Coffee Break: Tokyo Tote
This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The last time we rounded up luxury bags for work, DeMellier only had a few offerings that were large enough to fit papers or a laptop, at least as far as I could see. This Tokyo tote is definitely big enough, though, at 17.5″W x 6.25″D x 10.25″H.
I like the magnetic tab closure, the interior pockets, and (YAY!) protective metal feet.
It's even on the affordable side of luxury: it's $595. You can find it at Bloomingdale's and a bunch of other places, including NET-A-PORTER, ShopBop, Neiman Marcus, and of course DeMellier.com. Bloomie's has it in three colors, but the other sites have additional options.
As of 2024, some of our latest favorite luxury work bags (large enough to hold papers and a laptop!) include Bottega Veneta, Mulberry, Saint Laurent, Kaai, and DeMellier. Of course, note that a lot of our readers who are in big jobs note that they love their (more affordable) Lo & Sons bags, as well as their Tumi.
Sales of note for 1/22/25:
- Nordstrom – Cashmere on sale; AllSaints, Free People, Nike, Tory Burch, and Vince up to 60%; beauty deals up to 25% off
- AllSaints – Clearance event, now up to 70% off (some of the best leather jackets!)
- Ann Taylor – All sale dresses $40 (ends 1/23)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything
- Boden – Clearance, up to 60% off!
- DeMellier – Final reductions now on, free shipping and returns — includes select options like Montreal, Vancouver, and Venice
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; extra 50% off all clearance, plus ELOQUII X kate spade new york collab just dropped
- Everlane – Sale of the year, up to 70% off; new markdowns just added
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 50% off cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – End of season sale, extra 60-70% off clearance, online only
- Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale – extra 50% off
what’s your most “get off my lawn” complaint? some of mine (as a xennial):
– car headlights should not be that bright! (there’s apparently no federal limit or guideline — i also think they shoudln’t be that tall, especially since they apparently result in more pedestrian deaths, and it’s just a style choice)
– no one ever needs to leave a voicemail
– tv shows should come out more often than once every 3 years (and be given more than 8 episodes to succeed, but i’m just salty about the acolyte)
what are yours?
White crew socks look dumb.
I despise the Alexa devices in my house because they’re making my family lazier than I dreamed possible and half the time she’s unresponsive to my voice (seriously), but I have lost that battle.
Try speaking in a lower tone for Alexa. Everything in the world is designed for men.
I will fight you for the Alexa.
I ask it to play music, add things to my shopping list, and how much does 2 cups do flour weigh in grams, all while my hands are engaged in making a meal. This is way better having to stop and wash my hands and pick up my phone and type it all in.
Sorry/not sorry. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. 10 years ago people probably would have chastised me for needing a phone to do these things, and I should just go to the computer and do it, and before that I guess 1) walk over to the hifi and put on a record, 2) use a physical shopping list (which would involve washing and drying my hands), and 3) I guess completely stopping dinner to go find a reference book and do a manual calculation on 2 cups to grams. Oh, and I wouldn’t have had a digital scale either.
Not into being a Luddite here.
Ha-ha, a good general physical cookbook, like “The Joy of Cooking,” will have a chart of conversions. But I hear you.
My digital scale is probably 15 years old.
I probably wouldn’t have had one when I (actually my parents) used a hifi!
I won’t have Alexa in our house. Totally creeps me out from a privacy standpoint.
Same.
Nobody cares what you talk about in your home.
I used to have one in my bathroom so I could listen to music or the news while I was getting ready. Alexa, if you want to listen to my bathroom noises, knock yourself out.
By the way, if you use “hey siri” then your phone or watch is also listening in this way. It’s not listening for juicy tidbits. It’s listening for the phrase “hey siri” just like Alexa is listening for “Alexa.” No one cares about your conversation in the kitchen about your asshole neighbors.
Okay, but I care.
And this is how we lose our privacy rights. “Sure, read my emails, I have nothing to hide”….
I don’t use Siri either
Same. And people who are trying to sell you things absolutely care. With AI tools, parsing and analyzing this data in massive volumes is on the horizon if not already here.
You may find this interesting. It’s not really about listening per se. It’s about proximity.
https://www.newsweek.com/your-social-media-apps-are-not-listening-you-tech-worker-explains-data-privacy-viral-twitter-1595136
I really think it’s both; I have examples that aren’t explained by the proximity story.
I would also bet a lot that they’re training LLMs on what they can hear now if nothing else, legal or not.
