Bags of Blog — Travel Bags

February 14th is Fast Approaching so here is our guide to some of the perfect Vida Vida leather bags, satchels and accessories.

If you have been so busy sticking to your New Year’s Resolution that you’ve only just realised that Valentine’s Day is just under a week away, fear not!  For all those times I have been in a similar, rushed situation, I thought I would help you out with my top five Vida Vida presents for men and women, whether you’re on a tight budget, or looking to splurge.  Just remember to get your order in by Wednesday to be sure of delivery in time.

Gifts For The Man In Your Life

1. This Tan Leather Card Holder, £20, is perfect if your man is constantly on the move – the beautiful stitching compliments the suntanned leather so well and its size means it can fit inside a pocket easily. If you’re looking for something slightly more substantial, but you love the gorgeous leather, you can see our leather wallets here. 

2. If his iPad is his pride and joy, this Dark Brown Leather iPad Case, £45, is just the thing. It is made of hardwearing buffalo leather and has a soft lining with leather and elastic straps to keep your iPad secure, as well as a zip to keep it shut and even a pop-out stand for when you’re out and about. We have a range of iPad covers as well as a selection of leather satchel style laptop cases

3. If you want to keep the present simple yet practical, this Large Black Leather Messenger Bag, £90, is the right choice. The sleek design can fit a 13” or 15” laptop, along with folders, books and whatever else is needed. The black leather looks great with anything and the whole bag oozes style – just the thing for a fussy recipient. We also have a range of sizes and colours of our leather messenger bags.

4. Our laptop bags come in different sizes, but the Extra Large Special Leather Laptop Bag,  £120, might just be the best; with room for a change of clothes, lever arch files and even a 15” laptop, it can be used for practically any situation. With so much room inside, it will soon become your loved one’s favourite travelling partner (apart from you of course!). We have a huge array of men’s laptop bags 

5. Finally, this Leather Duffle Bag, £170, really is the perfect bag. Whether used on a short holiday, a weekend away or even as a large gym bag, it is guaranteed to bring envy to everyone who lays eyes on it because of the beautiful suntanned leather and the detail and care put into the stitching. As well as this, the more it is used, the better it looks (if that’s even possible!) because the leather becomes softer and suppler until he won’t even think of leaving the house without it. See our other leather duffle bags here.

Gifts For The Woman In Your Life

1. These Glass Earrings, £10, are perfect as a smaller gift. They go with practically everything and also have a matching ring. There is a large range of other jewellery available too.

2. Another great gift is this Small Ball Silver Ring, £30. It is sterling silver and comes in a range of sizes and looks great alone or with other rings – definitely a good one if you want a smaller present, but equally one that your partner will continue to wear.  We have a large range of silver rings.

3. This Vintage Two Pocket Large Satchel, £65, is beautiful and brilliant. It can fit all your daily essentials; a bottle of water, mobile phone, iPad etc. and looks great with everything! From the beach to a muddy music festival, this is a great gift to give.

4. Another perfect present for your loved one could be this Black Padded Leather Laptop Bag, £120, which is fantastic if she’s constantly on the move with her laptop in tow. Fitting plenty of A4 documents and a 13” laptop in a bag has never been this stylish!  We also have a variety of tan laptop bags.

5. Last but certainly not least is the Extra Large Leather Weekend Bag, £195. I could go on about this bag for days (as you can see from my blog post about it ) as could just about every newspaper or magazine who have reviewed it!  From Vogue to The Telegraph, this is one popular bag, and coincidentally it would be an absolutely fabulous Valentine’s gift, whether she would use it as hand luggage or just for a romantic weekend away.

Is it a suitcase?  Is it hand luggage? No, its Superbag!

I recently wrote an article about travelling with my Vida Vida Large Weekend Bag and although this is a beautiful and practical leather bag, its bigger brother is regarded as even more special according to the press.

The Extra Large Leather Weekend Bag has been mentioned in just about everything; from iD to Cosmopolitan, to The Times and The Telegraph – this bag is causing a real stir!

It is “the answer to carry-on luggage” according to BA Highlife magazine and Sarah Walters, writing for the fashion magazine Red, says the Vida Vida handmade, leather hold-all is “the right size…affordable and looks stylish”.

