I don't know if you have seen the crazy-low fares that Frontier Airlines are running right now (blog post to come later), but I jumped on those fares faster than you can blink. Less than $100 round trip to sun and a beach from my land-locked state? Sold! My sister and I decided to take a sister trip - no husbands (easy for me since I don't have one), no parents, no dogs, just us. Ahhhhh.
The only problem with Frontier is their fees. Sweet goodness, I'm surprised the recirculated oxygen is free. Anywho, they wanted to charge us $30 for the carry-on. Since I'm in the running for Cheapest Person on the Planet, that didn't sit well with me. Surely I have a bag that will be workable with the personal item measurements I thought. If nothing else, I'd ship stuff. It'd be cheaper.
I used to sell Thirty-One bags, and still have many from when I was selling them, so I decided to dive into my treasure trove of merchandise. I had one in mind but when I held it up it was a lot bigger than I remembered. Dangit. I thought, frustrated. That one had all the pockets! I pulled another out (which I grumbled about, because it didn’t have half the pockets), and went off to find my measuring tape.
My preferred bag was too big, but the second one I pulled was absolute perfection. I mean that - I double-checked the measurements allowed for a personal item on Frontier and this bag was basically made to fit. It's called the All-Day Organizing Tote from Thirty-One, and it is heaven-sent. The personal bag requirements on Frontier are bags that are less than 14x8x18 inches, and the Thirty-One tote is 13.5x7x17.5. Ding ding ding! We have a winner!
Here’s a picture of my bag (sorry, I don't think they make this pattern anymore), and a picture of almost everything I crammed into it. If you can’t tell from the photo, this includes:
- Beach towel
- Disney backpack (souvenir)
- Disney puzzle (souvenir)
- Jeans
- Yoga pants (not pictured)
- Shoes
- Flip-flops (not pictured)
- 1 book
- iPad mini (not pictured)
- Clutch
- Wallet (not pictured)
- Charging cords
- 5 shirts
- Dress
- Make-up bag
- Toiletries bag
- Socks
- Swimsuit
- Power bank (w/ box)
For this trip I decided to take the "less-is-more" approach, but still managed to wear something different every day. This bag is $45 from Thirty-One, compared to the $30 for a carry-on (or $60 if you pay at the gate!). If you carry this bag twice, you've already won. I had women on my Frontier flight coming up to me saying, "that's so cool! I need one!"
There were a few small maneuvers to get it to fit into the sizing box, but the bag doesn't allow for much more than will fit. It truly was the perfect bag to have as a personal item, and I would recommend it to anyone. Because the fabric wipes clean, we even took it to the beach and used it as our beach tote. There are four pockets inside, and a small pocket outside. I would've killed for a few more pockets, but it worked just perfectly.
If Frontier continues these ridiculously low fares, I'll keep flying whenever I jolly well please. And you can bet that my trusty bag will be with me wherever I go!
*Full disclosure: I used to sell Thirty-One bags, but have been inactive for almost a year. This is not a paid endorsement in any way, shape, or form. I have nothing to gain from recommending this bag. If you are interested in ordering, order online here or contact a Thirty-One representative.
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