Problem Solver: My Favorite Travel Backpacks

To build onto last week’s post about a long weekend in Boston, I thought I’d share with you my favorite travel accessories… our travel backpacks.

Our family is 100% in the ‘check no bags’ camp, because we like to hit the road running as soon as we get off the plane. So, if we are traveling for a week, we each have one of these suitcases (three different colors) and a small backpack for the plane. I typically do a load of laundry halfway through our trip and we are good to go.

For shorter trips, we like to just pack backpacks. That way, we can get the cheapest plane tickets and not be concerned if they run out of overhead storage space.

Back in 2022, I purchased this 40L backpack with storage bags and I’ve loved it for the past 4 years. You can read my full review on this bag here: Travel Backpack Review: This One is the BEST for Traveling! It has traveled all over the country with us and has held up perfectly.

For our shorter trips, Travis and Jack usually use their regular backpacks and I use the travel backpack for myself and any overflow. However, with our upcoming trip to Boston on the schedule, I thought now was the perfect time to grab a second travel backpack to incorporate into the mix.

I wanted one that was a little bit smaller than our original, so I picked this 35L version for just $27. I really like the pocket situation inside the backpack, which makes organizing clothes and really shoving them in super easy. It’s crazy how much extra room you get when it is designed like luggage, but disguised as a normal backpack.

I also love that this one has a water bottle holder on the outside! It comes in really cute colors like pink and teal, but I stuck with black to match our other one.

For a short trip like Boston, we will have the two travel backpacks and Jack will just have his regular backpack. Everything fits in the under seat storage area for personal items and we can grab and go once the plane lands!

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Planning a Family Trip to Boston

This year, our 18 year wedding anniversary aligns with the kid having a couple days off school, so obviously I had to check to see if there were any cheap plane fares to ANYWHERE fun for a long week. I checked a dozen or so potential destinations before selecting Boston.

Why Boston? Well, it will be the fall so the foliage will most likely be beautiful. The price was right. It’s a pretty darn quick flight, at just 90 minutes each way. By flying in early in the morning and leaving later at night, we get to enjoy three full days and two nights in the city.

I’ve actually visited Boston previously for a work conference but had very limited time to go out and about. However, without even realizing it, on a happy coincidence I booked the exact same hotel that I stayed at previously! Our home base will the be the Boston Marriott Copley Place and we plan to do our exploring on foot or by public transportation instead of renting a car.

Here’s what is on our possible adventure list:

Food tasting tour – as much as I would absolutely love to do a guided food tasting tour with a company, they seem to run about $100 a person… so $300 for our group is just too much for us. We want to eat ALL the foods though, so I think we might do a self-guided food tasting tour. Maybe one day will be pizza and another cannoli? I’m not sure yet and need to do some research.

Some places that people on Threads have suggested we visit: Galleria Umberto, Bova’s Bakery, Monica’s Trattoria, Pagliuca’s, Sail Loft, Formaggio Kitchen (for a picnic to take to a park), dumplings in Chinatown, Faneuil Hall’s Quincy Market, Clear Flour Bakery, Union Square Donuts, Harvest (for burgers), Eastern Edge Food Hall, Bowmarket Somerville. So it looks like I have some googling to do.

Walk Around – Copley Square Farmers’ Market, Boston Public Garden, Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, etc… it will be peak fall foliage time, so all the walking and exploring will be on the plan.

Shopping – There’s lots of fun stores to check out around Copley Square, so we will probably poke our heads into anything that looks interesting. The Boston Open Market sounds cool with over 50 artisan vendors. Last time I was in Boston, I also went to a Goodwill that was ginormous (1010 Harrison Ave), so we will probably stop by there too.

Segway Tour? – I did a Segway tour back in 2017 when I was in San Francisco for a conference and have wanted to do one with Travis and Jack ever since. There are a couple Segway tour options in Boston, but I’m not sure if we will feel too rushed to schedule one on this trip.

So, it’s pretty clear I still have a bunch of research left to do for our October trip. Or, it could just be all lobster rolls and waterfront strolls…

If you have recommendations of places to see, stores to shop, or food to eat, please let me know!

My Style: August 2026

Due to personal life turmoil, this entire summer has flown by in a haze. Suddenly, August has passed, schools are in session, and crisp fall weather is right around the corner.

Thankfully, autumn is my favorite season which also contains my birthday and our wedding anniversary, so I’m looking forward to time marching by a bit. Also, I just booked two vacations which gives me all the dopamine and adventures to look forward to.

Let’s take a look at my August outfits:

Office Style

Very similar looks for the office this month — in fact, I wore the same chambray shirt for both. Which is funny to me, because I have historically HATED button up shirts on me. They typically pull at the bust and/or look quite frumpy on my body shape. I thrifted this magical one and added a couple little invisible snaps between the buttons to keep from any bust pulling.

Both skirts were also thrifted and tailored by me. The white one was a maxi skirt that fit oddly around my waist, so I chopped off the top tier and reattached it to the existing waistband. The floral skirt was a vintage Laura Ashley find that I knew was too small for me. Once again, I chopped top tier off. But for this one, I inserted some new elastic to make a new waistband. Love them both now!

Both looks were topped with a lightweight thrifted cardigan. On the left, I wore secondhand Mary Jane Rothy’s and on the right I wore secondhand Eileen Fisher sandals (both from Poshmark).

Casual Outfits

First up, we have two skirt outfits with the same formula: t-shirt + skirt + cute shoes. It’s my typical summer outfit for leaving the house and how I feel the most “me” going out into the world. I thrifted the skirt on the left and it has this magical way of looking cute with pretty much everything. The skirt on the right was a ‘add one more item for free shipping’ purchase last year and it’s still in rotation.

Last, we have two dresses re-styled because they both have spaghetti straps and I like to wear a real bra. For the outfit on the left, I did the old ‘tie a shirt over it’ trick and mixed things up with little polka dots. For the outfit on the right, I just threw on a t-shirt and knotted it in the front for some shape. Easy peasy and comfy.

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 8 items that I purchased retail and 11 items I purchased secondhand.