On landing in NYC we make a point of stopping in at our favorite tiny travel boutique in Greenwich Village.

If Manhattan isn’t on your flight path, visit Flight 001’s website to stock up on handy travel musts like an ultra-light 6.5 lb Claire Newell trolley ($130), cassette-tape luggage tags ($12), a mini-version of Battleship ($10) or purple USB power cubes for powering up the iPad ($30). Our superfave? Nylon Spacepaks (from $20) that compress clothing so you’ve got extra room for all the damage you did at Century 21.

Virtual Broadway, here we come.

www.flight001.com

With carry-on luggage rules as fickle as a Montreal winter, we’re checking all and sundry. 

Hunting for the lightest suitcase in town, we’ve fallen for Rimowa’s new Salsa Air (from $429). This Czech-made rolly has indestructible polycarbonate casing, smaller wheels and single tier handles, making it 26 per cent lighter than other lines. 

We love the state of the art cylinder lock and eye-catching shades like Ultra Violet, Inca Gold and Aqua Marine. A new suitcase might not save us from full-body scans but it’s awfully pretty coming round the carousel.

At Taschen! Ogilvy, 1307 Ste-Catherine Street W., Montreal, 514-288-6219, www.ogilvycanada.com

It’s chaos at the carousel. 

Now that VIA Rail has introduced mandatory checked luggage on its express trains, we’ve endured long waits, a few bruises and several cases of mistaken identity. Now we’ve found a way to spot our bag among countless other black wheelies—Tagalongs Not Your Bags tags ($10) come in poppy colours like pink, mint and lime, with bilingual messages that bluntly make their point: That’s My Stuff, Don’t Take Me, Maybe Not, and Guess Again. It doesn’t get any clearer than that. 

Now if only they’d help get us a cab.

At www.mytagalongs.com

We all have baggage in our lives, but some is a little easier to get a handle on.

We’re seeing the world through rose-colored glasses since discovering SteamLine’s vintage-style Editor Series luggage (from $82).  Made from all natural linen, the peppy vanity case, stowaway and carry-on adds a modern twist to the classic steamer trunk. We also love that each piece comes with a lock, detachable shoulder strap and wheels. 

Add the pretty candy-stripe lining and leather straps in chocolate, mustard or pink and this is heavy baggage we don’t mind one bit.

www.steamlineluggage.com

Half the fun of traveling is the journey itself, and you may as well look fabulous while you’re on your way.

WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie’s collection of bags and accessories will do very nicely, thank you. Designed by Montreal twins Dexter and Byron Peart, these luxurious bags are hand crafted in Italy using fine, full-grain leather.

We’re saving our pennies for the timelessly cool De Gaulle laptop bag in white with black trim ($1,075) and the Malpensa (named after Milan’s airport) 24-HR carry-on travel bag in burnt henna ($1,595).

And all the WANT bags get better-looking with age, just like us.

WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie is available at Holt Renfrew. www.wantessentials.com