Totally agree about the tv show thing, though to be fair, I think they’ve had a rough go of it with Covid and then the strikes. I hope that once things get back on track, all but the most vfx intensive shows get back to something closer to yearly releases.
-not everything is a trauma/attack
-wants are not the same as needs
-having to download an app to get a ticket or some other single use item
agree with all of these and the OP’s tv thing, but i think voicemails can have a purpose in many contexts. like i just left a voicemail for a tree trimming company, or my kids’ school left me a voicemail i need to provide some additional info (over the phone). are you saying people should just text or email instead of voicemail? i also love that i have a few voicemails from my mom from before she lost her ability to speak and passed away
Yes, in most cases when you get voicemail, you should hang up. The person knows you called. If there’s something you want to communicate, text it.
If people leave me voicemails, I look at the transcription and delete it.
Sometimes things are complex, takes a lot more time to text to be clear, tone can be misunderstood et… I still find voicemails useful for certain things.
The number of times I text someone a question…. or 3 …. because everyone only wants to text…. and then they reply without answering the question. Just ugh. Sometimes you just wish people weren’t scared to take a 30 second phone call.
Oh honey, I am ESPECIALLY not listening to your “complex” voicemail!
Voicemails are just torture. If they’re not useless, they’re conveying information in a format that’s inconvenient to reference.
+1 to all of these. And also that voicemail still has a place. I hate (HATE) getting text messages for every darn thing, and for work purposes. Texts used to just be personal. Now it’s flooded with spam. And if it’s work related, please email me. Then I see and process it. And can file it appropriately. Hrrumph.
I agree. I also don’t want a text for something professional: it’s far too casual a medium. Call or email.
+1
Text alone for work purposes is asking for trouble.
I am trying to ignore work texts and respond quickly to emails because I am tired of people texting me!
I agree with all your takes, here are mine:
– Products need to stop shrinking! I would rather pay more than deal with shrinkflation and tiny products
– Restaurants should have paper menus, none of this QR nonsense
(Grumpy young millenial)
totally agree with both of those as an older millenial
Fellow young millennial and the QR code menus drive me crazy!!!
There should be real menus, not QR codes to get it on your phone.
Jinx!
People need to start picking up after their dogs. I don’t want to hear one single complaint about bikers being “destructive” on trails when on any given day, there are at least 20 fresh dog “deposits” spoiling the environment at every trailhead.
And I have another one – I hate being prompted to set up 2FA for every damn thing, especially if it requires a special app.
As someone who has had multiple instances of identity theft and fraud, I love two factor authentication!
Oh, I have too – but I still hate it.
I’d love adequate security that wasn’t a PITA time suck even better though!
Dog owner here and I agree on the poop. My rant is that you need to control your dog! Almost everyone who walks their dog off leash thinks their dog is perfect, but those dogs are rarely under voice control, and if your dog bounds up to my dog, she will interpret that as being attacked and respond appropriately. She also doesn’t have to like you lunging at her to pet her without asking!
(She mostly does warning barks in both situations, but people get so offended by that when honestly, they’re the ones engaging in rude/inappropriate behaviors)
Yes. So sick of dog poop everywhere!
Not everything is aspergers or some other neurodivergent diagnoses – some people are just rude or awkward and don’t want to improve their behavior.
Preach – and even if you do have a condition, it’s still your responsibility to not be rude.
Im also tired of mild “neurodivergence” in general being treated like a disability. Yes, there are people who are non-verbal or lack the ability to understand social cues, and that is a problem.
However, many people “on the spectrum” are “different” because, according to research, they think more creatively and do deeper dives into their interests.
Contemplate how labeling that as “divergent” sounds. Flame away.
I totally agree. The way people talk about accommodating ADHD now is so over the top. I have ADHD. You have to learn to cope.
I think the issue was the meds shortage. Meds work much better than though in conjunction with coping skills for the majority of people with ADHD.
This is one of the differences between people who do and don’t really have these diagnoses. The people who really have them are perceived as rude, off putting, awkward, or hostile whatever they say or do because of what people read into their affect, and because they cannot keep up with subtle social cues in real time well enough to apply the learned rules of courtesy fluently.
If someone who has one of these diagnoses is being actively rude, that’s no different from anyone else being actively rude and isn’t a sign. It’s specifically when someone is perceived and rude while acting out politeness that it’s a sign.
Your dog is not a child, it does not need to accompany you everywhere from Home Depot to a flight. And if you need so much emotional support that you can’t go to Home Depot or on a flight without your dog, maybe get some help.
Yes. Thank you. Pets don’t belong everywhere.
