Travel Essentials: Trunks add a touch of old world charm

TT Trunks' bespoke New Dandy trunk

Each of the hyper-luxe bespoke trunks from Parisian trunk maker TT Trunks takes 250 hours to make. Covered in top-quality leather - lizard, alligator, fine calfskin - and with handles of solid brass that can be covered in 24-carat gold, each trunk is designed for a particular function. The vanity trunk, the valet trunk, the shoe trunk, the cigar trunk - they're self-explanatory and as delightful as they sound. The New Dandy has drawers for cufflinks, ties, belts and gadgets, and is priced from £20,000 (Dh120,253), plus shipping (www.tttrunks.com; 00 331 4306 22 25).

Vintage Seekers' 1920s steamer trunk

From a new online company set up to collect and sell the crème de la crème of 20th-century vintage design - watches, cars, clothes and furniture as well as luggage - comes this sturdy, what-stories-I-could-tell piece. Made from wood and leather and designed for wealthy passengers embarking on sea voyages, it seems virtually indestructible. Priced at £950 (Dh5,712), plus shipping, from Vintage Seekers (www.vintageseekers.com; 00 44 207 240 2406).

Storage Trunks 36" trunk in faux giraffe

Each summer in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, Steve Vann, the owner of Storage Trunks, sells hundreds of his traditional alloy-frame, birchwood-ply trunks to customers from the Middle East. "Sometimes a family will send a truck to load up with trunks to take home everything they've bought. We're chuffed - we aim to provide everyone with good old-fashioned service," says Vann. A 36-inch high, Size 4 trunk costs £172.60 (Dh1,038). Shipping abroad adds £100 (Storagetrunks.co.uk; 00 77 6836 4726).