Tugo

I first heard about Tugo from an actress I follow on Twitter. 

As someone who had a few upcoming trips planned, I was curious and turned to Google. The concept seemed simple enough – a beverage holder that attached to your luggage – but yet brilliant. By no means am I a frequent traveler, but I knew all too well the struggle of trying to maneuver my suitcase with one hand, carrying my purse (always packed to the brim) on one shoulder, and having the other hand holding either my passport/boarding pass or a just-bought magazine. Frequently I passed on getting a beverage, as I was overloaded and weighed down. And it wasn’t just me and my inability to pack efficiently as I had witnessed many airport drink spills and disasters. These disasters weren’t just stemming from trying to juggle too much and walk either. Airport gates and seating areas offer little to no space, and hardly ever a place besides the floor to set any beverage down. I am one of those “check everything over" type of travellers so I like to have both hands available to check and prepare myself before boarding. Doing that while holding a hot coffee has yielded some painful results for my klutzy self.

The more I read over the information on the website, and looked at the photos the more I was sold on trying this product. The price also played a role as $12.95 is reasonable for something that I wasn’t completely sure of or planning to use on a daily basis. So I placed an order for one to try.

When it arrived in the mail I opened the package and got a feel for it. When it came time to pack my suitcase, the Tugo folded down flat and hardly took up any space in my suitcase. After passing through the dreaded customs and security checkpoints, I happily made a beeline for Starbucks excited to try out my new tool. While waiting for my beverage I attached the Tugo, and immedily got asked about it. Once my drink came and was safely nestled inside, I got more questions. By the time I got to the gate, I had about 10 questions/compliments, and a number of people stop and remark on it to their companions. The remark I heard most was “what a great idea!” and it truly is. 

My drink stayed secure inside, never spashing or spilling, and the Tugo stayed firmly in place. The fact that it matched my suitcase perfectly was an added benefit! Once at the gate my husband was jealous that I had with a place to set my drink. He was stuck holding his mocha in one hand, and using his tablet in the other, whereas I could just reach in and out when I wanted a sip. I have used my Tugo on every trip I taken, and not just for my carry-on luggage. On a recent trip I carried just a purse on to the plane, but had quite a wait beforehand at the ticket/check in counter. Attching the Tugo on my checked-suitcase while I still had it, allowed me to enjoy a drink while keeping my hands free to maneuver the line.

The company didn’t just win me over with the product. In the days where customer service often seems to have gone on the wayside, my dealings with this company have been extremely impressive. The type of customer service I am referring to here, is that of companies, call centers, and the types of head offices you often encounter throughout your day to day life. I still find most of my in-person retail/service dealings to be positive – almost always encountering friendly and helpful individuals. Sure from time to time I have come across unpleasant people, but I keep in mind the following. First, that it is impossible to be in a good mood every single minute, secondly that some people just aren’t that friendly/nice to begin with and lastly, that there are reasons why websites like notalwaysright.com exist. Perhaps my years in retail/service are part of the reason behind my mindset, but regardless it’s the attitude I typically have. 

Now my personal experiences are much different with companies, call centers and head offices. Any faceless communication (that done by phone, email, social media etc) often lack basic customer service. When it comes to phones, more and more companies are adopting those horrible automated services. We have all encountered them – having to listen to menu after menu, choice after choice, typically having to repeat ourselves over and over because the “smart” system doesn’t understand what you are saying. I can’t be the only one who often loses control and keeps repeating “operator” with my voice rising each time. Then once you finally speak to another human, it tends to feel very scripted, impersonal and lacking any sort of flexibility or desire to help/assist you in any way. Email is often far worse – responses taking days, and again going off a script which doesn’t always apply to the initial reason for communication. I recently sent a complaint email to Air Canada (and I will be honest, I complain very rarely) and it was over two weeks before I got any sort of response.  I will point out that of course there are many wonderful phone/email customer support people out there, and I have had the pleasure of dealing with some of them. However the entire system is set up in a way where those dealings (in my experience) are usually not positive.

This was not at all the case with Tugo. For Christmas I ordered multiple Tugo’s to give as gifts but due to cross border postal issues (no fault of Tugo or myself), there were a few delays. My e-mail communication with Karen was handled with amazing care and service. The tone was both friendly and helpful, and she went above and beyond to ensure everything worked out. In the end I got my Tugo’s in time for Christmas and the recipients loved them. If I hadn’t already been a huge fan of the product, the way in which Karen handled the situation would have cemented my support of them. I strongly advise travelers to check out this product and give it a try. As for me, I will continue to use my Tugo as often as I travel and hope that someday they come out with a version for a shopping cart! 

If you are in the US you can buy Tugo at: http://goodtugo.com

In Canada they now sell on Amazon.ca at: http://www.amazon.ca/tugo®-Luggage-Drink-Holder-h2otugo/dp/B003U2Z50U

(And just for the record, I was in no way paid/compensated or asked to write anything about Tugo. I just wanted to share information on such a great product)