Yes! Some people are frightened of your dog and others are allergic. They deserve at least as much respect as you do. Reserve the support animal status for people who truly need it and who have actually trained service animals.
Related: people who make “pet mom” an identity. Pets are not children, and I don’t need to “make space” for you on Mother’s Day. I totally support it in a lighthearted manner — like I call myself a “boy mom” because I have three boys, in acknowledgement of the energy level present in my house, but I’m not super sErIoUs about it and in love with my sons. Maybe one of you hates that, even still ;)
I hate “boy mom.” I have a boy and a girl and . . . so? Who cares? Boy mom sounds so 1950s to me. Who cares what gender your kid is? You do know that there are girls who are also high energy or whatever it is that you think characterizes boys? Sorry, this isn’t really directed at you but at the universe! :)
I have two kids and two dogs and love them all but they are not the same!
just be mindful not to create an expectation of rambunctious boys and other stereotypes. Being told in so many ways that he doesn’t hit the right masculine checkboxes throughout his adolescence is still weighing on my DH at nearly 40, with a nice personal and professional life.
Yes. I love dogs but they don’t need to go everywhere!!!
I reserve the right to complain about bikers and drivers when I am walking, about pedestrians and bikers when driving, and pedestrians and drivers when biking. All are wrong!
Ha! I do the same :)
Haha. I was once sitting in my car at an intersection at a red light with a police car behind me, which I had noticed. The light turned green and just then a pedestrian stepped off the curb and decided to saunter across against the light in front of me.
The police officer said through his speaker, “Ma’am, step back to the sidewalk” and she looked at him like she couldn’t believe he was saying that. So he said it again, and she stepped back to the curb, but she was obviously pissed off and making that face like it was so unfair.
That day the police officer was my hero. Find the police! At least that guy.
*fund
Sounds satisfying, but honestly, I’d rather the police ever, EVER crack down on drivers not respecting pedestrian right of way in my area.
You don’t have the right to ignore the signals as a pedestrian.
I’m referring to drivers not stopping at stop signs when pedestrians are in the crosswalk, making a right turn in red when pedestrians are in the crosswalk with the walk light, and more. It happens every single day here and drivers are never, ever pulled over for it.
FYI, you can jaywalk in CA legally!
FYI this happened in a liberal CA city!
Not everything is anxiety and not every emotion needs therapy. Sometimes you are just worried about something and you need to do the thing or let the thing play out. There’s nothing a therapist can do about it but they’re happy to take your money to listen to you vent about it over and over.
Agree.
Worrying about something that should be worried about is not anxiety that needs to be treated.
Being depressed about a depressing situation, like grief or job loss for instance, isn’t something that requires a pill.
Well it sometimes requires a pill if the objective is to shut down all emotion entirely so someone can keep being a cog in the machine to pay their bills and their psych team’s bills?
Corollary: not every person who is upset, disagrees with you, or has occasional uncomfortable emotions is in need of therapy.
Yup. And way too many people have their kids in some form of therapy. I didn’t like the book Bad Therapy because of the author’s obvious political bent, which I don’t share, but she has a point.
That was a great book, whatever the author’s politics. It changed the way I think about things.
It was a conservative diatribe. There’s a fair point to be made about therapy but that book buried it in nonsense.
I didn’t “yell” at you, you just don’t like what I said.
Neither was I “aggressive”!
So you’ve met my soon to be ex husband? If it makes him uncomfortable, it’s yelling, harassment, threats, or a temper tantrum. No, you’re uncomfortable because you’re a pampered overgrown child who cannot handle being asked kindly to change a specific behaviour.
not only are headlights too bright, backing up vehicles also beep too loudly.
The societal cost of backup beepers far outweighs the benefits imo.
I also like that electric car manufacturers added an engine noise to their cars. Too many run-ins with early electric cars that “snuck up” on me.
agreed, although the actual sound always brings to mind a silly ghost.
– No one needs to be racing super loud cars down a suburban residential road where kids play. I’d even go further and say no one needs to be racing and weaving in and out of cars at 80+ mph on a super congested highway (I95 between DC and NYC).
– people should rely less on google maps for driving to routine places. if your workplace or gym is less than a 30 min drive from your house, learn how to get there without turning on google maps.
I assume people relying on Google maps makes me safer so I don’t object to that one (I hate it when people space out, realize they’re in the wrong lane or are about to miss their turn, or already missed their turn, and react by doing something stupid and/or illegal).