As well as this, our beautiful travel bag has been named as one of the “accessories that make a difference” by Vogue, an “essential” for your summer wardrobe by The Daily Mail and one writer’s “greatest discovery” after spending “decades endeavouring to discover a durable weekend/hand luggage affair of suitable aesthetics, with a Tardis-like capacity for feminalia without causing bankruptcy.”(Hannah Betts, The Telegraph)

As you can tell, this bag is making waves in the fashion world, and as a practical, beautiful and durable large weekend bag for less than £200, you can probably see why. So whether it’s a gift for a loved one, or a well-earned present to yourself, you know this bag will stay strong and stylish for years to come, whether it is used at weekends for trips to the countryside or as hand luggage on long haul flights – this really is the perfect travel companion!

Take a look at one today - The Extra Large Leather Weekend Bag - also known as "Superbag"!

I recently took a trip to Edinburgh for a one night stay by the incredible Edinburgh Zoo. Although the point of our trip was to see the pandas and they weren’t allowed out because of the pregnancy, I still had an amazing couple of days in the beautiful city. We visited the university and the city centre as well as going to the old castle and even the Scottish version of Oxford Street! And all this in less than two days – I was impressed at how we managed to fit everything in! Not only did we have to rush around and explore the area in a tiny amount of time, we also had to fit everything we were taking in hand luggage! 

Now as a woman, I can do a lot of things; I can multi-task and organize, but one thing I can never seem to do is pack lightly. It was only one night yet I still felt the need to bring three outfit changes with me along with different shoes and hair straighteners ‘just in case’ I needed them. It would have been a disaster – suitcase dragging behind us while we were looking at the Koalas at the zoo – but I needn't have worried, my Vida Vida Large Leather Travel Bag could fit everything in. and more! Somehow this satchel is larger on the inside than first appears and so I could fit in my endless outfit changes and unnecessary objects and still take everything into hand luggage. It was a miracle! Not only is it a tardis, this bag is absolutely gorgeous – with soft, suntanned leather and a design inspired by the beautiful satchels of the past. This really is a lovely and practical bag, which you will want to take everywhere with you!

At Vida Vida we love knowing what adventures our bags have gone on, so we are having a competition to see our bags in the strangest, furthest, funniest or most beautiful location! 

We will choose a winning photo every 6 months and the winner will receive a free gorgeous leather travel bag for men or women. RRP £195 (top left in image below). 

http://www.vidavida.co.uk/extra-large-leather-weekend-bag.html

We are due to announce our first winner of our Vida Vida competition to win an amazing leather travel bag on 20 December. You have got plenty of time to snap a Vida Vida bag in a silly, beautiful, fun, boring location or just generally on its travels.

Please send your photos to matt@vidavida.co.uk.

Good luck!!!

I just returned from a lovely trip to Horto in the Pelion region of Greece which was one of the most relaxing weeks of my life – the packing, on the other hand, not so much.

After finally deciding what dresses to bring (we were going for a friend’s birthday so parties were the priority!) and the even harder decision of which of my many Vida Vida handbags would be needed, I realised I had no shoes which were suitable for both a Greek taverna on the beach and an all-night dance (perhaps with some plate smashing too). I managed to spot a pair of sandals on-line the morning before our departure and so, at 8 30 the night before my 6am flight I managed to pop out to buy some shoes as the shop was closing, without trying them on.  And of course, with my luck, they didn’t fit. It was too late to exchange them so I gave up, threw in some far too wintery heels and went to bed hoping that everyone would decide to go barefoot for the week.

After a pleasant flight to Thessaloniki and a few hours driving down to the coast, we decided to stop for a lunch in a small coastal village called Agria just outside the port of Volos and the shoe fiasco was at the back of my mind until some lovely leather bags caught my eye. They were hanging outside a tiny shop called Moros which was filled with beautiful handmade leather goods – including more sandals than I had ever seen in a single place!

We chatted with the very helpful shopkeeper while admiring the gorgeous and handmade leather shoes, bags, belts, purses and more. Apparently, Moros has been making sandals since 1934 - so they are the real thing!  I couldn’t help but try on a few pairs and I ended up buying a pair of wedges and some flats, which I spent the rest of the trip wearing, and for €35 and €30 they weren't that expensive either!

Once I was home I found the shop’s Facebook page where you can see some of his lovely shoes and bags too. If you are ever visiting Agria then do pop in and have a look and say hello – you definitely won’t leave empty handed!  Oh, and there are a few lovely leather bags there too  including some interesting satchels and handbags, but you will already have plenty of those from Vida Vida!