It all started when I began planning to become a trail angel….a trail angel needs a travel bar, doesn’t she? To bring craft cocktails to weary hikers, of course. Soon I came across a piece of vintage luggage disguised as a briefcase, and designed on the inside for carrying booze. But they had it all wrong! We needed a way to carry lovely decanters, bitters and shakers and juicers, and proper glassware.

So I set out to curate my first travel bar - the Happy Traveler.

Vintage Travel Bars

Each Happy Traveler is based on a specific cocktail (whether spirit-free or spirit-forward) and includes all the bottles, bar tools, and glassware you need to create and share that cocktail with friends. Almost all items are vintage or second hand, creating a one-of-a-kind transportable bar which elevates your cocktail experience.

And now with tea!

"Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?"

–J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan

Why can’t you do both?! Shouldn’t tea be enjoyed in the same elevated manner as cocktails with friends? The Happy Traveler has now launched a collection of vintage travel bars focused on the enjoyment of tea. From a simple set-up with cup, strainer, and container for loose leaf to a more involved set-up including a teapot, multiple cups, and containers for honey, sugar, and milk plus all the accessories needed to elevate your tea experience. Everything is curated with vintage, antique, or second-hand items, of course.

Taking a tea party to a friend is a special way to let them know you care. Maybe they’re just having a bad day or maybe they’re battling a physical or mental illness.

Vintage travel bar with set-up for a non-alcoholic cocktal

All the Lustre.

This set-up was curated to feature one of my very own spirit-free cocktail recipes. It is composed of 4 equal parts of ingredients which are shaken. This rare glass cocktail shaker came all the way from an antique shop in Oslo, Norway.

Vintage cocktail set with glasses, shaker, measuring jigger, and small bottles inside a red velvet-lined case.

A table with a colorful tablecloth featuring orange and black text. On the table, there is a white magazine, a yellow napkin with a silver spoon, a frosted glass with a vintage cartoon character, a round brown leather container with a zipper, and a green toolbox with a handle and latch. In the background, a mirror with a green frame and various kitchen items are visible.

Portable picnic set with plates, utensils, salt and pepper shakers, cleaning spray, and containers for food and drinks.

Picnic Pleasure.

My collection of 1930s era picnic baskets make amazing travel bars with room for a snack! I love the leather straps on these, a perfect way to secure the vintage plates and utensils I’ve curated. The placements are the work of my friend John who repurposes vintage record album covers - so creative and the theme and colors are perfect for thes baskets.

LongPlayArtStudio

A liquor cocktail set with bar tools and glasses in a portable case.

Bartender’s Special.

A gift for a bartender. You know the one - she brings her own jigger, tasting glasses, flask of special vermouth and favorite gin to every gathering. She’s always prepared to make the cocktails for everyone else. With this case she’ll arrive in style with all of her necessities.

A stunning set of glassware and cocktail pitcher embellished with a family crest make the perfect show for sharing whisky with friends. This old-meets-new set-up also includes silver plated ice tongs from Northern Ireland and a tea towel designed by an artist from the same region, home to the world’s oldest distillery.

A vintage travel case containing glasses, a metal tray, a cloth, a small candle, and wine bottle openers on a dark surface. The case has bottles and glasses with a World War II aviation insignia.

Whisky Tasting.

Tea for Two.

I came across this vintage case while setting up my cocktail bars. It was originally used for an electric coffee percolator and cups for two. Now repurposed into the perfect way to bring a tea party to a friend. Complete with teapot, cups for two, strainer, containers for loose leaf tea, sugar, milk, and honey, plus all the other accessories to make things special.

Vintage travel bar for after dinner liqueurs

After Dinner Special.

Not everyone realizes how many liqueurs are suitable to be enjoyed after dinner or with dessert. This set-up for 6 includes an Amaro, Metaxa, and a Tawny Port paired with 3 varieties of chocolate; all served out of a vintage train case. When this travel bar shows up to the party, it will definitely upstage the host - oops!

A tag listing 1002 uses, including vacations, patio bar, den, business gifts, ski trips, motel, hotel, train, boat bar, trips, club house, picnics, connected with a gold string.

If you’re interested in owning one of my Happy Travelers, or want to gift it to another cocktail-lover, contact me to discuss curating something special. This site is meant to inspire you of the possibilities. I have multiple cases, a great collection of glassware, and barware ideas to share.

Contact me via email to chat about a custom set-up.

Note that no food or liquids are sold with my travel bars. But I’m happy to suggest the appropriate spirits or snacks to make your Happy Traveler complete.

