Luggage Advice

How often do we carefully book our flights, check villa availability, mark the holiday in our calendar and then pack frantically at the last minute. We take our luggage for granted when our thoughts are on our luxury holiday villa, but by remembering a few simple points we can ensure we have happy memories of our holiday villa and not of luggage crisis.

Discount Luggage

When buying discount luggage, you need to plan ahead as to how the luggage will be used. Samsonite luggage is often viewed as being the best luggage available for the average traveller. This means that it can be expensive, but if you use a discount luggage outlet, Samsonite luggage can be more affordable. Think about who will be carrying and lifting the luggage. If you buy very large cases and trunks, only the strongest and fittest in your party will be able to move the lugage. Discount luggage needn't be big and cumbersome. Select cases that you can lift comfortably when full. It is better to have two cases you can lift than one you can't.

Samsonite luggage is also available as carry on luggage cases. These are especially important for flying as they are designed to meet regulation sizes for cabin baggage.. Your discount luggage supplier will have a range of carry on luggage, so select cases that meet your needs. Check the websites of the airlines you normally use and find out what their current acceptable dimensions for carry on luggage are. When you visit your discount luggage shop, or buy luggage online, you will know for sure what is a good buy and what is not.

Samsonite luggage

An excellent type of case is available in the Samsonite luggage range where the bottom half of the case is solid, while the top half is a flexible fabric. This offers the benefit of having your luggage protect fragile items in transit, when you pack them at the pottom, while providing a degree of flexibility at the top of the case which can expand as required. This type of case is also easier to pack into a car than a completely rigid model. We have used these ourselves for several years and are bery happy with them. Your discount luggage supplier should be able to demonstrate a range of flexible cases.

Motorcycle Luggage

Not all travellers use planes and buses. Where the trip is being made by motorcycle, it is even more important to have luggage which is appropriate. Your local discount luggage supplier may stock some motorcycle luggage, but you should also check out motorcycle shops and dealers. Ensure the luggage loops and straps fit your motorcycle, and the luggage will survive bad weather, be it very hot or very cold. When buying from a local discount luggage dealer, ask if you can try the luggage bags on your motorcycle for size. If they want the sale they should earn it.

Don't put all your clothes in one case when travelling as a family. Distribute clothes for each person among the cases. That way if you lose a case, everybody will have clothes to use until it is hopefully recovered. It is even more important to distribute prescribed medication among cases and hand luggage. When packing, include a colour copy of your passports, tickets and other important documentation. That way if you lose your paperwork you know another copy is available to make life easier.

If you can't remember the detail, write down the make and model of your cases. Should your cases go missing you will be asked to describe them and identify them at the airport, and it's amazing how many people could not name the manufacturer of their cases, or describe any identifying features. Even better, take a photograph of your luggage with a digital camera and the description process will be easy.

Flexible plastic luggage loops

Make sure ownership of your cases is in no doubt. Flexible plastic luggage loops can be used to ensure your luggage bags stand out from the crowd. Attach strong labels with your name, home address and destination clearly printed. It's a good idea not to make this obviously visible to passing public - you don't want to advertise your home address as you leave for a fortnight in the sun. Use flexible plastic luggage loops to ensure the labels do not become detached. When luggage is being thrown onto conveyor belts at the luggage reclaim area at an airport, flexibility helps prolong the life of your labels. Flexible plastic luggage loops are less likely to fall off than rigid attachments. The final attachment for the case is a multicoloured hair band, scarf or belt which will help you to identify your case on the carousel on arrival after your flight. This is definitely a situation where good colour taste is not a consideration - the bolder the better. Should your case go astray or be damaged, report it to the baggage handlers immediately. Don't leave the airport to think about it, find out what the procedure is and follow it.

Luggage security

Security is an important consideration in the modern world, and we get so used to being asked the standard questions at check-in that we can be lax in looking after our belongings, and in the worst-case scenario even our freedom and our lives. Don't leave your luggage in the care of anyone no matter how short the time, how friendly they are or how pleasant the elderly couple seem. What does a smuggler look like? Similarly, don't offer to carry anything for anybody you don't know, no matter if you seemingly initiate the idea. The stories you hear on the news are often about ordinary people who were just too naïve or careless.

Be aware of your baggage allowance and plan for the return flight as well as the outward journey. If your allowance is 20kg per person and you have 19kg going out, it's not giving you much scope for buying clothes and other items while on holiday. There's no point in saving money at an outlet mall and paying for excess baggage on your return journey. The common holiday destinations have shops selling soap, toothpaste and basic medications, and holiday villas have towels and the comforts of life - you probably don't need to bring those things you have packed 'just in case'. A common technique is to travel out with one case inside another empty case.