Travel news, reviews and intel for high-flyers

The Season’s Best Travel Accessories

Travel in style with these five essential pieces

Travel in style / Photo: Seligaa/Shutterstock

Raise your hand if the first task you like to accomplish upon your hotel arrival is to organize everything so the process of getting ready each morning is effortless and your temporary digs exude a homey vibe. The latter could mean anything from a folding picture frame on the nightstand to travel-sized bath accessories that convey a luxe sensibility transcending the hotel’s amenities. Ultimately any road warrior will agree that touches both posh and cozy go a long way toward transforming a room into a sanctuary-like space, while investing in design-driven quality also ensures your travel accessories will log considerable miles with ease. With that in mind, we’ve gathered five travel accessories that could easily find their way into many carry-on bags, enabling seasoned travelers to feel organized while also indulging their passions with unabashed style.

Dior’s Saddle Watch Case

If you’re a watch fan, chances are you care not only about the timepieces themselves, but also about their housing, especially during travel. That makes this case by Dior nothing less than stunning, for multiple reasons. So named because its shape evokes the iconic French house’s legendary Saddle bag, the case blends black-grained calfskin with Dior’s coveted Oblique jacquard motif to create a vessel that may be as beautiful as the watches it’s designed to contain. A pair of removable cushions is included; depending on the case sizes of your watches, they can house up to four timepieces with ease. A dust bag is added for extra protection in packing.
$1,650, at dior.com

Monos’ Compressible Packing Cubes

Myriad reasons exist to adopt cubes in your carry-on strategy, starting with the ability to compress them, enabling you to fit more into your suitcase. They also make unpacking easy. After reviewing a wide variety of packing cubes, we’ve settled on these by luggage maker Monos. They’re crafted of a tear-resistant nylon twill on the exterior, while the interior is lined with a soft, antimicrobial fabric. The double zipper, meanwhile, is designed to be catch-free, but perhaps the best element is the mesh panel that tops each cube. It not only ensures breathability but also allows easy viewing of what’s contained within each of the four or six pieces available in a Monos set. Finally, forget about basic black, as Monos partnered with New York’s Magnolia Bakery to create sets in delicious colors, such as the Purple Icing seen here.
$90 for a set of four, at monos.com

Gucci’s Jumbo GG Small Toiletry Case

The best leather pieces get better with age, and that includes a toiletry kit designed to withstand constant wear and tear and the inevitable spillage from what has been packed into it. That’s just the start of the practical reasons we love this toiletry case by Gucci, though its style undeniably supersedes practicality. The oversized double-G motif of the Gucci Jumbo GG Small Toiletry Case puts the heritage of founder Guccio Gucci on steroids, certainly an idea any fashion fan would happily celebrate. The all-black leather case, meanwhile, evokes timeless style, while the four elastic interior pockets ensure bottles will be secured with ease within a nylon lining that also can be wiped clean if needed. Tuck TSA-friendly products into this case and ready yourself for envious looks from airport security and fellow passengers alike.
$1,290, at gucci.com

Wolf’s Sophia Travel Zip Case

Compact jewelry cases are often never quite large enough to serve the purposes of the aficionado who desires multiple options in gold and sparkle while on a business trip, which is why this model by Wolf scores high marks. The oblong leather Sophia case offers multiple roomy compartments for rings, earrings, bracelets and more, all arranged within a lining crafted of Wolf’s LusterLoc fabric, a proprietary material designed to prevent tarnishing for up to 35 years. Sophia’s alluring colors, such as the Jade seen here, also result in a case you’re happy to include as an attractive piece on any hotel dresser.
$135, at wolf1834.com

Stitch’s Shoe Bag

Golf shoe bags are available in abundance—and guess what? Many of them are boring. Brands have gone by the premise that a) most golfers are men, so b) bags designed to hold their shoes ideally should be black and minimalist in their look. Yawn. Thankfully a small grouping of design-intensive companies has rebelled against this notion, including Stitch, the North Carolina-based brand that from its start believed fans of the sport could love style and function in equal measure. Taking its cue from vintage Porsche and Gulf Oil motifs, Stitch has excelled at creating accessories that blend practicality with unexpected color and thoughtful details. That’s true of this Shoe Bag, which is sleek in its look, but also vibrant in a blue dubbed Steel Skies. The tab near the handle at the bag’s top can be personalized with two or three initials, while a side pocket can hold gloves or your favorite golf balls.
$128, at stitchgolf.com