Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
In our column “What I Can’t Live Without,” we’ve interviewed hundreds of famous people about their favorite products — and here, we’re going deep into their favorite travel bags. Whether they’re traveling for their new movie, jetting off to their next location on tour, or flying to their next gig, many celebrities we spoke to are always on the go and need a durable bag to hold all their belongings. (In fact, one celebrity told us that he sees his suitcase more than his own bed.) And while the list includes some pricier prestige brands like Rimowa, Globe-Trotter, and Tumi, as well as the more affordable Away, there are plenty of lesser-known makers among their picks as well. To help you scan through their favorite travel bags, we’ve organized this list by type — carry-on luggage, personal carry-on bags, checked luggage, and weekend bags — and in cases where more than one celebrity has recommended the piece of luggage, we’ve included all of their quotes.
Julia Quinn
“The suitcase rolls nicely and has the middle-divider compression strap that helps push everything down. That’s part of why you can fit so much.” — May 2023
Daniel Martin
“I use it as a makeup kit because it’s very secure and solid. None of my tools or makeup get damaged inside whether I’m on a flight or just lugging it around. It has gone everywhere with me, from Marrakech to Miami to L.A. to Paris to London to Singapore and beyond. I’ve never had to replace any parts, but I did have to replace the suitcase once. My first one was stolen by an Uber driver, with all of my makeup products inside. The police didn’t believe me when I told them how much all the makeup was worth. It cost more than the suitcase itself.” — May 2021
Sarah Cooper
“These are hard-shell and really light, and each one fits so much stuff. Away also sells a matching dog carrier — you can put it right on top of the carry-on so that you can just walk with both.” — November 2020
Daniela Soto-Innes
“I travel so often that I have a suitcase packed at all times. Away makes the most straightforward suitcases; I like the Bigger Carry-On because I don’t have to check it. The hard shell is sturdy, and there’s no extra zipper that allows you to expand the thing to fit more stuff inside (which always seems like a helpful feature until you get to the airport and are told your carry-on bag is too big to fit in a compartment).” — May 2019
Bobbi Brown
“I went to Paris and Amsterdam with my husband, and this luggage was so awesome and light and easy to pack. I’m going to buy it for my kids for Christmas. I actually had the Rimowa for a while, and it’s so cool, but it’s a little heavy. It’s also a little embarrassing. It’s like the Range Rover of suitcases.” — October 2018
Melinda Stevens
“They’re so light. They’re so flexible. People always laugh at me because even if I’m going somewhere for 24 hours, I have a massive Away bag. I can’t help going for the massive Away suitcase because I just literally chuck everything in, but I have got all of the different sizes.” — April 2019
Lois Lowry
“I’m currently in a love-hate relationship with this luggage. I needed new luggage, and I saw that these have great wheels, plus all those things you want suitcases to have. What I really loved was that it had a built-in locking mechanism, which is just the best. I have a whole history of suitcases on which dangle those little padlocks, to which I can no longer remember the combination.” — January 2018
Steve Aoki
“I mean, Rimowa luggage is durable. It can withstand a beating. It’s stylish, too. Because I’m a fashion guy, I want even my luggage to look good. But one of my favorite things about it is that it rolls super well. People don’t realize how important the actual rolling is. When you travel as much as I do, efficiency is super important. I don’t want to use more space or energy than I need. Their luggages have four wheels, so I barely have to pull it. I can glide through the airport. And, I can stack my backpack on top of it.” — March 2024
Bridget Everett
“When I started going on the road a lot more and traveling for work, I had shitty suitcases that would just fall apart and fall apart and fall apart. So I finally invested in a Rimowa suitcase. I put a sticker on it from my favorite donut shop in my hometown, Varsity Donuts. I love the way they roll, and I know that seems like not a big deal, but if you’re in a hotel that has carpet in the hallways and you try to drag a bag with shitty wheels down them, it’s a small thing. But if you’re doing that every fucking weekend, a nice roll really puts you off on the right foot.” — January 2024
Beverly Nguyen
