20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories

There was a time when well-travelled luggage looked like the suitcase above: covered with travel stickers, trophies of every adventurous explorer. My father, who spent his youth travelling across Europe in the ’60s and ’70s kept his weary suitcase for a long time; as a child, I admired all those well-aged little pictures of remote hotels and places I’d never been to.

These long forgotten and gone labels — all tiny pieces of ephemeral advertising in different shapes and sizes — were awesome examples of graphic design and applied typography. I selected 20 of my favourite ones. Here they come:

Grand Hotel Milan, a 151 years old luxury hotel in the centre of Milan, Italy.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


To the French riviera, and to Canada by Sabena. Sabena was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotel Béke, Budapest. Opened in 1913 as “Britannia”, renamed after the 2nd World War in 1945 — “Béke” means “peace” — , and still operates as “Radisson Blu Beke Hotel”.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Malév – Hungarian Air Transport. “Malév” was a Hungarian airline from 1946 to 2012.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Cécil Hotel, Nice, France. Built in 1905, still operates as Hôtel Victor Hugo.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Gran Hotel Victoria, Madrid, Spain. Opened in 1923, known today as ME Madrid Reina Victoria.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotel Regina, Trieste, Italy. Also known as Hotel Balkan. It was built between 1901 and 1904, burnt in 1920 by Italian Fascists, and restored from 1988 to 1990. Now it is a university building and library.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Laurin Hotel, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. Still a seaside hotel under the same name.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotel Express, Budapest, Hungary.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Dunakanyar, i.e. “Danube Bend” is a Z-shaped curve of the Danube in Northern Hungary.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Albergo Torino, Roma. Today: Hotel Torino.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Lago Di Como, Italia. Lake Como sticker.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Pécs is a Southern Hungarian city, this sticker features its landmark, the 176 meters tall TV tower, built in 1973.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotel Trieste E Victoria, Abano Terme, Italy. Today: Grand Hotel Trieste & Victoria.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Grand Hotel Mediterraneo, Florence, Italy. Still a flourishing hotel under the same name.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Grand Hotel Margitsziget, Budapest, Hungary. Built in 1873, still operates as “Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget”.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotell Astoria, Oslo, Norway. Today: Thon Hotel Astoria.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Hotel Szabadság, Budapest, Hungary. Today: Best Western Hotel Hungaria.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories


Bonus: Malert baggage name tag. “Malert” was a Hungarian airline from 1922 to 1944.

20 Awesome Stickers From When Your Suitcase Told Stories

Pictures: All stickers scanned from the personal collection of the author. Top photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images


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