She packed one bag for two weeks. Her husband asked if she'd forgotten the rest.

A reader's account of how a small Newcastle boutique bag replaced her entire holiday luggage — and why she says she'll never travel without it again.

Jessica Bennett

London, UK · 5 July 2026 · 7 min read

I am sixty-three years old, and two weeks ago I came home from the best holiday I have had in years. Not because of where we went — we have been to Mallorca before. Not because of the weather, which was lovely but not unusual. Because for the first time in as long as I can remember, I did not spend a single morning standing in front of a hotel wardrobe thinking: I brought the wrong bag.

I brought one bag. The Clare. And it was enough for everything.

I loved it so much that when I got home, I went straight back to the Ginny & Co website and ordered two more — the Two-Tone and the Coastal. Their anniversary sale was running and I got 15% extra off for buying three items. One for every mood, one for every occasion. My husband thinks I have lost the plot. I think I have finally found it.

Every woman who has ever packed for holiday knows the suitcase moment

You are standing in your bedroom three days before you fly. There is a suitcase open on the bed. There are four bags lined up beside it. The wicker one that looks lovely but cannot hold a water bottle without it falling over. The canvas tote that fits everything but looks like a shopping bag. The crossbody that is too small for sunscreen. And the good leather bag that weighs more empty than it should full.

You will pack two of them. You will use one. And you will spend the entire holiday wishing you had brought the other.

I have done this for thirty years. I am not doing it again.

What changed

My friend Helen told me about the Clare three weeks before we flew. She had taken it to Lake Garda and said she had not used another bag the entire trip. I was sceptical. One bag for a whole holiday? Helen is a light packer, but even she usually takes three.

She sent me a photo. It was handwoven, natural ivory with brown leather straps. It looked expensive. It looked like the kind of bag I would see in a boutique and talk myself out of buying.

It was forty-nine pounds and ninety-five pence. With free delivery. I nearly checked twice.

I ordered it that evening. It arrived four days later. I put everything else back in the wardrobe.

When I got home from Mallorca, Ginny & Co were running their anniversary sale. I ordered the Two-Tone in Khaki & Beige and the Coastal in a softer ivory. Three items meant 15% extra off — so all three bags cost me less than what I paid for one leather tote two summers ago that I used exactly four times.

Fourteen days, one bag

Here is what I used it for, because I kept a list. Not intentionally at first — I started writing it down after day four, when I realised I had not once reached for the canvas tote I had packed "just in case."

• Day one: AirportPassport, boarding passes, phone, sunglasses, a paperback, two cereal bars, and a packet of mints. Everything fit. The zip pocket kept my passport safe without me having to rummage.
• Day three: BeachSunscreen, a towel rolled up, water bottle, my book, and my husband's reading glasses because he always forgets them. The open weave let the sand fall through instead of collecting at the bottom.
• Day five: Market day in PalmaPurse, phone, a light cardigan, and space left over for two lemons, a bag of olives, and a hand-painted tile I could not walk past.
• Day eight: DinnerJust my purse, lipstick, phone, and a pashmina. The Clare looked elegant enough for a restaurant. The leather straps dressed it up without me having to change bags.
• Day eleven: Coastal walkWater, sunscreen, snacks, my camera. The padded straps meant no red marks, even after three hours.
• Day fourteen: Airport homeEverything back in, plus the souvenirs. Still not overstuffed. Still looked beautiful.

Why it works for holiday

Three things I noticed that I did not expect.

1. It does not show dirt. Two weeks of beaches, markets, restaurants, and cobblestone streets, and it wiped clean every time. The natural ivory does not stain the way I feared it would.
2. It packs flat. When I was not using it, it folded down to almost nothing in the suitcase. No rigid base, no awkward shape. It gave me back the space that my usual bags steal.
3. It looks right everywhere. Beach bar at lunchtime. Restaurant in the evening. Airport on the way home. I did not once feel underdressed or overdressed.

What my husband said

On the third morning, David looked at me getting ready and said, "Are you taking the same bag again?"

I said yes.

He said, "Have you lost the others?"

I told him I had left them at home on purpose.

He thought about this for a moment, then said, "Well, you have been ready fifteen minutes earlier every morning this holiday, so I am not going to argue."

Three styles. One perfect holiday bag.

I now own all three. The original Clare for everyday. The Two-Tone for when I want something with a bit more character. And the Coastal for softer, quieter days. Each one has the same fully lined interior, zip pocket, and padded leather-look straps. They just look different enough that David has stopped asking if I have lost the others.

And with Ginny & Co's anniversary sale, the more you buy, the more you save. I got 15% extra off for buying three.

What I'd tell you if we were sitting by the pool

If we were on holiday together with a glass of something cold, and you asked me whether you should order one before your next trip, I would keep it simple.

Stop packing three bags. You need one that is big enough for a full day, light enough for a long walk, and beautiful enough for dinner. The Clare is all three. At forty-nine pounds and ninety-five pence with free delivery, it costs less than a single meal out on holiday.

And I would tell you to order it now, because their anniversary sale is still running. Buy two and save 10% extra. Buy three like I did and save 15%. But do not wait — the sale ends soon, and there is nothing worse than finding the perfect holiday bag after you have already packed.

Order it before you pack.

— Jessica