I’ve traveled overseas quite a bit, and in consequence, I’ve determined I don’t consider in souvenirs that aren’t edible. I need my family members to truly just like the souvenirs I convey again, and I’ve discovered that fish paste in a tube, sticky rice muffins wrapped in seaweed, and licorice cookies get a way more enthusiastic response than an Eiffel Tower key chain ever would. And shopping for meals for associates means I get to poke round grocery shops overseas, lusting after the entire native cheeses and marveling on the approach the cereal packaging manages to be a lot cuter.
However as a lot as I like stunning somebody with tinned sardines from Portugal and pineapple muffins from Taiwan, all these souvenirs might be tough to pack and transport again residence safely. Since I already know I’ve a severe grocery store procuring behavior, I’ve began touring with a second suitcase completely for bringing residence edible presents.
Even if you happen to’re not prepared for that complete checked-bag stage of dedication to the meals memento, selecting a carry-on that’s effectively designed for packing a couple of meals souvenirs will imply your pals can expertise that life-changing cookie you ate, even when they didn’t get the holiday that went together with it. Now that I’ve constructed nearly a 20-year popularity for bringing again scrumptious snacks, I’m comfy saying that I’ve mastered the artwork of packing meals souvenirs—with no squashed panettone and 0 damaged bottles so far. Listed below are my favourite journey baggage for carrying edible presents residence.
What to search for in a journey bag
One of the best journey baggage for meals souvenirs don’t should be costly or specialised—although this listing does embody some luxe choices for carrying your hyper-regional Lay’s potato chips in fashion. Search for baggage which might be light-weight, sturdy, and cozy to hold when you’ve stuffed them with Korean tteok, Swiss pralines, and Argentinian alfajores.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to decide on a cloth that’s straightforward to scrub as a result of spills, damaged containers, and different mishaps usually tend to occur with edible souvenirs than with, say, an opulent toy koala or plastic magnet.
Lastly, the perfect journey bag for snacks options plenty of sections and compartments; that approach you may tuck little jars into protected areas the place they received’t clank towards one another. You may think about investing in a set of packing cubes, as effectively, for much more potential spill containment and insulation.
A Multipurpose Adventurer’s Bag
You may suppose this bag is for outdoorsy sorts—the type of individual whose supreme trip entails lengthy hikes by desert dunes quite than traversing cities to search out area of interest Haribo flavors. However it’s truly good for meals souvenirs. The duffle bag has a spacious essential compartment that’s nice for becoming in massive meals gadgets you don’t need to crush, like meter-long seaweed snacks. It’s additionally convertible so you may put on it as a backpack or take away the straps completely.
A Timeless Expandable Tote
My mother and her sisters have carried Longchamp for the reason that ’90s, and I nonetheless flip to this iconic French model for all my meals memento procuring escapades. Longchamp’s baggage are extremely mild and might fold as much as match into the palm of your hand once they’re not in use, making them an optimum additional bag to tuck into your suitcase for filling with presents for the journey residence. The versatile and expandable Le Pliage is my present favourite. It’s roomy, and the recycled polyamide materials is a breeze to scrub with a moist towel if one thing like a bottle of shampoo (or an area jam) bursts within the bag. If you go overboard looking for meals souvenirs, it expands into a bigger tote—nifty for packing additional packets of German lebkuchen.
And a Barely Bigger Model
For larger journeys overseas and visits to international locations recognized for cute pasta shapes and hard-to-find historical rice varieties, I like to recommend Longchamp’s Le Pliage Vitality Weekender Bag. It’s light-weight for its dimension with a extra structured base that helps me set up my souvenirs effectively.
