<p>
This. </p>
<p>I am repulsed by their patterns, but I love the shape and functionality of their bags. :(</p>
<p>I just took a VB survey. Apparently they are introducing a line of leather VB bags. Guessing they will be solid colors.</p>
<p>DH and I just did a nine-day bike ride (the entire Oregon Coast) and carried all our stuff, so we went completely minimalist on what we carried. I’m used to a three-week trip with a single 20" roller, but we had WAY less than that for this trip. One sweater (and it only had 3/4 sleeves and was cut short AND made from very thin cashmere so it packed into a one-quart ziplock bag), one tee, two pairs of undies, two tank/bras, one pair of black pants, two socks… plus minimal cosmetics (one face cream, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, deodorant)… one pair of shoes (which I wore on the bike and off)… change of cycling clothes, rain jacket (which I did end up needing, two days). I even cut my hair extra short to make it low-care. (Love the cut. Will probably keep it. It finger-combs and looks great in about six seconds.) I was bored with the clothes by the end of the trip but so what?</p>
<p>As for what I bring back from trips, it’s always the same thing: wooden kitchen utensils made from local woods. Or wooden bowls made from local woods. </p>
<p>I’ve gotten pretty good at minimalist packing. I took a two-week trip with one of my friends to London, Istanbul, Athens, and Kiev with only a 15in bag! We got everything in there, except that I forgot shampoo and had to buy some in Istanbul. That actually worked out well, since later, I recognized the brand name in an Orhan Pamuk book.</p>
<p>I don’t bring back very much, since I’m usually cheap and since I don’t want to weigh myself down. Things I get for free or as part of the price of entry stay with me. So, I like to keep maps I used to walk around the city, tickets from places I went to, museum guides. And, currency of course. You can pretty much always keep coins, but if the value of the money is low enough I like to keep bills as well. </p>
<p>As far as I’m willing to buy something, jewelry is always nice and haggling for it is fun. I wear a ring that I got in Morocco every day. My father was coming to visit me in France for a week, and I convinced him to go to Morocco for the weekend instead of staying in boring old Paris :). </p>
<p>Besides that, culturally “kitschy” items are what I go for. I had to get nesting dolls in Kiev, chopsticks in Seoul, a tea set and mini-tajines (plus a big one for my sister to cook with) in Marrakech.</p>
<p>I used to keep a journal for overseas trips detailing what I saw. I had photo albums of those trips. Now, with Facebook, it’s even easier to document where I was and what I saw and learned. </p>
<p>I do save my Fodor’s travel books, though that’s not a souvenir per se. </p>
<p>In addition to the jewelry which reminds us of something about the trip, I tend to do like someone upthread said: Save little mostly free things that come my way. Thirty years ago, I visited my brother who was doing post-doc work in Germany for a year. There, every town has these little lapel pins you can buy for a few bucks, so I collected those. </p>
<p>But my favorite memento of that trip is a coaster which I picked up in a pub, where we went with a couple of his new German friends. They spoke passable but not fluent English (they struggled especially with gender pronouns), and my brother had very little German and I had none. Nonetheless it was a fun evening with two very nice people. But the conversation was simply hilarious, and I think about it every time I see this random coaster. </p>
<p>Useful, everyday items are my favorite souvenirs. The kitchen knifes from Thailand and Hong Kong, the salt grinder with the logo of Brittany, the shopping bags from France, the little camera bag from Guatemala, the little Japanese bowls. But occasionally something will strike one’s fancy. My favorite art work are watercolors I bought in Otavalo, Ecuador. People usually buy weavings, but the watercolors knocked my socks off and still do. They traveled in a tube and were framed at home. </p>
<p>Not a fan of Vera Bradly either! Ha! Thought it was just me. </p>
<p>Yea, never really saw the appeal of Vera Bradley myself. My sis & niece love her stuff, but I find it too loud and busy for the most part and don’t really like the styles that much.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, I don’t like Vera Bradley either!! Lol. As I sit here next to it in Amsterdam airport waiting for my next flight …<br>
It’s just very sturdy and practical. I could even use it as a weekend bag by itself. Thankfully the print I have is one of the “milder” ones! </p>
<p>Well…Vera Bradley DOES make a solid black…but that would be my last choice when traveling!</p>
<p>Back to the topic!</p>
<p>As mentioned above, I am traveling with a large suitcase. Black. A medium-sized suitcase. Black. A carry-on. No points for guessing the color. If I bought a VB bag, it would undoubtedly be black. 
