Travelling with my Barrington Gifts St. Anne Zippered Tote

I thought I loved my classic Barrington Gifts St. Anne Tote…and then I tried the St. Anne ZIPPERED Tote and it’s now my new fave!

I’ve become more security-conscious while travelling, as a family member recently had valuables stolen during a trip. So while I loved my original St. Anne’s Tote, I knew I needed something more secure to use for our annual trip to England.

I’ve loved working with Barrington Gifts (see my previous posts here) so I was thrilled when they let me design a St. Anne Zippered Tote for my travels – I chose their classic Chequers print, combined with a Blush + White stripe monogram and Tan leather trim.

I usually switch out my handbags during trips – but this bag was so lightweight and spacious – I ended up using it every day of my trip (as you can tell, since I’m wearing it in all my England outfit photos!).  The bag was ideal for the plane, as it had space for all my carry-on requirements (tickets + passports for a family of 4, snacks, wallet, toiletry bag, magazines and my iPad). Although it has a lovely structured look, it smooshed down easily to fit under the seat in front of me during the flight.

I didn’t mind loading it up during our flight as it rested perfectly on top of my wheeled carry-on, but I definitely lightened it up for our sightseeing days – keeping only my essentials plus adding in my sweater, roll-up sunhat and mirrrorless camera.

Here’s a comparison pic of my bag with my other St. Anne Totes (I have quite the little family!!!). I love the slouchy look of the original tote, and I was worried that the zippered version would look stiff across the top – but as you can see, when the bag is unzipped, the St. Anne Zippered Tote looks identical to the original St. Anne Tote!

Travelling with kids, my bag has been through the wars! I’ve had coke and chocolate ice cream spilled on it (on the light pink stripe no less!) but it wiped clean easily with a baby wipe and left no lasting mark at all. Barrington Gifts definitely make durable bags and I highly recommend them!

Which St. Anne Tote is your fave from the pic above?