“This suitcase is extremely important to me. I pretty much use it every day. I’ve been traveling so much for work and for summer, I’m also still styling, or I’m moving things from the store. I’m constantly filling up this suitcase because it’s so easy to carry around and nothing can break in it. I’m even putting chicken in it [for a food event]. I’m cooking out of a different kitchen and I need to store these compact Tupperware. I’m just going to pile them into the carry-on bag because it’s going to go into an Uber and it needs to be sitting a certain way.” — September 2022
Sofía Sanchez de Betak
“I have to confess: I was a Globe-Trotter girl for the longest time, but I decided to try Rimowa and fell for it. My poor Globe-Trotter has been in the closet for a while now. I travel so much that it’s a killer for my back to be using those two-wheelers (they’re not the easiest to drag), but the four-wheel Rimowa just flies across the floor like a dream. I don’t think I can go back. I think it’ll last a long time, too.” — March 2019
Miss Fame
“Usually I’m not comfortable spending that kind of money on a suitcase. But, I realized that when I’m traveling WITH?? my essentials for Miss Fame, I’d rather protect them in a hard case. And for fashion, I stay in gorgeous hotels, so I really want to show up. Miss Fame is a whole experience, from me walking in the hotel to leaving. There’s a sense of pride attached to the way you carry yourself when you enter spaces with your items. My work items — my wigs I’ve invested in, my heels, my custom-made corsets, my makeup — that’s all part of my job. I wanted to place them in a beautiful, protective environment that was a showgirl in a box. Rimowa has that whole status.” — May 2022
Antoni Porowski
“I prefer hard cases, and a lot of hard cases are really heavy, but the Rimowa is super lightweight. There is also something kind of funny and ridiculous about the fact that they’re a pricier bag and they get scratched up so easily. But other than that, they’re durable. I’ve had other cases that just kind of fall apart. The wheels are sturdy and you can knock them around. I’ve put mine through hell. Mine is covered in stickers that I collected and they stick perfectly to it. I’ve been in my new apartment for probably about ten months, and I’ve only spent about two and a half months total living in it. This suitcase has become a sentimental piece because I see it more than I see my own bed these days.” — October 2019
Eric Ripert
“When I travel, I don’t like to check my luggage. It takes time, and they very often lose it. But still, sometimes I need a suit or to carry my chef jacket. The trifold lets you hang that so it doesn’t get as wrinkled, and then there are still lots of pockets for underwear, socks, shirts, and sweaters. I carry it on my shoulder, I put it up top, we land, I’m out.” — October 2023
Gracie Abrams
“I’ve been using this since I started touring at the beginning of last year. It’s easy to bring around, is lightweight, and looks great, but the best part is that this luggage is so durable. I’m lucky enough to travel frequently, so when I’m out for many months of the year, it’s nice to know there’s no concern about whether my bag is going to tear or rip. There are so many compartments and a built-in hanger bracket, so it feels like I have a little closet anywhere I go. Plus, it expands, so when I collect more shit on the road, I don’t have a crazy pile of mess just floating around. The shift has been really noticeable, and there’s no going back.” — January 2023
Corinne Bailey Rae
“Tumi is great because it has a warranty. As long as it’s within warranty, you can take your suitcase into the shop and be like, ‘Hey, this got beat up. Can you help me?’ They swap it out for another if it’s really in bad shape, which is amazing, or they send it away to be fixed. But truthfully, none of my Tumi luggage has actually gotten badly messed up. I’ve sat my kids on it while walking through the airport or the train station, and it’s been thrown on lots of conveyor belts all over the world but it always comes back to me in one piece. I like how it has two halves with all sorts of zippy compartments. Nothing ever leaks or breaks. It’s soft and light, but at the same time, it’s hard so it doesn’t really get punctured by anything.” — January 2022
Shaq
“I like Tumi because they don’t mind going crazy. I’ve got the gray and black camouflage, the green camouflage, the rustic silver. And they make big suitcases. With a regular suitcase, I can’t even fit two pairs of shoes in it. With a Tumi, I can fit six, seven pairs of shoes, underwear, other things. I can go on a five-day trip with one suitcase.” — March 2019
Eileen Fisher
“I’ve been carrying this luggage for years. It has four wheels and is solid but not heavy. It also opens in the middle, which is so smart. So it has two compartments, and when I’m only traveling for a couple days, I won’t unpack — I just know I have my pants on one side and tops on the other, which is so much easier than a suitcase you have to dig into. I try to make it work with just the carry-on usually.” — October 2018
