water bottle pockets.
Best of all, it’s light enough to pack in your checked luggage. Despite its weight, it’s durable thanks to Patagonia’s Black Hole material which uses recycled material to create a rugged and water-repellent exterior. We enjoy Patagonia’s travel tote, whether doubling as a daypack or market bag.
Shop For Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Tote Pack
Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag
Price: $145 | Details: Leather Closure & Handle, Weather Resistant Nylon, Folds flat
Pros
- Classic Style
- Flat Fold
- Professional Style
- High Quality
- Excellent Carry Handle
Cons
- Lacks Some Durability
- Price
The Le Pilage is an iconic travel tote from the luxury bag brand Longchamp. It’s a classic carry that offers as much function as it does style. Thanks to its use of nylon and structure, the bag can fold to the size of a paperback book.
It comes in eye-catching hues like Cognac, Paper, Navy, and Red. The tote features an interior phone pocket and a top zipper closure with a snap tab. Thanks to its nylon construction, the bag repels water and resists stains or abrasion. We love this bag’s simplicity and easy carrying with a long leather shoulder strap.
The Le Pliage is not a durable bag for adventures, but it does feel ready to take on the day-to-day life of most travelers. The price is a mixed bag as it’s not outrageous for a high-quality bag, but the material is only nylon.
This stylish tote is perfect for travel if we’re on a business trip, at a beach resort, or hopping around Europe.
Shop For Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag
Yeti Camino Carryall Tote
Price: $149 | Details: Super Durable Nylon Construction, Waterproof, Rigid Carry Handle
Pros
- Amazing Function
- Super Durable
- High-Quality Construction
- Waterproof
- Rigid Handles Carry Weight Easily
Cons
- Outdoor Specific
- Not For Airline Travel
We love the Camino Carry-All for adventures at home. Load the tote with ice for cold drinks, firewood for a bonfire, or kids’ toys for a road trip. The versatile bag is robust, but its size does not lend well to travel by plane, but this tough tote is ready for the challenge on any road trip.
Yeti employs an ultra-durable nylon material in the Camino Carryall that can hold up to anything. It shines for those looking for a bag for fishing, climbing, the beach, surfing, or anywhere water might be a threat. We love to use ours for camping in the mountains when we’ve got the vehicle or day trips out with our stand-up paddleboards.
The big canvas straps can handle a heavy load and be thrown comfortably over the shoulder. It is ready to carry gear as the bottom is rigid, and the main carry handles are stiff enough to lift heavy loads comfortably.
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Cotopaxi Convertible Taal Tote Del Dia
Price: $55 | Details: Ultralight, Convertible Backpack, Interior Organization, Cross Body Strap
Pros
- Ultralight
- Fun Colorways
- Super Functional
- Convertible Backpack
Cons
- Informal Colorway
- Backpack Feature Lacks Performance
Cotopaxi’s convertible Del Dia tote is an ultralight tote that’s playful and ready for the road. We love Cotopaxi’s approach to the Del Dia collection, which gives employees creative control to determine each bag’s colorway for a one-of-a-kind tote. Although it’s ultralight, the bag packs many organizational features inside.
You’ll find an envelope pocket within the main bag with a hidden stash pocket for small valuables such as a phone or wallet. Another key interior organization feature is a separate water bottle to separate condensation. The bag has a comfortable shoulder strap and easy access pocket on the exterior for easy items like lip balm or a notebook.
The bag may feel too relaxed for traveling in cities, but it depends on your style. Due to the bag’s lightweight nature, the backpack feature feels a little too weak to carry all day.
Shop Cotopaxi Convertible Taal Tote Del Dia
Baggallini Avenue Tote
Price: $98 | Details: Nylon Construction, Cross Body Strap, Interior Organization
Pros
- Style
- Shoulder & Cross Body Straps
- Interior Design
- Excellent Value
Cons
- Straps Feel Cheap
- No Zippered Interior Pockets
The style, quality, and design of the Avenue Tote are excellent, so it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s a reader’s favorite. It’s a sharp-looking bag that comes in a wide selection of colors and patterns. Interior organization is well thought out with various sizes to hold everything from pens to a laptop.
Like the Le Pliage above, it’s lightweight, water-resistant, and durable. The Avenue Tote offers more features and organization but sacrifices style and quality. Notable additional features are a removable crossbody strap and sleeve to cross over the top handle of a suitcase for easy carry.
The straps utilize metal buckles and strong clips to carry weight securely, but they look a little cheap. It’s an excellent bag for those after a travel tote for business as it has plenty of features and looks professional.
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Peak Design Everyday Totepack
Price: $179 | Features: 400D Nylon Material, Padded Interior Organization, Stowaway Backpack Straps,
Pros
- Excellent Quality
- Interior Organization
- Padded Interior
- Backpack Feature
- Multiple Access Points
Cons
- Not Your Standard Tote Bag
- Lacks Shoulder Strap
The Everyday Totepack is the travel tote bag for photographers from one of our favorite gear companies. It’s a sleek tote made from recycled 400D nylon that’s highly versatile and has excellent straps to carry as a backpack. Those padded backpack straps stow away quickly and transform the bag into your everyday tote. We also love the stylish large leather handles that feel great in hand with weight.
