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On Chosing The Right Luggage
uggage has many schools of • The suit bag. Many
thought. Here are but some experienced travelers are of the
of them:
opinion that a well-made suit bag
will last for many years and
• Minimalist. Cutting down to carry everything you could
the bare essentials so that you possibly need. A suit bag used as
need only one cabin bag which you cabin baggage on overseas flights
can carry on the aircraft. My will almost certainly carry
daughter has this down to a fine everything you need.
art and recently toured India for
two weeks with one small, leather • The enlightened
Gladstone bag that I bought in traditionalist. This is a
China many years ago. traveler who realizes that the
suitcase acquired for the first
• The hard case. This refers Big Trip at the age of 21 will
not to the character of the not cover all needs, all future
traveler but to the suitcase travel. So keeps upgrading as
used. Almost all flight crews use time passes.
hard cases. Watch an airline crew
collect their baggage from the • Horses for courses. Differing
carousel after an international bags for different occasions. As
journey and you will see that it a matter of sober truth, I have
is all medium to large-sized, 32 of the damn things. But I was
hard-sided suitcases (nearly ever the profligate.
always gray) with built-in wheels
and extendible handles. There are, indeed, two main types
Sophisticated travelers sneer at of baggage. The type that will
this. But who, I ask, would know stand up to the rigors of
better? overseas travel, but is so heavy
it eats up much of your weight
allowance. And that which is After a trip with four stopovers
light and easy to handle and it will not have a long life
falls apart at inconvenient expectancy.
moments.
• Do not buy any luggage which
There is no such thing as ideal has built-in or hang-on gimmicks.
baggage. Only that which can be They invariably fail. As do
considered not bad. combination locks and foldaway
handles. Zips are also perhaps
If you are going on an overseas best avoided. I have had several
trip with more than four sad experiences with zippers
stopovers, your present baggage which have left me physically and
probably will not stand up to the mentally scarred. You may well be
strain. Get a new case before you luckier.
go or you, too, will scatter your
dirty laundry across the • Have wheels, will travel. In
departure area of Dom Muang my experience, there is no rarer
airport to the amusement of animal than the airport porter -
hordes of Thai travelers. an endangered species - and
airport trolleys are not allowed
• Do not buy expensive past customs. Some are charged
name-brand luggage. They are out at outrageous rents and you
called 'steal-me' cases on the never have the right coin.
reasoning that if you can afford
a genuine Louis Vuitton suitcase Therefore, a suitcase with wheels
you can afford to pack valuables is not a bad idea. Some are easy
inside. Look instead for to maneuver, some aren't. Test
something that is anonymous, before you buy.
easily cleaned and light. Don't
worry too much about the quality. Better yet is a folding trolley
which most aircrew members use. use instant glue and pop-rivets
Get one with the biggest wheels to rivet and glue three straps to
you can. Oil the wheels before it. When these are tightened the
you leave, otherwise you will bag is unopenable at speed.
squeak, squeak, squeak your way Thieves want the easy mark so
around the world. they pass it by.
• Clearly identify your luggage My current main suitcase has its
with labels and tags, preferably straps fastened by rivets and
plastic. Do not make it so that glue and is, I think, probably
your name and address can be read thief-proof although that is
by a casual, and possibly tempting fate.
evil-minded, observer.
• Make your luggage look
• Paste your name and address different. Even if you only bind
and telephone number into the the handle with bright tape, make
inside lid. If the airline loses sure your baggage is easy to
your luggage - and this happens recognize. This will not help in
less and less - this is one of the recovery of your lost case -
the stock questions. Good to be airlines only telex the style of
able to give a firm affirmative. suitcase to the last destination,
not descriptions. But it will
• Buy a strap-around webbing help you to spot your case as it
belt in a bright color with a comes off the carousel.
difficult buckle. Go further and
About the Author:
Gareth Powell is the author of several travel books, has been the travel editor of two metropolitan newspapers and has a travel website - www.travelhopefully.com, a non-blog web site - www.bloggeroff.com and a digital image web site - www.pixelates.com. He is passionately against restrictive laws and copyrights and lists free software on his site
Source: www.isnare.com
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