Editor’s note: The original version of Tumi’s international carry-on is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Aryna Sabalenka
“I’ve spent most of my life traveling and living out of suitcases. I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to luggage. And you can ask my team: I don’t travel light. I push the limits. This is the best suitcase I’ve ever used. It’s super light and that gives me a few extra kilograms to work with, which means a few extra cute outfits and sneakers. And it saves from having to pay the airlines for overweight luggage.” — September 2023
Grigor Dimitrov
“Being on tour, I travel nearly every week. At the end of November, beginning of December, we start to go and play some exhibitions or little tournaments around the world. And then January 1 to early November, we’ve got tournaments every single week. So I’m always traveling. I’ve been using Samsonite luggage maybe for ten years now. They’re very light, and I love that they move all four wheels, and they fit a lot of stuff. Plus, I’m a very organized packer, so I like things to be very nicely packed, and I like their compartments.” — August 2023
Heather Morris
“I teach dance, so I’m constantly traveling. I try not to check a bag, and I love my terracotta Monos carry-on bag. The color’s very neutral, and the case cleans really easily. I’ve had mine for four years. I think I came across their ads on Instagram. The brand has a newer model with a laptop section, but I haven’t updated mine since it hasn’t broken.” — August 2023
Shangela Laquifa Wadley
“My three requirements for luggage are: a hard case, a good amount of storage, and 360-degree spinner wheels. This Delsey bag has all of those — and more. I’ve taken these suitcases to six out of the seven continents I’ve performed on, and they always come back unbroken.” — June 2020
Alexander Chee
“My roller isn’t available anymore, but this one is similar. I’ve had mine since maybe 2010, and I liked it as a limit of how much I could pack because anything I could bring had to fit in the case. It kept me honest about what I would wear and use on a trip. I have a tendency on a trip to bring 10 books and way too many T-shirts. I’ll use it sometimes when I’m teaching to bring my laptop, and one of my students told me they call me the big man with the little case.” — July 2018
Ana Gasteyer
“There are a few areas where people can get overwhelmed, and carry-on luggage is definitely one of them because it’s hard to visualize how a bag will work for you through the internet. I love JetBlue (I’m hoping you print that) and am a Mosaic member, and so I’m always in the JetBlue terminal. There’s a Muji store in that terminal, which is another one of the great pleasures of traveling JetBlue besides the comfy seats and snacks. Anyway, I go to Muji and it’s like a moment of soft porn before getting on the plane. The carry-on rolling luggage they sell is incredibly efficient. I can fit my entire act in it — it’s a garment bag with two gowns, shoes, a stack of chargers and pajamas, and a great pair of shoes. The wheels go in every direction.” — November 2017
Editor’s note: The original version of Muji’s hard carry suitcase is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Photo: Courtesy of the Vendor
Todd Snyder
“It’s my ultimate travel suitcase. It’s made of tarpaulin, which is camp-tent-material, so it’s ultra-weatherproof. Not a lot of people have it, so I can identify it quickly anywhere I go — it’s small enough just to be an overnight bag, too. I travel to Japan three or four times a year and found it there.” — May 2018
Alexa Chung
“I am constantly traveling, and it’s lovely and a luxury, and I’m happy to do it. That said, I’m only ever in a place for a few days and then head back to London, so I never get around to unpacking because it seems illogical since I’d have to repack, so more often than not my luggage is at the front door. And for years it was an unattractive suitcase. But when I found the Globe-Trotter, it changed everything because the trolley could be a piece of slightly chic furniture. If you put a lamp on it, it could be a nice coffee table.” — March 2018
James Kennedy
“I’m always on the go, and I try not to travel with luggage. This backpack does it. I can throw all of my DJ equipment in here for a one-night gig: my laptop, headphones, wires, USB chips. And I can also fit in a spare T-shirt and even a wash bag. (There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a place without that.) It’s stylish and lets me have all my essentials on me.” — July 2023
Ken Jeong
“I bring this with me wherever I go, whether it’s personal or professional trips. If I’m on set or I’m traveling, it doesn’t matter. It has all the pockets I need. If I’m doing a day trip and having to carry a change of clothes, I put everything in my backpack just so I don’t have to carry a suitcase. I’ll even do a cross-country trip with just this. When I’m constantly on the road, less is more. I pride myself on economizing my travel, and my Tumi does the trick.” — July 2023