It was nothing but luck that one of the street racers didn’t mow me over going gazillion mph and careening off the quiet, residential street right over the sidewalk and into the lawns. I’d just walked that stretch of sidewalk minutes before.
Passwords at work that expire every 90 days — all that does is cause employees to write down their ever-changing passwords on a post-it note. Who cares if my annual training records at work are secure to a national-security degree?
I just go to Password x+1 from Password x.
Ha, I’m with you on the annoyance but that’s not the (only) reason they want your computer to be secure. It’s also about people using your email or access to do nefarious things.
I also hate the bright lights behind me while driving.
– people listening to music without earbuds or talking on the phone on speaker in public.
– people who don’t pick up after their dog
– couples walking side by side when they approach another person in the city. There’s often not enough room on the sidewalk for that.
– parents who don’t take their kid out of a restaurant when their kid has been crying for more than 10 minutes, unless it’s a McDonald’s type place. I’m sorry, but a restaurant should be a quiet place to enjoy a meal, not listen to your kid cry the whole time.
– I also hate the big white socks look.
– no alexa for me. I do not need one; enjoy yours.
– people saying “I really resonate with that” rankles me. Things resonate with you, not the other way around.
– using “advise” (v) when “advice” (n) is the right word. Similarly, saying “I may be bias” when “biased” is the word. I’m not a grammarian by any stretch but ugh those bother me.
– if you can’t keep up with the speed limit consistently (absent some weird circumstance), find another route (…mom, that one is for you haha)
OH MY GOD everyone says and types bias when they mean biased. How has an entire society failed on that one? It drives me crazy. Also it feels like everybody puts apostrophes in plural words. I’m sure smart phones annd anutocorrect are to blame, but c’mon, did nobody pay attention in second grade?
“I resonated with that” is my biggest pet peeve. I don’t know why but it just drives me crazy. I’ve also seen a bunch of “suppose to” instead of “supposed to”
As a mathematician, I can’t stand it when people write that they’re being “discrete” about something. I always think, “as opposed to continuous?”
Moms groups that require women to use trigger warnings around miscarriage and stillbirth are actively harming both the woman going through the loss and the community around her.
(This can probably extend out to all trigger warnings, but it really grinds my gears in pregnancy/mom forums).
Daily online sports betting is damaging to society and predatory to young adults, and everyone pretending it’s normal now is a societal moral failure.
I don’t even know anyone who pretends it’s normal but am drowning in ads for it all the same.
I have college age siblings who are obsessed with it (along with their friends). It’s a time suck, especially for the daily sports games, and it seems addictive and harmful to me.
Deal with the fact that if you operate a biz, you should factor in the use of credit cards as a cost and price accordingly. I hate that my hair stylists and dog trainer want checks and my eyelash place tries to do a big discount to discourage credit card use. I’m spending too much money with each of you to deal with that sort of nonsense. Get with the times and deal with credit or venmo charges and treat all of your pricing the same. Or pay taxes like every other working person has to, if you’re doing this to misreport income.
If someone can figure this out at a food truck or farmers market (where I actually might understand since it’s such a small purchase), then surely your $100+ (often way more) services can be conducted with a credit card. You’re being a pain the aXX over a small fee. I do not want to carry a checkbook anymore or be treated like I’m inconveniencing you in some way by using credit. Period.
+1000.
I agree! I hate the credit card fees! They are a part of doing business!
The fees add up and are higher for smaller businesses. I give my mechanic a check because they appreciate keeping the 3%.
Sorry–but hard disagree. They should pay the 3% as part of owning a business. Just like their real estate taxes or payroll software. Either adjust pricing or negotiate with your provider. But it shouldn’t be made a tactic to make your customers feel guilty, or to make it a hassle for them to do business with you. If the service you are providing is expensive or is your primary business (not like an etsy deal), then you have all that much more reason to conduct yourself like a normal business in this day and age.
I’m fine with passing on the discount to customers, seems like a win/win for everyone except people who want the convenience of cc without paying for it.
OP-I was fine with switching hair salons. I don’t think I should have to keep track of checks and where my dusty checkbook is. It’s not passing along a discount. It’s passing along a hassle because heaven forbid you eat the $3 or $6 as part of running a modern business.
Just another perspective.
Good grief, the entitlement!
How long does it take you to find your check book? Two minutes? That two minutes can save your mechanic $30 or your lawyer, $200. (My lawyer passes the costs along – credit cards cost an extra 3%.)
