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My Cozy Suitcase Quest: TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20" Expandable Business Plus Carry-On Spinner Review

14/10/2024

 

If you want an honest, unsponsored review of TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20" Expandable Business Plus Carry-On Spinner suitcase, this is the place for you.

​​This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20
TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20
TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20
Some people pick their suitcase based on size, weight, or colour. But when I picked up the TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20" Expandable Business Plus Carry-On Spinner, I had coziness on my mind. Let me explain...

My need for a cozy suitcase came roaring to life while waiting in line at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport. As I patiently queued, I noticed a well dressed man carrying a duffel bag. It looked like a regular bag but on closer inspection, it had the ring of something expensive, well made, and well loved. The man wore a luxurious peacoat and carried a conventional briefcase, so why was he shunning the conventional black roller bag in favour of something so unstructured? Was it a tiny signal of rebellion, forgoing practicality for sentimentality? Was the bag a relic from a past career? Whatever the case, it was clearly HIS bag. I wanted that. Not necessarily the duffel itself, but to have a bag that was so clearly my own. 

That seed for cozy luggage had been planted more than two decades earlier when I read that my idol, Evelyn Hannon of Journeywoman, traveled with an orange suitcase. Orange! Who, exactly, chooses orange luggage? Was it one heck of a deal, so good that she was willing to overlook the unconventional colour? Did she seek it out on purpose, knowing that it would never blend in on the luggage carousel and would make her easy to spot in a crowd? What mattered, ultimately, was that it was HERS. She and her bag were a team. And I wanted that.


​I have​ been on the quest for find MY bag, that mythical combination of beautifully aged leather duffel and garish orange wheelie bag, for years. I've been travelling with TravelPro's Platinum Elite 20" Expandable Business Plus Carry-On Spinner, a suitcase I purchased specifically because I thought it would be MY bag, since 2020. I think it's fair to say that I've put it thought its paces! Does it measure up to my lofty standards? Here's what I think after several years and several dozen trips.

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The Best Travel-Inspired Demure Nail Polish

20/8/2024

 

So demure! So mindful! Are you on board with this travel trend?

​This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Demure Travel: The best travel inspired demure nail polish: Six colourful bottles of OPI nail polish in various shades.Picture
As the owner of the world's oldest running cozy travel blog (I think!), no one has been more excited than me to welcome this summer's biggest trend: Demure.

What, exactly is demure? It would be easy to dismiss it as simply TikTok's trend of the month. Demure means being modest, mindful, and a little cutesy. Yes, this sounds pretty close to the classical definition of the word but for beauty influencer Jools Lebron, who put it into everyone's lexicon this month, demure is so much more. It's about being respectful but not trying too hard. It's about rejecting the messy world, subtly  protesting crassness and drama by sipping your drink with one perfectly groomed eyebrow arched. And I predict that this is going to be much more than a social media trend. I think it's going to be an ongoing lifestyle movement akin to the Danish hygge (homey coziness) phenomenal, because demure folks have been waiting SO long for their moment to come in a world of excess.

Demure and travel go hand in hand. Staying in your seat until the aircraft has come to a complete stop at the gate? Demure. Kindly greeting your seatmate? Demure. Putting on your headphones, sipping your drink, and ignoring your seatmate? Also demure. Demure travellers are always polite with airport staff, never put their bare feet on someone else's seat, and pack carefully considered snacks without being too fussy about it. 

I wanted to have some fun with the idea of demure travel and talk about the best travel-inspired demure nail polish shades. Now, do I really know all that much about nail polish? Nope. Am I secretly hoping to ascend the ranks of beauty influencer? Definitely not. But your girl knows travel and is demure to the core. 

I chose OPI polish because A.) It has so many wonderful travel-inspired collections and B.) It's basically the only brand I know. Like I said: travel, not beauty, is my wheelhouse. Plus, the brand is so popular I know it will be easy for most readers to find. So mindful of me! Enjoy.

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How To Get Your Mail While Travelling Overseas

17/4/2024

 

Whether you're travelling for a few weeks or a few years, you might need to get your mail while travelling overseas. Here are all the options you need to know about. 
​
My trip to Calgary was part of a press trip.  This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Vanessa standing in a small post office in Zimbabwe while wearing a grey shirt and black pantsPicture
How to get your mail overseas: Vanessa lines up at a post office Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Everyone loves to travel to get away from it all – only to discover that one of the best things about travelling is sharing it with your friends and loved ones back home. Thankfully, between email, social media, apps, and virtual programs, it’s easy to constantly check in and say hello. But occasionally, getting an actual letter from home would be nice. Or, occasionally, it might be a necessity. Legal and financial documents don’t stop coming, no matter where you are. If you’re contemplating a long-term trip or even shifting to live as a digital nomad, here’s how to get your mail while travelling overseas.

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9 Travel Accessories That You Really, REALLY Don't Need

5/8/2023

 

Sure, it's hard to resist cool travel stuff but these are nine things you really don't need weighing down your bag.

​Note that some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we are paid a small commission should you make a purchase.

Vanessa sits wearing a white safari shirt and a blue scarf on a rattan deck chair on the board of a ship.
Trust me, you don't need a dozen scarves and safari shirts in order to travel. In fact, you'll probably be happier without them. I wore this combination exactly once in my life!
Within my travel-loving soul, there lies a contradiction.

I love packing light. Like, I really, really love it. You know that joke "How do you know if someone travels carryon? They'll tell you!"? It was written about me. I not only love packing light. I equally love being insufferable about it. Oh, you just took one suitcase for your resort vacation? Well I used one backpack for a six week round the world trip and half the space was taken up with camping gear.