Contact Kim

A tag with black text and designs, labeled as the original Trav-L-Bar by Ever-Wear, Inc., Chicago, advertised in Playboy Holiday, mentioning the New Yorker and attached to a gold string.

A collection of vintage bar tools including a cocktail shaker, a strainer, tongs, and red cocktail cherries, arranged on a white embroidered cloth on a dark table. A hardcover book titled 'How to Say' with a cartoon illustration of a bartender holdin

A vintage cocktail bar setup with glass decanters, a metal cocktail shaker, a silver flask, a small silver bottle, a metal tray with lemons and two shot glasses, and a red velvet-lined case in the background.

A vintage set of glasses and accessories stored inside a red-lined zippered case. The case contains eight drink glasses in the top section, two glass bottles in the bottom section, and a small spherical object, possibly a spoon or stirrer.

The Defender cockail by Fast Penny Spirits

A vintage suitcase on a table containing a variety of glasses, a small lamp, and various items, set in an indoor setting with people in the background at a social gathering.

A woman with blonde hair and glasses smiling while standing behind a table of vintage and antique items, including glassware, tools, and boxes in an indoor setting of a vintage sale.

A snake-skin patterned box, a blue bottle labeled "Happy Hour," a metal container, clear glasses, a deck of playing cards, a wooden board game, small colorful game pieces, and various utensils on a table with a white and gold tablecloth.

A close-up of a mirror with a red ruffled fabric border and a decorated message that reads "Here's rocking at you, kid!". Below the mirror, there is a shelf with a floral patterned cloth and a white paper napkin with a similar floral pattern.

A picnic basket with dishes, utensils, and beverages, including a green lime, inside. The utensils are secured with leather straps, and the basket contains bottles labeled 'Sun Rum Silver' and 'Oliwon' with small glasses and bowls.

Four glasses on a tray with a lemon and bottles, including one labeled 'simple syrup', on a floral tablecloth with a teal case and a large mirror in the background.

A vintage teal-colored train case with a chrome handle and latch, placed on a floral tablecloth with a lemon in front of it.

A vintage train case filled with cocktail accessories.

A woven wicker picnic basket with leather straps and handle, placed on a tablecloth with a floral pattern, beside a yellow food or beverage tag from West Point Park.

Open picnic basket containing vintage tableware, including plates with leather straps, forks, knives, spoons, glasses, metal containers, and a green tin box. A green booklet titled 'Wonderful Time Games' and a West Point Park food or beverage ID tag

A vintage-style dining table set for two with floral-patterned plates, orange-tinted glasses, cutlery, and a placemat featuring musical sheet music. The table has a teal tablecloth with a floral and checkered design, and contains various items includ

Three vintage train cases in red, black, and beige colors placed on a table.

A vintage portable pub case with a brown textured exterior, a plaid pattern in shades of tan, and a handle on top, placed on a black table with a piano bar area in the background.

Close-up of a vintage silver cocktail strainer, two glass dessert cups with red cherry toppings labeled 'His' and 'Hers', and a large glass pitcher labeled 'Ours' on a decorative tray, with playful game pieces and napkins in the foreground.

A bar cart with various bottles, a cocktail shaker, and glassware. There is a book titled 'The ABC of Cocktails' on the table in front of the cart, and a small glass on a silver tray or coaster.

A black metal Top Grain Cowhide file cabinet with chrome knobs, containing two bottles of liquor and a beige drawstring bag inside.

A black leather briefcase with a handle and latch, placed on a dark tabletop in a bar setting with shelves of liquor bottles in the background.

A vintage gold-colored box with a handle, a clear glass bottle, and three small clear glass cups on a white cloth with a yellow border on a black table.

A silver jigger, a glass liquor bottle, and a cloth with a coat of arms inside a red box.

Set of four drinking glasses with star and abstract designs, various bottles and bar tools, and a vintage blue cocktail shaker on a bar counter.

A vintage-style picnic set and cutlery organized on a fabric surface, including knives, forks, spoons, and tongs with red and yellow handles, secured by leather straps, along with a white plate with French text and seals.

Vintage picnic set with various tools and containers inside a textile-covered carrying case, resting on a table with a plaid tablecloth. In the background, there is a bar with bottles.

A vintage hard-sided suitcase with a fabric exterior, leather handle, and metal latches on a dark surface in a room with shelves of bottles in the background.

A travel bar set inside an open black wooden box with glasses, a bottle of liquor, and bar tools.

A woman in a beige top and dark pants standing at a booth with various vintage and collectible items, including tools, jewelry, and accessories, displayed on tables and in open cases, against a black curtain backdrop.