Come Fly With Me

Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru

In llama land, there's a one man band

And he'll toot his flute for you

Come fly with me, we'll float down in the blue

Who doesn't love the thrill of travel? Packing your bags. Relishing a new stamp in your passport. Saying hello to old friends at the airport. Buying make-up duty free. The joys!

Sometimes I wonder though, if the fun hasn't been taken out of travel. It's so accessible - definitely a good thing - but that also means we take the ability to travel for granted. Gone are the days when an hour or two in an aircraft meant hours preening in the mirror before departure. Gone is the matching luggage, carefully handwritten name tags. Now a piece of dirty ribbon or a sticker from the Phi Phi Islands is sufficient for us to recognise our battered suitcases.

Take mine for example. My trusty green suitcase has travelled the globe (and has more travel to do, by gum!) and yet it is one of the ugliest, most embarrassing items I own. And worse - not only is my suitcase a sight for sore eyes, but my own presentation on aircraft has at times been revolting. I wouldn't go to the chemist dying of the the flu dressed as badly as I have upon embarking an international flight.

Compare this to the dream I have in those heady, early days of packing: Louis Vuitton suitcase (minimal luggage of course). Hermes head scarf. Pashmina. Bottle of Evian (bottled water is itself a luxury in these terror-fied times). Dark sunglasses. Perfect hair. Radiant skin and smack-ready lips.

While Louis Vuitton and Hermes is a little out of reach for most people (where's that rich husband when I need him?), the Samsonite Black Label range is to die for. Remember when people used to dress up for travel (so I hear, anyway)? That era of glamour travel has been revived by Samsonite.

The range comes in multiple colours (including gorgeous hues of pink, elegant tweeds and stunning faux animal skins). Of course, it's not yet available in Australia. Again - a trip to HK is required here.

Just as sweetly reminiscent as the exterior, try this interior on for size:

Catch me if you can...