Access to the interior comes in many ways, with a wide top access point sealed with a magnetic clasp of weatherproof zip. Dual zip side zippers allow access to the bag from either side to quickly grab a camera, lens, or water bottle at the bottom. Don’t worry about theft, though, as the side zips are theft deterrent zips that connect to the bottom of the bag.
Those items are also well protected with flex fold dividers that mount horizontally or vertically for full customization. An interior zippered stretchy divided internal pocket works well for small items like your keys, wallet, or sunglasses. Adding an internal padded laptop sleeve only sweetens the deal on this bag. For even more carry, use the stowaway cinch straps that work well for carrying a travel yoga mat on the exterior of the tote.
Peak Design manages to make one of the best travel totes bags, but be prepared to come off the hip as it costs $179. The divided interior pockets are also cumbersome for those not carrying a camera. It’s also worth noting that the tote lacks a shoulder or crossbody strap.
Shop For Peak Design Everyday Totepack
Herschel Strand Travel Tote
Price: $69 | Details: Polyester Exterior, High Visibility Interior, Reinforced Carrying Handles
Pros
- Simple Design
- Relaxed Style
- Spacious Soft Sided Tote
- Decent Value
Cons
- Lacks Cross Body Strap
Herschel makes some fantastic weekend and overnight bags. Their Strand Tote is a perfect example of a bag with all the elements you need as a seasoned traveler. It’s even large enough for those overnight trips – whether you’re an hour’s drive from home or taking a train ride halfway across a European country.
Choose from one of eight colors or patterns, each offering the typical elements you’ll need to store your essential items: an interior zippered pocket and an external sleeve. The bag has a little extra security when it comes to closure; not only does it zip all the way closed, but snap buttons on either end keep things extra secure and thief-repellant.
Elements of a Great Travel Tote
Size & Space
The first thing you’ll want in any travel tote is space. When you’re close to home and running your typical weekend errands, you don’t often need to carry much more than a wallet, a phone, and keys. But traveling is a different story; while exploring new places, you’ll undoubtedly want to have more with you in case of this or in case of that!
When in a city you’re not familiar with, it’s always best to be ready for different situations; sometimes, packing extra essentials means you need more room or specialized compartments. Look for bags with an added pocket or two (especially hidden ones) for a passport, cash, or individual cards. It also makes them handy as airplane carry-ons!
We love to pack things like a spare pair of shoes, a compact rain jacket for surprise weather, or other odds and ends like a journal, a travel guidebook, or a novel. Extra room is always a plus when you’re on the road.
So, of course, you’ll need a bag capable of fitting all these items without being full to bursting (gotta save room for souvenirs!). The list of the best travel totes we’ve compiled ensures you’ll have the space you need for all the travel essentials and a little extra for adding those precious finds you can’t wait to bring home.
Style
Finding the perfect middle ground between functional and stylish can be tricky, but we’ve done our best to select the best travel totes with a foot in both camps. While they’re perfect options for jet-setting worldwide, they’d look just as sophisticated when you’re back home and running errands on the weekend!
Elements like the sleek design and monochrome coloring make these ten picks among the best travel totes available. Bonus: they will never look out of place, whether you’re breezing down a beachy street on the Mediterranean seaside or visiting old haunts at home with your friends. What’s better than something you can use post-trip, too?
Durability
When thinking about the best tote bags for travel, make sure you think about durability. Travel can put your luggage through the wringer. Think of airport carousels, bus roof racks, and natural wear and tear. We’ve all discovered new holes, rips, scratches, and stains on our beloved luggage during or after a trip.
While something like a tote isn’t likely to be thrown around quite as aggressively as a suitcase or a travel backpack, you still want to invest in something you know will last – that’s why products with materials that increase durability are a must.
We’ve carefully selected a series of the best travel handbags made from solid and durable materials that resist all the usual suspects – rain, weight, and even theft. It makes sense to want to reuse your travel tote for many years to come; the first step is ensuring you purchase something with high-quality materials that won’t break down quickly.
Plan For Your Trip
- Protect Your Trip: We don’t travel without travel insurance, nor should you. You never know what can happen while traveling, so it’s best to be prepared. HeyMondo provides excellent short-term and long-term travel insurance plans.
- Find Cheap Flights: Sign up for Going (formerly Scotts Cheap Flights) to get notified when prices get low.
- Book a Rental Car: We use Discover Car to book all our rental cars! You can also read our top tips for renting a car abroad here.
- Travel Adapter: Make sure you find a good adapter to keep your personal electronics charged. Otherwise, you may be paying for a cheap one once you land. Purchase one here.
- Travel Backpack: We like the Nomatic Travel Backpack for our travels. Check the price here.
- Our Favorite Travel Shoes: Our answer to this question is always ALLBIRDS! Check them out on their site!
- Get a Travel Credit Card: We travel worldwide for free because we have leveraged our spending into points. See why you should get a travel credit card and how you can do the same with our favorite travel credit cards.