Awesome Travel Deal & A Peek Inside My Summer Bag

Happy Friday!

It’s here! The wicker bag I ordered a few days ago came, so I’m sharing some pics of how it looks in person, as promised.

 

I took photos in a few different spots in the upstairs living room so you could get a better idea of the color in different lighting.

 

The leather top is a nice warm brown and I really like the bamboo handle.

 

The interior is a pretty blue and white pinstripe…love that!

 

I added the things I plan to carry inside. I usually carry a very small bag on an every day basis, so there’s still a ton of space left inside.

 

Inside I have a long wallet that holds my driver’s license, credit cards, cash…the usual stuff you keep in a wallet. I have a small Stubbs and Wootton velvet bag that I keep stocked with a mini-sewing kit, a couple of packets of Shout stain remover  and my lipstick/lip gloss. I try to never carry lipstick or lip gloss loose in a handbag for fear the top will come off and ruin the bag. Just feel better keeping it inside a separate bag.

I also carry a pen (little black pouch) and one of my favorite travel perfumes. I love this travel-size perfume because the top twists up, so you never have to worry about it accidentally spilling inside a bag. You have to purposely twist it up, which requires a little effort.

 

This is the Chanel perfume travel/gift set I purchased a few months back. It’s perfect for travel or carrying in a handbag. The center one in the photo below is twisted up so you can see how they work. I get so many compliments on the Eau Tendre, but they all smell wonderful. You’ll find this set available here: Travel Perfume.

 

I tucked my cell phone into the back pocket. That pocket is so deep, the phone can stand up vertically in the bag. There’s still a lot of space left. I was tempted to put a brush inside, but truth be told, once I leave the house I pretty much never brush my hair again. Plus, I have a brush in my glove box in the car. But it’s clear a small brush would easily fit inside. There is plenty of room for my sunglasses and car keys, too. Definitely a roomy bag!

 

I’m very pleased with this bag. It’s exactly what I had envisioned when I was trying to find a wicker bag last summer. So glad I held off and waited until this year to buy one because this one is perfect! If you’re in need of a summer wicker bag, you’ll find this one here: Wicker Bag.

J. McLaughlin Straw Bag with Bamboo Handle

 

Travel Deals

Since I caught the travel bug, I’m always watching the last minute travel deals that pop up with Overseas Adventure Travel, the company I used for my recent trip to Morocco. In case you’re interested, the Morocco trip is being offered again for a special price. It’s $1,845 and that’s for a 14-day trip. I think that’s even less than what I paid when I went.

Riding a Camel in the Beautiful Sahara Desert, March 2017

 

That price doesn’t include airfare, but it does include almost all the meals and all gratuities/tips. The only tip that isn’t included is the tip for the trip director.

This was our trip director, Issam. He was excellent. He has the perfect temperament for being a guide…fearless, incredibly patient and so smart. I was impressed with his knowledge of the history of his country. He also has a great sense of humor as seen below when he let us take his photo after we stopped to admire the wild poppies growing along side of the road near the Atlas Mountains.

 

All the guides on the trip live in Morocco, so they were extremely knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions. I was impressed with all of our guides on this trip.

By the way, if you watch the video at OAT’s  website about the trip, ignore the tents where they show the 2-night stays in the Sahara Desert. The tents have been improved and are now permanent tents with running water and a real working shower and toilet. So it’s much more glamping, than camping.

 

They are quite cozy! You can read more about that part of the trip and see the tents in this previous post: Glamping in the Sahara Desert, A Moroccan Adventure. Of course, the rest of the time we were staying in beautiful hotels or authentic riads.

 

You can see the full Itinerary for the trip and read more about it here: Morocco. Ignore the price you see at that page because it’s the regular pricing and doesn’t reflect the special pricing of $1,845. You can see the correct pricing and all of the other deals OAT has right now here: Travel Deals.

Additional Discount: Also, if you mention my name or this referral code: 2634289, they will give you an additional $100 off your trip. They will also give me $100 toward a future trip, so appreciate you giving them my referral code if you do book a trip.

A big reason I love traveling with OAT is, they don’t charge a single supplement if you’re traveling alone. That’s incredibly helpful because the single supplement is quite high when traveling with other companies.

Also, they limit the group size to no more than 16 travelers. We had 14 in our group. The photo below was taken when we stopped to talk to some ladies who were from another part of Morocco. I’m standing toward the center, of course wearing my much-loved polka-dot shirt. lol This was such a great group, made a lot new friends on this trip.

 

Morocco is definitely a country I will never forget. You could spend days just going through the markets in Fez and Marrakesh. If you were following me on Instagram HERE, you saw the photos I was posting each day in real time.

 

The markets were interesting but my favorite part of the trip was when we were out traveling and touring the countryside. Morocco is a beautiful country and the landscape is so diverse! One minute you’re passing through the snow-covered Atlas Mountains, and a couple hours later, you’re in the Sahara Desert!

 

Some parts are lush and green while others are quite rugged. The Ziz River is the most gorgeous aqua green! If you’ve ever wanted to see Morocco, I encourage you to go with OAT because it was an amazing trip. I will definitely be taking more trips with Overseas Adventure Travel in the future. I love the small groups, the great price and the awesome guides. You can do and see so much more with a small group. I’m still amazed at how much we did during those two weeks!