-packaging every thing you order online in those like plastic/nylon slide lock pouches should be a crime, same with cute canvas bags/ribbons. it’s just fancy trash
I order sewing supplies sometimes from Etsy sellers and they always go overboard on the packaging and half of them include thank you notes! I do not need a thank you note for buying buttons.
oh yeah, the etsy stuff is out of hand. Half a dozen ‘personal’ notes, stickers with your logo and other promotional stuff that I have no use for?
I hate this too, it’s so wasteful! And then sometimes reviewers note how cute the packaging was and I’m like 🤦♀️
Loud motorcycles in residential areas. Even on the freeway, you don’t need to revv it as you’re passing me, that is scary!
when someone asks a question on a forum (I am in a lot of groups on social media for lawyers) and all of the commentators do not answer the question, but offer their own opinion. Happens all the time with referral requests – “Hi I’m looking for an estate lawyer for this niche thing” and everyone says “oh, here’s what you should do!” Or if it’s a niche question that requires an expert, and a bunch of people chime in with what they THINK should be the answer and it’s almost always wrong. It happens here too, but it really grinds my gears in the lawyer forums because HELLO WE ARE LAWYERS, we are not supposed to guess at the answer!!
What is the deal with “sat” instead of “seated”? And now I’ve seen “stood” instead of “standing.” He was sat next to my cousin. Stood at the window, I noticed the mailman coming up the walkway. Gah!
That’s a Briticism, no?
can confirm I just heard it in the Beckham documentary. Posh was on the phone with Becks ‘we were all sat here and watching your game. Your hair needs doin’
I was sat at the back = I was sitting at the back
I was seated at the back = I was given a seat at the back [by somebody]
So for me I was seated next to my cousin at a wedding with place cards, and sat next to my cousin at dinner last night.
Try asking for a nonstick pan recommendation around here.
Calling your pet an emotional support animal and expecting special treatment for it. Except for legit service dogs, this is a scam.
Forcing me to download an APP ever for anything.
+1
If the only way I can purchase something from a store is by downloading their app, there will be zero purchases from me.
12:13 PSing:
Apps are the phone version of having an hour long meeting when a short email would have been sufficient.
Hard/spiked seltzers are much more dangerous and “gateway” than they appear. As someone 7 years sober I’m very glad I missed that whole rise of innocent almost healthy-looking alcoholic drinks + the explosion in novelty wines and mixed drinks.
Honestly the whole industry is so predatory it icks me out–I’m all for letting people enjoy a glass (or bottle) of wine or whatever, I’m not proposing another Prohibition, but when I got sober it was eye opening indeed the manipulation and normalization and minimization of the industry to problem drinking and its various on ramps. Also heavy drinking isn’t cute, it’s not a feminist issue, it’s not a personality trait, and it’s not an activity to be romanticized, looking at you social media!
has anyone healed their attention span after overuse of social media and other distracting things?
Yes! Delete your social media apps and read books when you would scroll. I use my kindle or kindle app. Getting back into reading books put my mind back together.
I wouldn’t say I have healed it, but I did delete social media from my phone and no longer miss it. It feels good. I find other ways to distract myself – including by binging books. So am I any more productive? No. But I am healthier inside.
Not sure if you’ll see this, but I adopted intermittent fasting for social media: no SM before 6 PM or after 10 PM. Corporette and other entertainment sites, as well as news sites, are included. I am working on reducing my googling as well and forcing myself to look things up the old-fashioned way, e.g., with a table of contents, where possible. I am only a few days in, but it has been easier than I expected, and my productivity is already up.
Without starting an argument about whether Covid is NBD or not, did you travel a long distance this summer like outside the country or across the country by plane? Did you or anyone in your travel party come down with covid or any other cold or flu that you didn’t test to determine Covid during or after the trip? If you avoided it, was it just luck or did you take precautions whether masking or eating outdoors on vacation or anything else?
I mask on long flights because I don’t want to get sick. Also I can fall asleep with my mouth open without embarrassment.
I will mask on planes and public transit and in theatres and other crowded places forever. I was sick for the nine months before COVID hit because of travel. Never going back.
I feel the same. Even a run of the mill bad cold isn’t really something I enjoy catching!
I’d risk a run of the mill bad cold for the freedom of going through the airport having any food and drink I want and talking freely and not having my glasses fog up or my ears hurt. I miss the carefree travel days I didn’t even know I had. I used to occasionally get sick from flights, but I’m honestly not sure masking is worth it to avoid the common cold.
Oh man, bad colds suck and that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid! I only wear a mask on the plane and whatever, I know that’s not perfect. I certainly don’t find I’m missing any “freedoms” at all. But I dgaf if other people are wearing them or not.
