Best Travel Purses: Best Crossbody Bags for Airports and On-the-Go

Nasreen Stump Avatar
Woman with crossbody bag in foreign destination
Photo credit: Shutterstock/Victoria Chudinova

Nothing makes an outfit quite like the bag. But what if you’re traveling and also need a safe bag that holds all the things? Well, there’s no reason to pass on style. We’ve rounded up cute, safe, comfortable and stylish travel purses for every occasion.

Whether you’re adventuring through multiple time zones by air or hopping in and out of the car at different road trip stops, it helps to have a small crossbody bag that holds all your essentials. We love these small travel purses. Also, don’t forget these make great gifts for women who love to travel!

baggallini Calais

Look, I’m going to be honest with you. These travel purse lists always include baggallinis, and while I appreciate their roomy tote bag style, I think they’re ugly. To me, the majority look like diaper bags and I’m past that phase of my life. But I understand that they’re popular. This Calais style has a super cute black color with gold hardware that’s extremely versatile. In addition, a winning factor is that you can order it through Amazon Wardrobe and try it before you buy it. Some features we love are:

  • Lightweight, water-resistant nylon with a 52” adjustable strap
  • Front pocket has RFID protection and credit card slots
  • Easy access pocket for your cell phone

Carhartt Crossbody with Snaps

If you usually carry a classic messenger bag but want to size down, this bag is a great option. It’s on the casual side but is extremely versatile. With three water repellent rugged poly color options, you can pick the right one for you. We love:

  • Main compartment has a flap and snap closure
  • 4 interior pockets
  • Bag measures 9”x11”x2.5” and the cross body strap is adjustable, fitting over the shoulder or across the chest

WATERFLY Sling Bag Crossbody Backpack

This sporty option is great for excursions in cities or spending time outdoors. It has enough space to fit a 12-inch laptop but is also slim enough to not stick out.

  • 18-liter capacity with 7 pockets including a hidden back pocket and shoulder strap pocket
  • Zippered mesh umbrella storage and side water bottle holder
  • Adjustable shoulder strap can switch to fit left and right-handed individuals. Bag can be worn as a sling bag, chest bag, shoulder bag and crossbody bag

Best Travel Purse for Game Day: Clear Purse Options

baggallini Clear Event Bryant Purse

Sometimes events require clear purses. This one manages to be cute and doesn’t look like a TSA liquid bag. They’ve got a ton of different colors so you can show your spirit and match your home team’s colors. It also has a zippered top.

Clearworld Clear Sling Bag Crossbody

This clear sling crossbody has room for a water bottle in the side pocket. Fit everything you need for game day and carry it ergonomically with this choice.

Read More: 5 Tips to Save Money at Baseball Games

Best Travel Purses with Antitheft Features

The last thing you need is to be an open invitation to pickpockets on a trip. We love these anti-theft options that come with anti slash straps and have RFID blocking pockets. These are the best purses for travel when you’re carrying lots of important items like travel documents on your person.

Pacsafe Crossbody Unisex

We love this unisex anti-theft crossbody bag. It’s classic and packs a ton of safety features into the perfect size for international travel. The size is fantastic for transit and even to use as a daypack.

  • With lockable zippers and a slash-resistant body this bag can be worn two ways – as a travel backpack or crossbody.
  • Tons of organization including 2 lockable zipper compartments, 1 padded interior tablet sleeve, 2 zippered interior pockets (1 with RFID protection), 2 side pockets that can fit water bottles and one key clip
  • Adjustable strap
  • Easy access front compartment for travel documents
  • Water resistant material that is easy to clean
  • 5-year warranty

Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Mini Shoulder Bag

Available in 5 different colors, this no-nonsense purse is routinely named as one of the best anti-theft purses on the market. With an adjustable shoulder strap and good main compartment organization, you’ll travel with peace of mind. Travelon bags offer a 5-point anti-theft system that includes:

  • Straps that you can lock onto stationary objects and chairs to prevent grab-and-go thefts while you’re dining or sitting in an airport.
  • Locking zippers help keep pickpockets from accessing your valuables.
  • The body has slash-proof mesh built into all 4 sides and the bottom panel.
  • Stainless steel wire in the straps keeps thieves from being able to cut your purse straps.
  • RFID blocking pockets contain RFID blocking card slots and pockets for passports.
  • A removable LED light is located on an interior key clip.