Like I said, I'm insufferable.

But I also love, and I mean LOVE, specialty travel gear. The more task and trip specific, the better. I am obsessed with travel supply catalogues and I haven't met a packing cube that I don't love. But the truth of the matter is that much of this stuff is, well, how do I put this? It's garbage. It's poorly constructed mass produced stuff that preys on our fears of being unprepared,  the uncertain nature of the open road, and the shame that comes when you don't keep pace with fast fashion. All of this stuff has weighed down my bag at one point or another and I am here to tell you that you don't need it. Any of it.


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Travel Gear Review: Tortillas, Titanium, and Testing The Lightest Backpacking Stove

21/10/2014

 

Updated in 2022! Is Vargo's Hexagon wood stove, the lightest backpacking stove we've ever tried, up to the job?

I requested a Vargo Hexagon Wood Stove for the purposes of doing a review and it was kindly provided to me at no cost. This did not influence my opinions and all writing remains my own. Note that this post contains affiliate links.

Vargo Titanium Hexagon Wood Stove backpacking camping review Lightest backpacking stove
This hexagon wood stove is the lightest backpacking stove we've ever tried.
In case you haven't heard, I have a bit of an obsession with ultralight packing. The lighter, the smaller, the better! And one of my biggest pet peeves is when travel items described as "lightweight" are anything but. So when I had the chance to test Vargo's ultralight titanium backpacking hexagon wood stove, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical that a stove could even remotely be described as 'light'. Turns out, it's the lightest backpacking stove we've ever tried.

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Travel Gear Review: Testing Tieks for Travel

14/7/2014

 

Tieks: A Perfect Pretty, Packable, Polished Shoe.

I can't claim to be the most stylish person to ever hit the road. There was that first summer of backpacking in Europe, when I brought along just one pair of trousers. There was also a sarong and clogs combo that I wore to an Easter church service in Birmingham. And the two - count em, TWO - bright orange cotton T-shirts I brought along to Malawi that I am convinced played a role in attracting a higher than normal level of mosquitoes. But I'm slowly growing up and my travels are evolving to include more business and formal occasions -but I still love my bare bones, carry on luggage. So exactly what am I wearing on my feet for special occasions?
Tieks by Gavrieli Ballet Flats Foldable Leather Shoe for Travel TurnipseedTravel.com
Tieks by Gavrieli Ballet Flats Foldable Leather Shoe for Travel TurnipseedTravel.com

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Travel Gear Review: Do You Need To Pack A Travel Towel?

21/5/2014

 

Is it time to throw in the towel on travel towels? Not quite! Here's what you need to know about quick dry towels for travel. Plus: Do hostels have towels? We'll give you the scoop!

​
​This post contains affiliate ads and links, which means we may get paid a small commission if you make a purchase.

Quick dry towels for travel: Picture of towels shaped like swans. Picture
Do you need to pack a travel towel? Not all hotels have towels like this! Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
At first glance, it may sound a bit silly to take a towel with you when you travel. After all, what kind of hotel wouldn't provide towels?! It turns out that there's actually a wide range of accommodations for whom towels are a luxury, not a standard amenity. People often ask me "Do hostels have towels?" and the answer is: Maybe. Many do. Those that don't usually offer rentals. But I still like having my own. It's not just hostels where the question of towels come up. Campgrounds usually require you to bring your own towel, along with some cottage rentals, university dorm accommodations, couch surfing, and even convent stays.

Even if you are staying in quality hotels with guaranteed clean towels, you still might want something with you to freshen up on overnight trains, buses, and flights. Lightweight travel towels are also helpful for drying your hand-washed laundry. So what's the best solution that balances comfort with practicality? 

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Travel Gear Review: Osprey Porter 46 Backpack

8/4/2014

 

The Osprey Porter 46 is one of the most popular travel packs on the market.... Here's our honest review of this backpacks pros and cons.

Close Up Osprey Porter 46 Black backpack. TurnipseedTravel.com
I appreciate the dark colors and the fact that it doesn't look like a typical pack.
Packing obsessed? Who, me? Maybe just a little! I'm constantly in search of the perfect bag and, at one point, I thought I had found it. In a previous post, I wrote that I was thrilled to have discovered the Osprey Porter 46 - but now that I've traveled with it for over a year, how do I feel? ​

The Osprey Porter 46  is the absolute lightest pack I've found. It weighs about 1.2 kilograms, much less than traditional backpacks and significantly less than conventional carry on suitcases. A big travel pet peeve of mine is "ultra light" carry on bags that actually weigh closer to 10 lbs! Carry on weight restrictions are increasingly enforced and this bag's tiny weight is a huge asset.

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Travel Gear Review: Tilley Endurables Waterproof Jacket 

25/2/2014

 

A decent rain jacket is an essential piece of travel gear.

Tilley Endurables Waterproof Jacket TurnipseedTravel.com Bruges
A rainy day in Bruges didn't dampen Ryan's travel spirits.
If I waited until the rain stopped to go traveling, chances are I would never leave the house! It seems like it's drizzling for at least half the year in Canada and some of my favourite travel destinations are notoriously wet - I'm talking about you, Ireland! While I HATE being damp, I'm not going to let the bad weather rain on my travel parade. 

When Ryan and I had the chance to take Tilley Endurable's waterproof jacket with us on our round the world trip, we jumped at the chance to put this product through its paces and we were thrilled we found a raincoat that was compact enough to earn a place in our pack.

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