I’ll probably continue masking during surges (while on planes), but otherwise, I really hate masking for that many hours in a row. I’ve done it for the last four years for up to cross-country flights and I just can’t see myself flying to Europe and masking the whole time. Maybe I’ll join the ranks of those around me who wear faded, old cloth masks dangling from one ear – so many are still doing that!!
I mask during boarding and deplaning but take it off once the plane is in flight and the air is circulating.
But if you are sitting next to or very near someone with COVID, the filtration system doesn’t help you at all.
Yeah but those are the highest risk times and masking then is much better than nothing. If you’re sitting right next to someone with Covid you could get it despite wearing a mask all the time.
I once wore an N95 mask on the plane next to a woman who was very visibly ill and wearing a scarf over her mouth and I didn’t get sick. I did take off the mask for very brief moments to sip water. Still amazed I got away with that one for a five-hour flight at the tail end of that year’s big surge.
I’m with anon at 5:53. The biggest risk is in the standing/taxiing plane. If the person next to you is infectious that is bad, but the number of people next to me is small so the risk is smaller. I don’t have many health factors to consider, to I can afford a small risk. I mitigate the big risk by wearing a mask for maybe an hour when I share air with many people. I try to sit in an emptier terminal while waiting for my flight.
Yes. No. No precautions.
I’ve done a lot of high risk travel this summer (planes, trains, festivals, concerts!) Haven’t caught COVID once, no special precautions but I already have long COVID so things aren’t going to get worse for me.
What do you mean things aren’t going to get worse?
Not to scare you but a second infection can definitely make long covid worse. I would take precautions in your shoes.
Yes, I traveled by plane this summer on two international trips and one long domestic trip. No one in our family got Covid. We do wear masks on planes and in airports and try to dine outdoors when traveling if possible, simply because getting sick on vacation is no fun, but we did some indoor dining on all three trips and didn’t wear masks except on the airport days.
All that said, I got Covid on a trip to Iceland last summer taking more extreme precautions (100% indoor masking and only briefly removing my mask to eat), so it is possible.
I flew from NY to AZ in May, then NY to Miami in July. I did not take any precautions either time. My partner and I did get sick after the Miami trip. Tested negative for covid, but only tested once so it’s entirely possible it was a false negative. We’re both healthy in our early 30s and vaxxed. I was sick for a few days, my partner was sick for about a week.
We road tripped from the East Coast to the mid-west to avoid Covid. Masked while checking into hotels, ran the air for an hour before unmasking in the rooms, ate outside and at odd times as much as possible, masked while sight seeing, and both came down with Covid. We tested. This is the first Covid experience for both of us, and we have traveled extensively with these same precautions since March of 2020. It’s not an ordinary cold or flu. Currently I’m on day 12 and dh is on day 14 and both of us are still extremely ill. I’m out of tests and the two places I tried to instacart them from were out of stock, so we still need to find tests as we start to feel better.
Ugh! Sorry to hear you both got it even after taking all these precautions! OTOH, congrats on holding out for so long…
My pet peeve is that I got it 6 weeks after a booster. That was totally depressing. Like I want to believe vaccines work, but I’m not in a high risk group and I still felt like something the cat dragged in for a month. I dread to think what it would have been like without the vaccine and boosters!
No. I was supposed to go across the country in two weeks for a (completely optional but fun) meeting and decided not to due to the current COVID wave. I’ve had it, don’t want it again, and especially don’t want to come down with it away from home. I got pretty sick last time.
Related, does anyone have a good N95 or KN95 that allows you to comfortably breathe through your nose? I always mask on flights (high risk) but struggle with being forced to mouth breathe. I’m eager to just ditch masking but I could maybe also improve matters with a better mask.
I breathe well through my KN95s, and I primarily breathe through my nose. Breathing through my mouth can make my glasses fog up when I’m wearing a mask. Would I rather not be wearing a mask? Yes. But they’re the best of bad options.
I get my masks from MaskC but they keep threatening to go out of business so I don’t know their status.
Here’s the place
https://www.shopmaskc.com/collections/kn95-masks
I like the floral ones for some reason.
I just realized it’s mask c but all this time I’ve looked at MASKC and read “mask KC,” so sorry to the people I’ve recommended Mask KC to verbally.
I bought a bunch of MaskC last year when somebody here posted they were having a closing down sale. Honestly, other than the colors I’m not very fond of them, and I don’t feel like the fit on my face is that great. Also, they regularly send emails that they are closing down, which they haven’t yet, so that makes me trust them and their product less.