For another cute Travelon travel bag option with almost as much space, we love the Saddle Crossbody Purse.

Read More: What Does Travel Insurance Cover?

Best Travel Purses: Sling Style

If you’re looking for an on-the-go travel backpack alternative that offers easy access, a sling style purse can be a great option. Not only are they a great hands-free option but they’re perfect for carrying what you need for a day of sightseeing.

WINSEAD Crossbody Sling Bag for Women

This travel purse is ideal for a few reasons. First, it’s stylish with a contrasting strap and comes in a ton of different colors. Second, it sits on your chest which is a great safety feature because you can see it at all times. It easily fits a cell phone and several other items without being too bulky. With a low price point, you can even buy several to match different outfits.

Crossbody Sling Bag for Women
$9.99
Buy Now
10/03/2024 09:47 pm GMT

Best Travel Purses: Business Appropriate

Fossil Women’s Fiona Large Crossbody Purse

It might be my love of the 90s coming out, but I’m a sucker for a Fossil purse. Their Fiona is a stylish travel purse option for business (or leisure) travelers. At any given time certain colors and styles are discounted with options ranging from $70-150. In addition, there are numerous options available to try before you buy with Amazon Prime.

  • Leather purse with recycled lining, adjustable/detachable crossbody strap and a zipper closure
  • Easy-Access pockets include 1 back slide pocket, 1 front zipper pocket, 2 front slide pockets, 1 interior zipper pocket and 2 interior slide pockets.
  • Fits an iPad

Fossil Parker Mini Backpack

Another great Fossil option that can cross over from business to casual is the Parker Mini Backpack. This purse can convert from crossbody to backpack to tote. Because of the versatility, this bag is a cornerstone of travel capsule wardrobes.

  • Tubular top handle and back slide pocket make it easy to grab and carry your bag.
  • Genuine Suede Leather Backpack with Corduroy Textured Detail and 2 adjustable/detachable backpack/crossbody straps.
  • Includes multiple pockets including a front flap pocket with magnetic snap and room inside for an iPad Mini.

the sak Women’s Loyola Mini Convertible Backpack

When I traveled 3-4 nights a week, finding the right travel handbag was tricky. I often ended up choosing a high-quality convertible backpack purse, like the sak, because they were easy to carry in an airport. Then, once I was ready to head to meetings, I’d convert it to a tote.

  • Can be worn as a backpack, crossbody purse or carried as a tote.
  • Main zipper closure, 2 front zipper exterior pockets, 2 side slip pockets, back zipper pocket, interior laptop compartment, interior zipper pocket and 2 front wall pockets provide tons of storage space.
  • Made from recycled materials.

Frye Melissa Carryall

Coming in on the pricier end of the scale, you cannot go wrong with a leather travel tote. Minimalist, stylish and roomy, they go with everything. Granted these aren’t as great for overseas travel or trips where you need anti-theft protection. However, for business trips, I love being able to set a good tote with a reinforced bottom on top of my carry-on and loop the straps over the luggage handle to wheel it through the airport. The open top provides easy access to my laptop when I want to catch up on some work quickly. Best of all, it provides enough space for anything I could possibly need to fit.

  • Clip bridge closure with 2 interior slip pockets, 1 interior zip pocket
  • 9. 5″H X 15. 5″W X 5. 75″D

Read More: Tips and Tricks from Business Travelers

Nasreen’s adventures started out as business travel. Working as a territory sales manager she covered 21 states during her tenure, traveling 3-5 nights a week. As she visited new cities and states, she always worked in a quick stop at a unique or iconic site. A travel writing career was born. When her father-in-law’s cancer came back she started writing and consulting full-time around his chemotherapy schedule. Traveling with her firefighter/paramedic husband, kids, friends and solo allows her to cover a variety of situations and topics. Her four kids (19 year old boy, 13 year old girl, 11 year old girl and 7 year old boy) are professionals at the cross country road trip. After 10 years in Texas, their family is back in the Northeast exploring both familiar and new destinations. There she runs her own business providing go-to-market, sales strategy, podcast, and content marketing consulting for websites and B2B businesses. Whenever possible she writes for a variety of publications in the podcast, travel, and business space. Connect with her on LinkedIn to chat about travel, content, sales, and podcasts!
Read full bio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *