SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

travelon_tifA good friend just gave me this anti-theft travel bag that I can’t wait to use. It has locks, cut-proof straps, RFID blocking compartments, the works, but my favorite feature is the cute LED light attached to an internal strap — brilliant for when you’re looking for something in the dark.

I’ve written about the time I almost got robbed in Paris, but I had another near-theft experience on that trip. We were in Brussels Midi, eating waffles while waiting for our train to Amsterdam, when we saw a well-dressed young man lift one of our bags. At first I thought he only meant to move it so he can sit on our table, but on second thought, there were a lot of empty seats in other tables so it didn’t make sense… Fortunately, my companion had the presence of mind to quickly take the bag from him and the well-dressed guy immediately walked away, leaving us rather startled and bemused by the whole incident.

Nothing happened during our mini-layover in notorious Milano Centrale, but something could very well have! There were a lot of dodgy characters about, especially in McDonald’s. (Well, of course — there we all were, obvious tourists just ripe for the picking.) I swear I had one leg hooked around my luggage and the straps of another bag wound around my arm while eating french fries.

So…yeah, an anti-theft travel bag is A Really Good Thing. (Thank you, Tif!)

My erstwhile favorite travel bag is this super-light wheelie that fits most airlines’ specs for carry-on luggage, purchased on an impulse at the Zaandam Primark. Not only does it weigh very little, I love that the metal bars of its trolley are at the sides instead of at the center and therefore don’t interfere with packing. My Roxy backpack — which I bought when my family and I were in Ho Chi Minh, so I suppose I should say “my ‘Roxy’ backpack” — also saw a lot of use in the past year. I usually bring it on weekend trips, or as my carry-on bag and/or day bag on longer jaunts.

What’s your favorite travel bag? Have you ever had a bag lost or stolen while traveling?

*
Travel Bag Tales” was created by LSS for travel site Small-Town Girls, Midnight Trains. All rights reserved.

10 Responses

  1. Hahaha Milan Centrale, the Tour Eiffel and Brussels Midi. Throw in Copenhagen station and Napoli’s Spanish Quarters and you’ve got pretty much the Serie A of Europe’s pickpocketing.

  2. Great post – my favourite bag is my LowePro Passport Sling camera bag. It is subtle enough that doesn’t scream “CAMERA!” and also has a large amount of storage space with the extender. Perfect for sneaking on a plane as my “camera bag” which also holds – phone, headphones, tablet, etc. etc. It also has no labels on it so savvy crooks wont easily identify it as a Lowepro bag.

    1. Ooh, I’ll have to look that up! It sounds perfect as a day bag too — something you can securely put your camera in plus other stuff you’ll need for the day. And spot on about bringing it on the plane as a “camera bag” — I’ve sneaked in a lot of stuff on my “laptop bag” too so I know what you mean. 😀

  3. your little one is guarding the wheelie? 🙂
    ima using a backpack, a special cameras bag and a handbag… thanks god I haven’t been robbed abroad… but it’s always useful to think about preventing that!! great post…

Leave a Reply to smalltowngirlsmidnighttrainsCancel reply