Plan on enjoying the cobbled streets of Barcelona? Taking the metro around Paris? Then ditch that wheeled suitcase and pack in an interior frame backpack or a large bag with shoulder straps.
Wheelie-bags are great in the airport or for wheeling from the car up the paved drive to the hotel, but not if you’re exploring less accessible destinations. Their wheels catch in cobblestones and brick, they overturn on sidewalk curbs, and they’re hard to maneuver in tight quarters.
Strap on your backpack and you’re ready to walk to the train station or take the metro.
If you’re anything like me, unpacking once you get home often takes as long (if not longer) than actually packing for the trip.
If you can, do your laundry the day before you leave your vacation spot (this works especially well when you’re visiting relatives).
Not only will you have clean clothes once you return, but it’s a way to make sure you actually come home with everything you either packed for the trip or purchased while on vacation. Once you’re home, unpacking isn’t so tough because alI you have to do is bring the bag in, put your clothes where they belong, and put the suitcase back in the attic.
What happens to your bags after you hand them over at the airport? It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves. Are our bags cared for lovingly? Are they abused? Are they tossed and thrown… or set down carefully, gently?
While most baggage handlers are no doubt scrupulous and careful with luggage, every group has its bad apples. Here are some of the worst offenders, making us mutter to ourselves, “Remind me again why we pay to check luggage!”
Watch these baggage handlers see who can get the best backward, over the head shot into containers with luggage and shipped packages.
It’s clear that this baggage handler is not really interested in “handling” the baggage as it comes off the plane.
This young lady was having fun bag tossing… until she realized passengers were watching her from the plane.
These British Air baggage handlers seem to enjoy watching the bags bounce off each other.
These EasyJet baggage handlers seem to think it’s appropriate to stack the smallest bags on the bottom… and dump the larger bags on top.
This guy doesn’t throw any bags… he just drags the bags behind the baggage car.
So you think locking your luggage makes it safer? Ha! This video shows you precisely how to get into a “locked” bag.
These baboons at Knowlsey Safari Park give new meaning to the phrase “baggage handlers.”
Good luck on your next flight, and remember: don’t pack anything valuable in your checked bags!
If you’re traveling abroad on a tight budget with absolutely no extra room in your suitcase for a souvenir, then buy a stamp. Even the lowest denomination stamp of any country is colorful, cheap, and easy to find.
When you get home, mount the stamp in the middle of a piece of poster board, write the details of your trip on the back of the poster board, and put in an inexpensive frame. You’ll have a decorator look on a backpacker’s budget.
Would you buy a $27,100 suitcase? Apparently neither would CNN’s Bob Greene.
In his hilarious column, Greene spots the offending suitcase on the cover of a magazine. He thinks it’s a joke but is stunned when he goes to the source to learn more. The culprit of this frivolity? Hèrmes, which also makes diamond-encrusted luggage for a mere $200,000. In this case, the Hector bag is part of the men’s line for only $27,100.
The best part is when Greene asks a store clerk if the bag ever gets damaged in transit. The clerk responds, “Some people buy metal suitcases in which to enclose their suitcases. They buy suitcases for their suitcases.”
When it comes to baggage handlers, I’m thinking maybe all suitcases are created equal–unless you’re on a private jet.