Sometimes you don't want the world's fanciest backpack or all-singing, all-dancing multi-directional travel suitcase.
Sometimes when looking for the best travel bags, you just want a bag, and not necessarily one tailored for either men or women, just a good, old-fashioned, generic bag.
When it comes to finding one, though, there are still some decisions to be made.
Are the best travel bags ones that go over the shoulder or one purely to carry? Would you like the option of being able to use your bag as a backpack if you can? Only you can answer these questions while searching.
While I see the benefits of a decent travel backpack, or a small case with wheels that's good for carry-on luggage, often you just want a bargain basement, non-designer bag - the kind of thing you can put the day's paper a couple of books and some boiled sweets for the journey in.
This kind of bag's neither meant for men nor women but simply there to do the basic job of carrying basic things.
Take a look at these five things to looking for when choosing.
1) Does it have a zip? If you're going to be carrying a bag around for the best part of a day getting to your destination, the best travel bags tend to have a zip.
Yes, it may just be a few odds and ends you're planning on stashing away to help while away the hours ahead, but you still might as well have your things as secure as possible.
Also, if you're asked to place it in an overhead bin, you're not going to want everything spilling out of it.
A zip-up travel bag generally equates to one of the best travel bags, by definition.
2) Is the bag big enough? If the bag you've chosen is barely big enough to carry your Sunday paper and latest page-turner there's little point in having one.
Many's the time I've been at the airport gift shop frantically trying to pick up some last-minute gifts for a loved one.
It's never a bad idea when choosing to make sure you have a little room for something else as well as the things you originally envisaged carrying.
3) Choose your material.
You're going to want something hard-wearing if possible.
The best bags tend not to fall apart after a couple of uses, so something in leather or faux leather with well-stitched handles would be our ideal choice.
These materials tend not to stain as easily as some other materials either, making it a win-win in the best travel bags stakes.
4) Don't break the bank.
The point above is, of course, one worth making, but not at the expense of half the contents of your current account.
There are plenty of decent, hard-wearing bags around to to make a decent, cost-effective purchase.
Unless you virtually live out of a suitcase and the need for top-of-the-range bag is a necessity, the best bags will always represent value for money - there are far more important things to spend your money on when taking a trip away, after all.
5) Aim for compartments.
If you haven't invested in a travel document holder, at least get a travel bag with one or two compartments to keep things in.
In my experience keeping, say, a bottle of water away from a passport is never a bad idea, particularly when the two might otherwise spend hours rattling around together.
Hopefully the here will give you food for thought when it comes to choosing the best travel bags for your needs.
Sometimes when looking for the best travel bags, you just want a bag, and not necessarily one tailored for either men or women, just a good, old-fashioned, generic bag.
When it comes to finding one, though, there are still some decisions to be made.
Are the best travel bags ones that go over the shoulder or one purely to carry? Would you like the option of being able to use your bag as a backpack if you can? Only you can answer these questions while searching.
While I see the benefits of a decent travel backpack, or a small case with wheels that's good for carry-on luggage, often you just want a bargain basement, non-designer bag - the kind of thing you can put the day's paper a couple of books and some boiled sweets for the journey in.
This kind of bag's neither meant for men nor women but simply there to do the basic job of carrying basic things.
Take a look at these five things to looking for when choosing.
1) Does it have a zip? If you're going to be carrying a bag around for the best part of a day getting to your destination, the best travel bags tend to have a zip.
Yes, it may just be a few odds and ends you're planning on stashing away to help while away the hours ahead, but you still might as well have your things as secure as possible.
Also, if you're asked to place it in an overhead bin, you're not going to want everything spilling out of it.
A zip-up travel bag generally equates to one of the best travel bags, by definition.
2) Is the bag big enough? If the bag you've chosen is barely big enough to carry your Sunday paper and latest page-turner there's little point in having one.
Many's the time I've been at the airport gift shop frantically trying to pick up some last-minute gifts for a loved one.
It's never a bad idea when choosing to make sure you have a little room for something else as well as the things you originally envisaged carrying.
3) Choose your material.
You're going to want something hard-wearing if possible.
The best bags tend not to fall apart after a couple of uses, so something in leather or faux leather with well-stitched handles would be our ideal choice.
These materials tend not to stain as easily as some other materials either, making it a win-win in the best travel bags stakes.
4) Don't break the bank.
The point above is, of course, one worth making, but not at the expense of half the contents of your current account.
There are plenty of decent, hard-wearing bags around to to make a decent, cost-effective purchase.
Unless you virtually live out of a suitcase and the need for top-of-the-range bag is a necessity, the best bags will always represent value for money - there are far more important things to spend your money on when taking a trip away, after all.
5) Aim for compartments.
If you haven't invested in a travel document holder, at least get a travel bag with one or two compartments to keep things in.
In my experience keeping, say, a bottle of water away from a passport is never a bad idea, particularly when the two might otherwise spend hours rattling around together.
Hopefully the here will give you food for thought when it comes to choosing the best travel bags for your needs.
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