Travel Safety Bags

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One of the best ways to travel safer is to get yourself some better travel safety bags. There are many ways to carry your prized possessions with you as you travel. And if well secured, on your person can be a safer place to keep them than locked up somewhere else. But you need to be careful about how you carry that stuff with you. That means with the right bags, as well as smart choices about how, where, and when you carry them.

Here are my favorite top anti-theft travel bags of all shapes, sizes, and uses – more or less from smallest to largest – for the solo female traveler like you.

1. Best Small Crossbody Purse: Travelon Anti-theft Heritage Crossbody Bag

For the best day-to-day bag or purse that you carry around with you at all times, I cannot recommend better than the crossbody bag. Always keep yours worn across your chest, with one arm resting casually on top or holding the strap. This keeps you aware of where your bag is at all times, and thus makes it much harder for a thief to grab or pickpocket. Combine that with the anti-slash fabric, RFID blocking, locking zippers, and vintage canvas style (I especially love it in pewter), and you’ve got yourself one hip-looking thief-proof bag.

2. Best Medium Crossbody Purse: Travelon Anti-Theft Cross-Body Bucket Bag

Now if you’re like me and like to carry a few more things on you than just your wallet and keys, you might want a slightly bigger crossbody purse for your travels. This sleek crossbody bucket bag by Travelon is an incredibly solid all-around good choice. It’s got all the best features Travelon bags are known for – slash-resistant fabric, RFID blocking, locking zippers – plus a handy water bottle holder and a subtle-yet-stylish design that looks nice without putting a big theft target on your back.

3. Best Small Shoulder Purse: Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Mini Shoulder Bag

If you absolutely hate having a bag strap across your chest, or it simply does not go with your personal style (not that I recommend that as an excuse), there are shoulder purses that are acceptable anti-theft alternatives for everyday use. Of course, the crossbody bags above do have adjustable straps, so you can always wear them on just one shoulder. But if you prefer something a bit classier, this Travelon Mini Shoulder Bag is an excellent option. AND it has an adjustable strap itself, so you can wear this one crossbody too if you so choose (or need). When wearing just on the shoulder though, I especially recommend keeping that one arm casually draped over or holding the strap to keep your awareness on the slightly-less securely worn purse at all times.

4. Best Medium Shoulder Purse: Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Essential Messenger Bag

For a slightly larger, but still classy purse option, I love this Travelon Classic Essential Bag. It may also have the word “messenger” in the name, but don’t worry. It looks far more like a classy purse than a casual messenger bag. Especially in black. And once again, it comes with an adjustable strap that you can extend to wear crossbody if feel you must. It’s a solid choice for a classic looking purse that still has all the anti-theft trimmings you love about Travelon bags.

5. Best Convertible Purse: Travelon Anti-Theft Heritage Hobo Bag

Let’s say you want a great all-around purse that can do both, go crossbody OR on the shoulder, look classy OR casual, without an annoying strap that you have to keep adjusting back and forth. Well in this case, you can’t go wrong with the Travelon Hobo Bag. It’s got an adjustable crossbody strap and a separate shorter shoulder strap, both of which you can easily clip off or on at your heart’s content. But there’s more. It’s also got a clever back zippered pocket, a tethered key clip, and all the other usual Travelon anti-theft features you know and love. This might be my favorite of all the day-to-day use purse options I’ve laid out so far.

6. Best Travel Tote: Travelon Anti-Theft Heritage Tote Bag

Speaking of on-the-shoulder bags, a very popular style that I love as much as anyone is the tote. They provide so much room in a very functional squared design that can be quite useful while traveling. And they are very in right now. So if you prefer the tote bag look, the Travelon Heritage Tote is my top choice for the best one for travel. It’s basically like a larger version of the Hobo Bag I last listed, with all the same fantastic features and more. It’s got both the longer adjustable crossbody strap and separate shorter shoulder straps. There’s a rear zippered pocket, a tethered key clip (this time with an LED light), plus the same slash-resistant fabric, RFID blocking, and locking zippers as all the rest.

7. Best Laptop Tote: Sunny Snowy Laptop Tote Bag

Now if you love the tote look, but want something a little classier and more professional looking (for those work trips), I’d suggest Sunny Snowy’s Laptop Tote Bag. It’s made from tough water and wear resistant nylon material that isn’t quite as anti-slash as the Travelon bags, but still quite sturdy and stylish. It’s spacious, with a separate padded and strapped pocket for a 15.6-17 inch laptop, and plenty of extra room for all your work papers, folders, books, notepads, and accessories – all for a shockingly affordable price. Sure there are plenty more expensive options that could work just as well, but this one has all the essentials without breaking your travel budget. So it’s got my vote.

8. Best Wheeled Laptop Tote: Kenneth Cole Reaction Wheeled Travel Tote

Know how you can make the big handy tote bag even more travel-friendly? Add wheels! This Kenneth Cole Wheeled Travel Tote is the ultimate in travel bag style and convenience. And although the features may be a little weaker on the security side, the wheels more than make up for it. It’s also got pockets galore, of all shapes and sizes. A separate padded laptop pocket for uber protection. A rear “overnight” compartment with garment restraints and shoe/accessory pockets. Another sizeable front zipped pocket with organizer, though no RFID blocking. But then again, you can always substituted that with an RFID blocking wallet from my recommended travel safety accessories. This laptop tote is still the perfect wheeled bag for an extended weekend trip, or as a personal tote for longer trips. So long as you’re traveling somewhere where wheels are helpful (so probably not deep in the wilderness or say the Moroccan desert).