Andrew McMahon
“I probably got my first Tumi backpack around the time I got married, which would have been in 2006. In all that time, I’ve only had to replace it once. I wear it everywhere. I carry my notebook, pens, computer, phone — all the various accoutrements of being a writer in the world. I’ve carried that thing through all kinds of weather and never had a problem. I’ve had the brown color for about six years or so, and it still looks brand-new. Anytime that I’m working or traveling, whether I’m going to a session or a show or getting on an airplane, my backpack is always with me.” — October 2021
Baz Luhrmann
“This backpack has been around at least 20 years. I continue to always use it for travel because it’s made of a really tough canvas, it has several internal pockets, and it’s really simple. When I travel, my team packs everything the exact same way, so I know when the Yves Saint Laurent boards with me that all my essentials are close by. It’s like my security blanket.” — June 2023
John Derian
“I’ve had this tote for a decade, and I am a schlepper: This is my Mary Poppins carpetbag. I schlep stuff in and out and around the city in it; it goes from home to work and hangs around the shop. I don’t have a desk — this bag is where everything lives in various compartments. I take the tote to France twice a year — it works as my carry-on for flights. It’s what I use when traveling back and forth from Cape Cod. I go on a nine-seater plane, and they take it into the wing, so I have to remember to tie the top closed in that situation. The staff at the small airport recognizes this bag now. Last time, I remember a stranger was like, ‘Hey, your parsley is falling out!’” — May 2023
Julia Quinn
“I’ve had Away’s carry-on suitcase for a long time, probably from when the company first started. I just recently got the Everywhere bag [now called the Overnight Bag] too. If you use them together, you can pack an astonishing amount of stuff and still carry on everything. I’m on a two-week tour right now, and I managed to pack without having to check in anything, which is incredible. I was like, Woo-hoo, I get a master’s in Pack-ology. The suitcase rolls nicely and has the middle-divider compression strap that helps push everything down. That’s part of why you can fit so much.” — May 2023
Rachel Zoe
“This looks so expensive, but it’s very reasonably priced in the world of luggage. I have the carry-on and a larger suitcase, and I just had a custom bag made for my dog. It’s monogrammed with her name, Goldie. The bag is super-spacious. Along with Goldie, a few of her toys, her harness, and her leash can fit inside. I love that it’s 100 percent sustainable, but it doesn’t look like it. It just looks luxurious. I’ve traveled with it several times, and it all still looks brand-new.” — February 2023
Ottessa Moshfegh
“This bag is huge. I could bring it on a plane as a carry-on, and it could hold the entire contents of my suitcase. It’s seriously spacious and beautiful. I love the texture of the weave; it’s very flexible and really chic. More important, the practicality of this thing, without it looking like an ugly beach bag or something, is fantastic. It’s nice because the straps aren’t that long, so it’s not swaying around. It just sits there, and you can tuck your elbow against this little leather piece that looks like a tiny purse. Sometimes with these bags, the straps are so thin that they dig into your shoulder, but these are very comfortable.” — June 2022
Yara Shahidi
“I’m big about utility, like the fact that I can wash this backpack because I travel with it everywhere. Other bags that I’ve had in the past, you can just kind of see the wear and tear. My backpack is something that I have on the ground a lot of times, and it’s on me personally, so having something that I can wash and reuse is so great, and it’s cute. My navy-blue one is kind of my everyday bag that I use for everything. I really like the lime-green one for travel because at the airport I don’t want to have the same bag as everybody else.” — May 2022
Hasan Minhaj
“It has been around the world and back with me — every New York subway, international airport, every trip to Europe, India, Asia, even South Africa. People ask me, ‘Why don’t you get something more high-end or stylish?’ I will admit I have thought about it. But I only want this one because it has the perfect amount of compartments. It fits everything, but in an organized way. I don’t want my stuff to be all loose and wiggling around in my backpack. It’s like cargo pants: People may hate on them, but there are few things that are as functional as cargo pants.” — October 2021