I’ve been using Bonafide masks if you need a new supplier. They send discount codes to your email if that helps.
Yes, I switched to Halyard duckbill N95s for this reason, and really like them even though they look silly.
I’ve never felt forced to mouth breathe in a mask. Are you tightening the mask around your nose like a swimmer’s nose clip? I don’t think it needs to be so tight, just fitted.
For flights I would use a 3M Aura N95. I hate the straps that go around the head, but much more comfortable on the face and it creates a nice pouch to breathe into that doesn’t move so much.
I also bought an Airgami and LOVED IT. I wish I’d had warning they were going out of business, I would have stocked up. RIP Airgami, innovators and all around good people.
Yes, we traveled cross-country, and no one got sick. We didn’t mask, so it was just luck.
Traveled across country to a large family wedding and at least one person in each family group that traveled got sick. Three out of five in my group.
Yes, and it was fine. No precautions other than vaccines.
Yes, traveled internationally to Spain this summer. Wore a mask in the airport where there were crowds (the gate, security, boarding and debarking the aircraft), but didn’t mask the whole time while the aircraft was in flight (engines on, air circulating). We ate outdoors pretty much the entire time, as that was the style. Nobody got COVID-19. In contrast, I caught COVID-19 last November in southeast Asia, and suffered symptoms and an extended recovery period for nine weeks. I brought Paxlovid with me and took it immediately, so I shudder to think how bad it would have hit me otherwise.
midwest to CA, CO, and other midwest spots by plane this summer (work & fun) and haven’t had COVID (or at least symptomatic covid) as far as I’m aware this year. No precautions
Yes, we traveled from NYC to Europe and from NYC to the west coast on separate trips with two adults and one 5 year old. No one in our family wore a mask at any point during the travel, and no one in our family had any cold or flu or Covid symptoms.
Flew from EWR to LAX with a total of 4 family members and we didn’t get Covid. In fact, one of my kids was sniffly several days later and we tested because an older family member was visiting, and kid was negative. I assume it was good luck since we took no precautions.
Referring to an adult kid, not a little kid, in case that makes a difference.
Yes, more than once. I masked in the airport and for most of the flights, but took it off a few times for a snack/drink (I’ll probably do this forever, I’ve been a total germaphobe on airplanes since before the pandemic). My kids sort of masked, but they’re big airplane snackers so theirs were off a lot more. We didn’t take precautions at our destination. We didn’t get sick at all while traveling.
Yes, no, and no. We were all up to date on vaccines and a lot of restaurants were outdoors or had open windows because we were places where A/C is not super common. I wore a mask part of the way through the flight on the way over but gave up because it was too hard to try to sleep with it on (I recognize this doesn’t make sense and I did fine with wearing masks previously, but for some reason this particular trip with the neck pillow it was making me feel super claustrophobic). (realizing i’m about to jinx myself) I’m really surprised I haven’t had a cold in about a year–I used to get at least a few every year. Starting to wonder if the covid vaccines don’t somehow provide some cross-resistance to the common cold, though not sure how they would.
Not a crazy theory. There is some evidence vaccines confer immunity to other related viruses. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/10/one-coronavirus-vaccine-may-protect-against-other-coronaviruses/
I flew to Italy from the west coast with my parents in early summer. My dad masked on the plane (he is the most covid cautious in our family) but none of us masked otherwise. None of us got Covid or got sick with anything else.
And I have flown across the country multiple times this year due to a family emergency. Never got Covid on the plane or during my travels (although I did get it earlier this month; probably at church).
I traveled to Orlando and San Francisco for conferences this summer and didn’t get Covid, cold, or the flu. I didn’t mask anywhere, ate from buffets, shook tons of hands, and fell asleep with my mouth open on a Southwest flight back from Orlando. I work in office and have two kids in grade school, so I’m already exposed to many germs.
Flew across the country a month ago and brough home Covid, and know of a few friends who went other places this summer (Canada,Disney World) and came home with Covid as well. None of us masked, but will probably mask on flights/airports and concerts for the foreseeable future, and get vaxxed when the new one is available. It was awful, do not recommend.
I sat at a 4 hour dinner last week (Tuesday) where the man to my right and the man to my left both reportedly had COVID by the weekend. I also had lunch twice with a colleague last week who texted me Monday morning to tell me he had a bad case of COVID. I have no symptoms and am completely fine, despite all these close interactions.
