Let me guess. You either inherited/borrowed (and never returned) your luggage set from your parents, or your collection of baggage is made up from last-ditch foreign souvenir store purchases made after buying more clothes than your travel bags could handle.
Chances are your luggage bag is made from squashy, weathered fabric, perhaps with broken zips and a bung wheel; and if it’s not black and difficult to spot in a line-up of identical bags along the carousel, it’s decked out in some hideously loud pattern — perhaps purple paisley or some checkered monstrosity.
Anyway. All of this is to say that you probably need a luggage upgrade, stat. And we have the chic solution for you.
Luggage is a travel investment. Think about who you want to be when you step off the plane in a new country, ready to explore a new favourite city and hit the ground running.
Do you want to start your holiday rummaging through a sea of identical luggage bags with tired travellers around the opening to the carousel, or would you rather stand back, relaxed and chill, and swoop in only after spotting your chic-as-all-hell case from the other side of the room — the one that stands out for its fabulous design aesthetic and durable structure.
We know who we want to be.
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The only luggage you’ll ever need again
First, allow me to point out that this is in no way sponsored. I just love Away luggage so much, that in 245 words, I’m not even close to being done praising. In fact, I haven’t actually started yet.
Founded and designed in the US, Away luggage bags are manufactured responsibly with high-performing, durable materials like polycarbonate and aluminium, guaranteed to last a lifetime and therefore reduce waste.
While they’re designed to comply with airline standards, they’re lockable, light-weight, and impossibly chic. Some carry-on models even come with portable charging devices, which have saved me from a boring layover on more than one occasion.
The three bags I consider my own (each of which fit neatly inside the other like a Babushka doll) have truly become my favourite travel accessory, and I actually get excited about holidays even more now that I get to bring these as my rolling companion.
Not yet sold from my Ted talk? Here are three more reasons to love Away luggage.
1. Limited-edition collabs
While its core collection remains on sale year-round, the company frequently releases collaborations with brands that have previously included Nordstrom, Rashida Jones, and Star Wars, but their latest collab may be our favourite yet.
Teaming up with tennis superstar and international fashion icon, Serena Williams, the latest release from the baggage brand includes a hot new ‘rouge’ colourway in both hard and soft-case bags with a camo lining made up of bold primary colours.
With a personal leather tag in the same pattern as the eccentric lining, there’s simply no way this one could make it around the baggage carousel without you spotting it first, and without a few jealous ‘oohs’ from fellow travellers, too.
2. A bag for every occasion
Sure, Away began producing hard-case luggage bags, but the brand has grown exponentially since its founding in 2015 to include weekender bags, leather totes, packing accessories and more.
In November 2019, Away reached a valuation of US $1.4 billion, and so it’s fairly safe for us to assume more chic and high-end travel products will hit the stores for a long time to come.
3. Personalised monogramming
These days, if things are not monogrammed artistically with our initials, then we don’t want to hear about it.
Away can personalise your baggage with a range of designs and aesthetic finishes to suit the finish of each product and cater to your own personal preferences. Opting for a hard-case bag? You can have your initials engraved or have an in-house artist hand-paint a design right on the cover for you.
Bags with soft finishes can be embroidered; leather finish products can be stamped with metallic initials; and graphic stickers can be added to customise, too.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.