Best Tote Bags for Travel in 2025: The Ultimate Guide

If you're looking for a spacious, convenient, and stylish travel bag, a tote is a terrific choice. They're highly versatile, with loads of room on the inside for all those everyday items you need on a weekend trip or family vacation. The only problem? Finding a travel tote that's just right for you, with the perfect blend of storage, durability, and aesthetics, isn't always easy. In fact, many people settle for a bag that's not quite right.

This guide is here to help with that, recommending some of the very best tote bags for travel that money can buy. We'll include a range of models from different brands, like Canvelle, to suit different sorts of travelers. You'll also find helpful tips for picking and packing your travel tote, too.

Our Favorites

• Best Overall Travel Tote: Canvelle Everyday Canvas Tote
• Best Lightweight Option: Dagne Dover Small Vida Cotton Tote
• Best Budget-Friendly Choice: L.L.Bean Boat and Tote Open Top
• Best Foldable Tote for Easy Packing: Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote
• Best Travel Tote for Organization: MZ Wallace Large Metro Tote Deluxe

Best Tote Bags for Travel

Canvelle Everyday Canvas Tote

 

The Canvelle Everyday Canvas Tote tops our list of the best tote bags for travel, standing out for its premium design and helpful features. Lightweight, versatile, and roomy, this tote brings a whole lot to the table and provides pretty much everything you could ask for.

It gives you the space you need to store many different travel items, like your devices, documents, books, and first aid kits, and has a sleek, minimalistic look that'll fit in just about anywhere. Thanks to that, you can take this tote bag wherever you like, from exotic vacations to cruises, road trips, and more.

Pros:

• Lightweight design for a comfy carrying experience
• Roomy interior with separated pockets and compartments to stay organized
• Durable canvas material made from recycled bottles for sustainability
• Multiple sizes and colors for you to choose from

Cons:

• Limited internal padding if you're traveling with delicate items
• Not water resistant

Best For: Travelers looking for the ideal blend of style and versatility in their tote, with ample storage space and no compromises in durability or aesthetics.

You'll find a whole range of totes in the Canvelle collection, with sizes, colors, and styles to suit every sort of traveler. We also offer numerous other travel bags, from small toiletry bags to handy backpacks.

MZ Wallace Large Metro Tote Deluxe

With its beautiful, padded exterior and rich range of color options, this travel tote is one that was clearly designed with aesthetics in mind. It's a great-looking bag, made from a mix of strong Oxford fabric and natural Italian leather trim. It comes with zip top closures, adjustable and detachable straps, plus several interior pockets and detachable pouches for easy organization. A great choice for long trips.

Pros:

• Soft, padded straps to help you stay comfortable while carrying
• Lots of pockets for organized packing
• Detachable crossbody strap for convenience

Cons:

• One of the more expensive options on the list

Best For: Business travelers with higher budgets who want a tote that's lovely to look at and highly functional for organizing their items.

Calpak Luka Expandable Laptop Tote

As the name suggests, this large travel tote is designed to store laptops and other large devices, with tons of room on the inside. In fact, it has an expandable design, allowing it to open up and get bigger as needed, but it's still impressively lightweight. All in all, it's a flexible choice with comfy straps, zipper pockets, and helpful organizational features galore.

Pros:

• Expandable bottom area for additional space, if needed
• Multiple compartments to help you organize items
• Comes with a laptop compartment and trolley sleeves

Cons:

• Not the most durable or protective for delicate or fragile items

Best For: Travelers who want a flexible and roomy tote to store lots of items.

Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote

Next, meet one of the most stylish and durable options on this list. Longchamp's Le Pliage tote features a recycled canvas body and cowhide leather straps, plus zip and snap closure systems. It's foldable for your convenience and made of lightweight materials that won't weigh you down. The only downside is its lack of pockets or compartments.

Pros:

• Can fold flat to slip easily into overhead compartments or under airplane seats
• Water-resistant lining for rainy days
• Zipper and snap closures to secure your possessions

Cons:

• Lacks internal pockets for organization

Best For: Ideal for shorter trips or day trips, or as a bonus bag in addition to a carry-on suitcase or backpack.

L.L. Bean Boat and Tote (Open Top)

Lastly, we have the L.L. Bean Boat and Tote, a classic tote that's just right for beach days and weekends away. It's crafted from heavy-duty canvas, with a strong and structured design that maintains its shape and works well for carrying big and bulky items.