My best guess is it was luck in the form of acquired immunity. I haven’t had COVID this year I don’t think, but I travel regularly and am exposed to a lot of germs.
We flew overseas with our kids, and on several other flights as well, no one got sick. We did not take any precautions.
I travelled in a plane across country. 3 days later got very sick, did not test and got better. Zero drama. People get sick.
I think the point of testing is not exposing other people.
What is it about the fascination with COVID on here. Literally nobody cares. There are a ton of things you can catch that will kill you. Just get over it.
Clearly some people care; there are lots of responses to OP. If you don’t care, feel free to collapse the thread.
There are also tons of things you can catch on a plane that could be detrimental to your trip, whether it’s trying to give a conference talk on a bunch of cold meds, spending a vacation holed up in a hotel bathroom, or trying to get medical care in an unfamiliar hospital system.
Some of us learned that basic hygiene measures like masking in poorly ventilated crowded environments (like planes whenever the HVAC system isn’t running) lead to better odds of spending our trip as planned. But this is still relatively new for a lot of people so it gets talked about.
For most things you can catch that are bad enough to kill people, there are safeguards and precautions that are baked in to both regulations and cultural practices. I guess this generation is spoiled by never having gone through the transition before? We grew up with ways to avoid botulism, legionnaire’s, e. coli, Lyme disease, rabies, and more, maybe without even knowing the reason for all the customs around hygiene and food handling that we’d internalized.
I got much sicker with COVID than anything I’ve ever been sick with in my life, and I caught Swine Flu way back when. I would highly prefer not to go through that again.
My main issue is people who know they’re sick and won’t take precautions to protect others.
I travel regularly for conferences (at least once a month), sometimes coast to coast but usually at least two hours. I mask at the airport and on the plane every time. Still haven’t had Covid once. I still eat outdoors whenever it’s a realistic option. FWIW, I’m hearing rates are high right now and starting to see more masking in grocery stores, which I haven’t seen in like at least a year. So kind of making me wonder if I should again be more cautious. Just this week I decided to choose a day with better weather to meet a friend for dinner so we could eat outside since I have a couple of big things coming up in the next couple of weeks for work and don’t want to get sidelined. Also making a point to get vaccinated before a bunch of fall travel starts up.
My husband got really sick after a work trip (flight) to and from Nashville this summer. He tested twice for covid and was negative but was really out of it for 2 weeks with general fatigue, no fever or cough.
Yes I traveled from NYC to California and back. I took no precautions and didn’t get sick
I travel extensively, every few weeks, attend large events and performances in crowds, dine out, go to work in person and take zero precautions besides vaccines, which I now get annually. I had Covid once two years ago for one day.
Yes, 13h international flight and no one masked. We didn’t get Covid or fall sick.
We flew internationally to Europe this summer (DH, kids and I met up with my parents who traveled separately). We did not mask and didn’t take active precautions, although we ate almost all meals outside and spent lot of time outdoors. We were fine the whole trip but DH got sick and tested positive for Covid a couple days after our return. My parents stayed a week longer than us – my Dad got sick and was hospitalized when they returned and tested positive for Covid. My Mom also got sick but didn’t test (assumed she caught Covid from my Dad). The kids and I never got sick (we isolated from DH as best as we could without completely open our lives). Pretty sure DH and my Dad caught it during flights/airports.
Yes, flew several times cross country without masking (have worn masks on previous trips) but with up-to-date vaccination, and developed COVID.
Nice bag, a bit ludicrously capacious, but the straps look WAY too thin, like they would cut into my shoulders too much. Also, for whatever it’s worth, one of the reviews at the linked site indicates that the version in black inexplicably has white stitching, which in the reviewer’s opinion made the bag look a bit cheaper, so it was returned.
Absolutely loved the date night top recommendations. I think I am going to order several from express. What do you wear *over* them? I assume my twinset cardigans from 2008 are not the answer..
Depends on the weather. Currently, in this weather that’s not much different than the surface of the sun, I don’t wear anything over them. In cooler months, I have a (faux) leather jacket that I’ll throw over a silky top or I’ll do an oversized deep vneck sweater over a silky camisole. Sometimes I’ll do a cardigan but a modern one, of that makes sense? I’ve been looking for a satin or velvet bomber jacket to wear over top of date night tops too.
Trendy jackets. You can never go wrong with leather. Could also do oversized Jean jacket, a shacket, a teddy jacket, or a barn jacket.
I also have a suede blazer I really like
Okay, thank you. I have a leather jacket I love but wasn’t sure if it was *too much* – appreciated!