VB really needs to expand their market!</p>
<p>Since I am traveling, I can answer the question for this trip: A hand-blown glass marble with an interesting pattern, acquired at a street market. It is about 1" in diameter. I purchased a few blue marbles in Greece several years ago, and have really enjoyed having them. A paperback book to read on the plane. A children’s book. An infant T-shirt from the place I visited, with an embroidered design. Good chocolates, locally made (artisan, I guess). A few brochures for the place I visited including tourist activities/dining/real estate, to show family–I will dump the brochures in a month or so. A lot of pictures and a few short film segments. If a rock shop had been open when I was near it, I could have used the Charlie Brown line, “I got a rock” (but in a pleased sense).</p>
<p>Black is for amateurs – too easily mixed up with something else. Consider tying a bright ribbon or such around the handle to identify it. And come to my packing seminars </p>
<p>Oh – earlier this year I bought a piece (allegedly) from the Berlin Wall for S, who as I mentioned has that sense of physical place. And hemp chocolate bars in Amsterdam just because I could. </p>
<p>Glad I’m not the only one who isn’t enthralled by Vera Bradley. </p>
<p>On my next trip, I’m definitely going to spend more time at the stands looking for scarves. I’m in need of some and I think it’s be worth the “hunt”. </p>
<p>I am simply amazed at some of your guys’ packing skills! Man! Just amazing! My last trip I overpacked. Understandably because it was a three country expedition and I hadn’t traveled out of country before! Too much stuff! Too bulky. So large. Ugh. Next trip, I’m keeping it small. I’m thinking a 22" rolling duffle, my regular traveling backpack that fits EVERYTHING - blanket, books, change of clothes, food, drinks, and electronics -,
and a day purse/pouch for when we’ll be in town. I’ll try to be more mindful about my clothes. Last trip I found what I’m wearing to be less than comfortable for what the weather conditions were. I will definitely bring a good mix of nice night clothes, comfortable day clothes, and some rough and tumble clothes. Super excited!</p>
<p>I can travel for three weeks to multiple climates with a carry on size suitcase, and a tote bag. </p>
<p>I have a small baggallini that can hold everything I need including my passport. It fits nicely into my tote bag while traveling on the plane…but is a suitable crossover bag while in country.</p>
<p>The key is to get things that mix and match, AND can roll up easily. I have four Max Studio dresses. They do NOT wrinkle. I always take one of those when I travel. Pick a color palette and coordinate everything within it. </p>
<p>Buying good chocolates and coffees suits me. And they fit nicely in my tote.</p>
<p>I will definitely keep this in mind, thumper. My upcoming trip is only a week long, but they insist on “surprises” so I find myself unsure of how many of each style of clothing I need. </p>
<p>I tried rolling…once. I never tried it again because everything ended up wrinkled! But I will try again. </p>
<p>Lespotrsac has awesome patterns and their bags are water resistant. I use one of the weekender bags for some travels. I stick to my Tumi tote as my computer/purse/personal item bag (it fits way more than just a laptop and has ample pockets). </p>
<p>This is my favorite Leaportsac pattern so far (thanks to MOfWC who posted it one of the threads): <a href=“https://www.lesportsac.com/color/shop-by-color/all/hiking-day-print”>https://www.lesportsac.com/color/shop-by-color/all/hiking-day-print</a></p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Once, Mr B insisted on buying an amaryllis bulb in Amsterdam. Man, he did not think of the extra screening we endured at SeaTac upon entering the customs! So when he and D were bringing D’s cats into the US, he was expecting a much higher level of scrutiny. The customs agents at JFK did not even look at the contents of the two pet carriers. Lol. Thank goodness they did not clear the border at SeaTac!</p>
<p>Niquii, you will get some wrinkles in cotton or linen, but I have a foolproof way of removing them WITHOUT an iron. Even ironed-in folds can be removed this way. I saw a lady do this on TV 30 years ago and I have used it ever since (taught my kids too). You get a spray bottle and fill it with water-those little 3-oz. ones will do. Hang the garment and spray it lightly where the wrinkles are, the brush them with your hand or “snap” the clothing like you might to open up a sheet. Let it hang dry. Really stubborn wrinkles might need a second pass, but not usually. </p>
<p>When you roll your clothes to pack, first do a fold with the least amount of corners possible, then roll them, but not TOO tightly. You really do fit more in a bag this way. </p>
<p>Use thin, clingy plastic to cover your dresses prior to folding or rolling. Packing envelopes by Eagle Creek also help keep the clothes from wrinkling too much. Hang the clothes at the hotel as soon as possible. Warm, moist air in the bathroom after taking a shower will help to de-wrinkle some fabrics, so use it to your advantage. </p>