9. Best Laptop Messenger Bag: Kroser Laptop Bag

Those tote bags above can get a bit cumbersome to carry around, especially if you don’t need to carry that much with you. So if you’re looking for a lighter, more compact and mobile laptop bag, you can’t go wrong with this one from Kroser. It’s extremely space-efficient, like a well-padded laptop sleeve with just enough extra room for your phone, wallet, passport, chargers, notebooks, pens, a book or two, and even a separate pocket for an iPad or other tablet. No super sneaky back pocket, but it does have the luggage strap to easily cart this around on your larger suitcase. And the hidden zippers have hooks on the ends, as if waiting to be locked up tight.

10. Best Laptop Backpack: Tigernu Travel Anti-Theft Laptop Backpack

If you’d prefer to keep your laptop on your back in a more secure and comfortable two-strapped backpack, but still don’t need a very large one that holds much else, then I have the bag for you. Tigernu’s Travel Anti-Theft Laptop Backpack has everything you need and nothing you don’t. A laptop compartment just big enough for a 15.6 inch laptop. A separate main compartment for all your other sizable needs. An anti-theft back pocket, along with a handy backside luggage strap. Zippers that lock. Even handy sunglasses and card pockets on the straps. I wouldn’t recommend keeping anything crazy valuable in these much more accessible pockets. But boy are they handy.

11. Best Slim Backpack: Travelon Anti-theft Signature Slim Backpack

If you’re not traveling with a laptop, but you still dig the backpack look, Travelon makes a very cute smaller one that packs all the same anti-theft punch as their bigger bags in a more compact package. It’s got the slash-resistant fabric, the RFID blocking, the locking zippers, and a main pocket that’s still big enough to hold your iPad. It’s so Betty, it almost feels like something straight out of Cher Horowitz’s closet. As if!

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12. Best Laptop Convertible Bag: CoolBELL Convertible Backpack/Messenger/Shoulder Bag

If you simply cannot decide between getting a laptop tote, messenger bag, or backpack, then don’t. Just get them all in one. This is a fantastic convertible laptop bag that can be converted to any of these types of bags, for whatever your travels may require. There are hidden pockets on the back and sides where you can tuck the backpack straps or handles away when you’re not using them. Or while you are, you can always keep something else in those pockets that you don’t want easily found. Plus, the zippers come with handy dandy rings that are a perfect fit for your own small TSA-friendly lock. Though sadly, no locks actually included. But you can always see my recommended TSA-friendly lock in my list of top travel safety accessories.

13. Best Travel Backpack: Raydem Travel Laptop Backpack

Personally, I often prefer to carry a bigger laptop bag with me so I can also keep a few changes of clothes, accessories, books, and other travel supplies handy. So I use this Raydem Laptop Backpack. It’s the perfect size, big enough for everything with a whole extra pocket besides the laptop pocket, but not too big or uncomfortable for long-term travel wear. You could easily use just this bag and no other luggage for an extended weekend trip.

Now I know this may be contrary to many other travel sites who mostly recommend Travelon and PacSafe bags. Those brands do both make impeccable travel backpacks as well, but for a much heftier price (more or less double). And the extra features you get for the higher price point, like the locking zippers and aren’t quite worth it in my book.

Besides, this Raydem backpack comes with a small lock included that you can use on your zippers, or anywhere else. It also has a luggage strap on the back so you can wheel it around on your suitcase. And possibly my favorite feature is the super sneaky hidden back pocket (which the black color especially helps disguise). Travelon and PacSafe backpacks don’t have that, which boggles my mind. So this Raydem backpack truly is the best bang for your buck.

14. Best Carry On Suitcase: AmazonBasics Premium Expandable Softside Spinner

When it comes to suitcases, there’s something reassuring about the expandability and stuff-ability of soft shell suitcases. I really can’t stand the inflexibility of hardshell luggage, and have a hard time trusting them to fit everything, considering how much I live on the road and have to pack a lot of my life at a time. The best soft shell suitcase I’ve found for its price, much to my surprise, is this Expandable Softside Spinner from AmazonBasics. I know. From Amazon themselves. Who knew? The 23-inch size provides ample and expandable packing space for all your needs, while fitting most airlines’ carry on restrictions. But the best part: it comes with a built-in TSA-friendly lock for that added security we care about here at Tough Cookie Travel. For the price, you simply can’t beat it.

15. Best Large Travel Suitcase: Travelpro Platinum Elite Luggage

As you get into the bigger sized luggage for the longer and international trips (or for the habitual over-packer who’s always happy to check a bag), a quality large suitcase can start to get quite pricey. And they’re not always necessarily worth the higher cost. So for my budget, which is usually on the thriftier side, I find this TravelPro Checked Large Luggage to be the best buy. It’s got all the same trimmings you’d want in an ideal suitcase, like precision glide spinner wheels that keep up with you as you escape an assailant (or race to make your flight connection), tough duraguard nylon fabric that resists any thief’s knife (or red wine spills), and another TSA-friendly lock to keep your prized possessions locked up tight.

Protect Your Bags: Travel Insurance

Once you’ve procured your travel bag of choice, make sure you secure it from loss or damage with the ultimate travel safety bag protection: World Nomads Travel Insurance.

Now that you’ve got your travel bags packed and ready to go, it’s time to learn how to defend yourself and your stuff while you’re out there traveling alone in a new city, or even just walking around your own city.

Join my Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense Course, the first truly comprehensive women’s self defense online course that’s designed specifically FOR women like you BY a woman who’s been through it too.

Because you are not alone. I got your back. We Tough Cookies stick together!