My New Favorite Travel Tote Is Like the Mary Poppins Bag, but Even Better

When it comes to buying new travel gear, I can channel Goldilocks. Especially when I’m choosing my personal item to take on a plane. Since I normally keep carry-on bags and totes for years, I need them to be just right. And like the name suggests, it really is a personal choice. Something that works for my mom, friend, or fiancé might not be a good fit for me.

So when my good ol’ tote bag from Target that I had for five years finally broke, it took me a while to find a new personal-item bag that checked off everything on my wishlist. After some trial and error, I finally found one—Calpak’s Luka Expandable Laptop Tote. At $115, I found it was a total steal for just how versatile it is. I’ve brought it on planes, trains, and automobiles, and it keeps all of my stuff organized.

Sarah Yang

The best thing about the Luka Tote is the sheer number of pockets and compartments it has. Seriously, I’ve had the bag for a year and on my last trip, I discovered a new pocket during my travels! It has a padded laptop sleeve to keep your tech secure, a big zippered interior pocket, two other interior pockets, an exterior pocket, and a luggage sleeve with a hidden pouch. The different pockets help me create a system to keep all my things organized—for example, I’ll put my sunglasses and phone in the hidden one, my wallet and keys in the zippered interior hideaway, and some snacks in one of the interior pockets. 

On my last trip, I managed to fit my laptop, a toiletry bag, a pouch with cords/chargers, my Kindle, snacks, a reusable water bottle, and a light jacket inside. And guess what? It had a lot of room for more. It really does feel like Mary Poppins’s bag because of its zippered bottom that expands up to 4 inches. I haven’t had to use that feature yet, but it’s nice to know that I have the security of knowing there’s more room in my personal-item carry-on, because you never know what you’ll take home from your travels that won’t fit in your suitcase!

Courtesy of Calpak

And that’s not all (channeling my inner HSN or QVC host here): The luggage sleeve has got to be the most convenient feature. The sleeve lets you attach the bag to your suitcase handles so that you can easily schlep all your items around the airport, train station, and other places. As someone who can feel frazzled sometimes with all my travel items, I find it nice to keep my tote and suitcase together so I don’t forget anything. It also comes in 20+ colors so it can match any kind of aesthetic you’re going for.

I mostly use the Luka Tote right now for travel, but I can see it being useful for day-to-day stuff, like if you have a long day of running around for work and need to keep all your things close by. I could also see myself using it as a diaper bag one day. I’m just grateful that I don’t have to choose a new bag anytime soon!

We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.