 

Have a great weekend, dear Friends!

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Comments

  1. I am having purse issues. I now wear glasses full time and carry my sunglasses because you know… you need them, but it is pretty large since my sunglasses are large. I have the long wallet and a rfid case for my credit/medical et al. cards. I prefer a hobo style that usually accommodates my stuff without it being too big and leaves my hands free to shop. But, I love the shape of your basket. 🙂 I am putting a hairbrush in my glove compartment right now.

    Susan, I wanted to tell you to be sure and check out the spice markets, but you had already left by the time I thought to tell you. I was giddy when I saw your photo in the spice market. Did you bring any back?

  2. I didn’t, I was worried I’d be hassled when I arrived back in customs. They are so picky about what you bring back from Africa. I don’t know if you remember how much trouble they gave me in the Atlanta airport when I brought back the six, small wood animals for my grandson. So I didn’t want to attempt to bring anything like that back. I think a couple of the ladies in the group did bring back a few spices. I’m not sure how that worked, hopefully they didn’t have too much trouble. You would have loved that spice market, Madonna!

  3. Love your new bag! And you look terrific in your polka dot shirt & sweater. I am content to see Morocco from my armchair through your photos. It’s just not high on my list, but still, I’m really grateful you give us the scoop on your choice destinations. I really do appreciate seeing it all. Have a wonderful weekend, Susan.

    • Thanks, Rita! My main reason for wanting to go there was to see the Sahara Desert and the stars from the desert. I could have come home happy after that. lol
      Have a great weekend!
      XX

  4. Dawne Marie says

    Love the beautiful straw bag! Pinstripe! What a beauty. I have the travel Chanel Mademoiselle Coco. I have refills, really like it for travel. I like all the Morrocco stuff too. Thanks for all you do.
    Have a wonderful Memorial Day Susan!

  5. Juanita in OH says

    Your bag is everything I thought it would be and more. The bamboo handle is stunning. I LOVE the way you have it packed, everyday I learn something new from you. I never thought about putting things in separate carriers. TFS

  6. Love the straw bag, it should serve you well and looks so stylish! Your trip looks amazing! We didn’t travel outside the country last year and have no plans this year. We have been fortunate to travel to over 40 countries in the last 13 years. We still want to go to New Zealand and Australia!

    • Wow, Pam…this is amazing! I would love to see how your travel bucket list map would look after you scratched off all the places you’ve been! I bet you have some amazing memories!

  7. Cynthia Raines says

    Really LOVE that straw purse!! It looks like it is just the right size and love the blue and white pin strips inside. It is a real charmer!

    • Thanks, Cyndi! I’m excited to have finally one I like! Hope you and hubby have a wonderful weekend and hope your weather is as nice as it is here right now.

  8. patricia says

    Love your new bag. The size, in my opinion, is perfect. Frankly, I’m tired of carrying large designer totes that weigh so much even when they are empty and leave me searching and digging for my essentials that somehow escaped from their inner organizer pockets. Yes, I’m looking at you Michael Kors and Tory Burch. Give me a small handbag I can carry on my arm every time!

    • Patricia, I know what you mean. Leather bags can be so heavy. I love a small, crossbody bag for shopping. I have a “WOC” wallet-on-a-chain, that I love to wear when I’m out for a day of errands/shopping or anytime I know I’ll be walking a lot, like on a garden tour. It’s perfect for that. My larger, leather bags get relegated to being used when I’m just going to one place and won’t be doing much walking.
      Do you find you tend to use the same bag or one of two bags, 95% of the time? I’m glad I can finally give my crossbody WOC a well-deserved rest now that I have a summer bag, but I’ll probably still return to it when I know I’ll be out running errands the whole day.

      • Patricia says

        I do love my jcrew signet crossbody bags. I would love a lightweight leather tote that zippers for plane travel, but I have yet to find one that meets my needs; including being able to slip it over the handles of my roll- on. And yes, there are times I get in a bag slump and just happily march around with the same bag for months. I do find with larger bags that having a separately removable organizer makes it easier to change bags. Do you ever use those? They are readily available on Amazon.

  9. Jennifer Christenberry says

    Thank you for posting about the fragrances! I have a large Chanel steel bottle that I travel with when not carrying by bag on the plane. A smaller size would be so nice! I didn’t know they were available.

    • You are very welcome! 🙂 Jennifer, I’m sure Chanel didn’t do it just for me, but I emailed them a couple of times last year asking them to offer more of their perfumes in the small, travel/twist containers. lol
      I already had their Coco Mademoselle in the travel size, but they had offered the one that I get the most compliments on, Chance, Eau Tendre. I couldn’t believe it when I was shopping in Macy’s after Valentine’s Day and came across that set. The sales associate told me they had produced it for Valentine’s Day. I’m amazed they still have any left this late in the year. Macy’s is the only place I’ve been able to find it.
      I need to check and see if they have started offering “Coco” in a travel size yet. It’s my absolute favorite of the Chanel fragrances, well of the ones I’ve tried. Have you tried their new fragrance, N°5 L’EAU? I think it’s a updated take on the Chanel N° 5.

  10. Please I wanted the website for the spoons that you can have engraved with words. I can’t remember the date of the post where you gave the website.

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