Pros:

• Extremely durable and can carry a huge amount of weight
• Open-top design for easy access to your items
• Affordable price point

Cons:

• Lacks interior pockets and compartments to organize
• No zip closure for security

Best For: A versatile choice for road trips, days out, and casual outings.

Key Features to Look For in Travel Totes

To separate the best tote bags for travel from the rest, here are some key features to focus on:

• Functionality: Look for a spacious tote with ample storage inside for all your travel items, and check for extra features, like durable exterior materials, lightweight designs, and secure zipper closures.
• Organization: It helps to have a tote with various inner and outer pockets that you can use to organize items. Bonus features like a padded laptop sleeve will help you too.
• Comfort: A comfortable tote should come with padded handles and adjustable straps you can use to get the right fit. Lightweight, water-resistant fabrics will also make your trips less stressful.
• Style: Functionality matters, but so do aesthetics. A classic black everyday tote is a fine choice for many travel settings, or you might like a more colorful option that stands out from the crowd.

Choosing the Right Travel Tote for Your Needs

It doesn't matter whether you're buying a fanny pack, a backpack, or a nylon tote, it's always important to pick the perfect bag to fit your needs. Here's how:

• Type of Trip: Think about the sort of trip you're planning. For long getaways, you'll need roomy totes with extra strong material to support the weight of bulkier items. For a simple overnight trip, a smaller, more lightweight tote should suffice.
• Storage Requirements: If you're taking a wide variety of items, like documents, toiletries, devices, and so on, it helps to have a tote with tons of pockets and other features, like a water bottle holder and sleeve for devices. These will help you organize everything neatly.
• Style and Durability: Having a tote in a nice neutral color is often a good choice, as it'll blend well with whatever you're wearing. And look for those made of strong, durable materials to cope with the rigors of travel, like durable cotton canvas and Italian leather tote bags.
• Water-Resistant: Your tote could end up exposed to rain, snow, intense heat, and other changing weather conditions. So, it makes sense to pick one that can cope with all that. Again, strong materials like canvas and soft leather work best here.

Tips for Packing a Travel Tote Efficiently

Whether you're a frequent flier setting off on another long-haul journey or just packing your tote for a day at the local farmers market, here are some helpful tips to make the most of it:

• Organize Essentials: First, focus on packing the most essential items you'll need throughout your trip, and try to place them in easy-to-access internal or exterior pockets on your tote so you can grab them on the go. Meanwhile, place less important items down at the base of the bag.
• Use Pouches: If your tote doesn't have many zippered pockets or slip pockets of its own, invest in some handy pouches to organize your items in groups. You could have one pouch for your documents, for example, another for toiletries, etc.
• Balance the Weight: A common mistake people make with all sorts of bags, from totes to crossbody bags, is putting too many heavy items in one section and throwing off the balance. Try to avoid that and aim for balanced weight distribution to prevent strain while carrying your bag.
• Maximize Space: Do what you can to make your travel essentials as compact as possible. That means folding clothes, moving items around so they fit snugly side-by-side inside the bag, and opting for small, travel-sized items where possible.

Order Your Dream Travel Tote Today

All in all, it's clear to see that the best tote bags for travel, with their roomy internal pockets and padded straps, are perfect for flights, vacations, and numerous trips away. They can make your travel experience more comfortable and convenient, providing quick, easy access to all the items you need. But, to get the best experience, you need to find the perfect tote.

You may even have to buy two or three travel totes to use in different situations, like a smaller one for weekends away or day trips and a second, larger option for extended vacations. Either way, you'll find the very best tote bag options at Canvelle.com. We offer premium, durable, and sustainable canvas tote bags in various colors and styles, all at reasonable prices. Check out the full range to find your favorite.

FAQs

Are tote bags good for traveling?

Absolutely. They've got lots of advantages to make them excellent travel bags, like their spacious interiors for storing stuff and adjustable shoulder straps for a comfortable carrying experience.

What is a good travel tote?

It depends on your precise needs, but good travel totes usually need to be made of quality, durable materials to ensure they last a long time, and they should provide sufficient amounts of space. Bonus features like multiple external pockets and luggage sleeves are also helpful to have.

What is the best bag to take on a plane?

Totes, backpacks, and crossbody bags are all good options as carry-on travel bags for planes. Ideally, you want one that has lots of storage space but is still compact and lightweight enough to meet airline standards and not weigh you down too much.

Is a tote bag allowed in a flight?

It sure is. Plenty of people take packable tote bags on planes these days, as they've got such roomy interiors for essential items, like water bottles, laptops, books, and travel documents.