Jamie Chung
“This bag can fit a lot and I love that it has a separate section where you can put dirty clothes or shoes or even wet things. It has a latch you can clip your keys to so you don’t lose them. It has a side pocket that can also be used as a sleeve to slip over the handle of rolling luggage. The bag is simple but designed so well. It’s kind of a perfect carry-on.” — August 2021
Halima Aden
“In addition to losing ID cards, I’m also the queen of leaving purses and bags on airplanes. I’m on my fourth passport because of that. One thing I like about this Rothy’s bag is that, because it’s so bright, it’s very hard to miss. I haven’t forgotten it anywhere yet. The bag also fits a lot — it’s not one of those itty-bitty handbags that everyone carries. My bags also tend to get dirty from use, but I can just throw this in the wash, and boom, it looks brand new.” — September 2020
Justin Peck
“I’m a really light traveler and I use this a ton. I hate checking a bag. I just like to be agile and fast-moving so I don’t have to waste too much time at airports. The Filson backpacks are great because they have so many compartments and they’re set up so you can pack a computer really safely, but they’re not ugly. I find that a lot of computer backpacks can be pretty hideous. So they’re a slightly more stylish bag. My wife actually bought me this one — a splurge, I think, for my birthday — and I love it. I use it every day in New York, too, so not just for traveling.” — May 2019
Roxane Gay
“I have TSA Pre-Check, and I’ve gotten used to just breezing through security without taking my laptop out of my bag. But this bag is great because on those occasions when I do have to put my bag through the machine, I still don’t have to take out my laptop. I can just unzip the back half, lay it flat, and put it through. It’s convenient and looks nice and I could almost use it as an overnight bag on quick trips.” — July 2018
Editor’s note: The original version of Timbuk2’s commute messenger bag is no longer available, so we included the updated version here.
Aly Michalka
“Four years ago, we were going on tour for the first time in a long time and needed new luggage. We got the rolling suitcases from Paravel and have used them every time we go on trips or tours ever since. Even with the hard shell, the luggage is really light. I’ve since bought a couple more pieces — totes and weekender bags. I know I’ll use all of them for years and years.” — May 2021
AJ Michalka
“Mine is silver — I call it the silver bullet. It’s really sleek and still looks nice even after getting a bit beaten up. We also use the suitcases to transport stuff to video shoots. We’ve been styling our own videos and these help us keep everything we bring organized.” — May 2021
Roxane Gay
“I don’t really not check bags because I just wanna take what I wanna take. I need options. I don’t want to wear variations on one outfit for five days. I’m not a Transformer. So I use this for long trips and short trips — it’s expandable, so if people give me things, which inevitably happens on tour, there’s room to put stuff in there. It’s ridiculously overpriced but well made. It rolls nicely, too.” — July 2018
Bridget Everett
“After I pack my suitcase, there’s my sort of whoopsie bag. Like, ‘Whoopsie, forgot that!’ I just throw in whatever sweater or extra T-shirt or shoes I like into my whoopsie bag. I like to have things that feel nice and practical and will last a long time. It also makes me very happy to see my orange bag. I just feel like I’m a lady who’s got my shit together when I’m carrying my Clare V.” — January 2024
Ruth E. Carter
“It’s a true weekender. It’ll hold a pair of tennis shoes, dress shoes, and two outfits. It’ll hold your cosmetic bag. It has side pockets for any kind of things you need to slide in there. It has the front compartment, if you really think you might want to bring your passport. You could get a small book in there. And the suitcase is the perfect size to go in the overhead or under the seat in front of you. I never check a bag when I bring it. I’ve had mine since I went to South Africa — one of the bags I brought with me — and that was in 2017. There’s nothing wrong with it still. It’s not stained. It’s not broken. It really does withstand the travel abuse of getting shoved around.” — May 2023
Ashley Tisdale
“I love everything from Beis and am a big fan of Shay Mitchell (one of the brand’s co-founders). Its suitcases are great, but the weekender bag is the best to travel with. It’s spacious and has tons of little compartments, so I can fit and organize all my stuff and my baby’s stuff really easily. Obviously, I haven’t been traveling too much lately, but when I have, I’ve brought this bag every time. I also love how chic it looks. I have the tan one but plan to get another in black.” — August 2022
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