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Avoid a Luggage Sizing Hassles

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I travel a few times a year for work and leisure, both internationally and in the US. I have a few recommendations and tips that may save you from a big hassle.

First of all, decide what kind of time you need to spend on choosing the right luggage by how often you travel.  If you are only traveling in the US once every 3 years, you have a lot of flexibility in what you buy.  You can kind of go for the cheaper end of the spectrum and not worry about dimensions and durability.  But if you travel internationally and/or more than once a year, please consider these items:

  1. Size/Dimensions are king!
    1. Traveling in the US domestically, you can choose any carry-on or check-in size pretty much, but be aware if you are not among the first to board and it’s a full flight, you are going to have to check your carry-on most likely (you can pay for early checkin or early boarding to avoid it). Example: for United the dimensions for carry-on are: 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches (22 cm x 35 cm x 56 cm)
    2. Check if you can even bring a carry-on, some economy tickets only allow a person item, not a carry-on.
    3. Internationally, the sizes vary, but I’ve found that you don’t want your carry-on to be more 19in x 14in x 9in because the minimum measurements include the wheels! https://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-bags/airline-carry-on-luggage-size-guide . That being said, I did take my chances in many countries with a slightly larger length and got away with it or just had to check at the gate (so didn’t pay for baggage) but one time I did have to pay and it was super expensive ($150 for a bag when the ticket was only $44 USD).
    4. Internationally, this is a safe sized carry-on that I am pleased with:

      Travelpro Maxlite 5 19″ Expandable International Carry-On Spinner https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BM9DFX9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

       

  2. Durability – If you are going for a hard case, go for polycabornate rather than plastic. If you like soft cases, go for a decent brand with a thick fabric.  Here’s what I choose (I get no affiliate money or kickback for these)
    1. Soft cases: Delsey Luggage Helium Cruise 21 and 29 Spin Luggage https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H5KTQPM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    2. I have no recommendation for hard cases because I haven’t found one I like.  I purchased a Samsonite for our trip to New Zealand and it suffered a big scratch on the front immediately.  I would at least expect it to make one leg of my journey without major cosmetic damage. But I only paid $109 for it, so the next time I buy, I’ll try something more expensive and with ridges (this was smooth).
  3. Do you want to ONLY have a carry-on? It’s a great feeling to get off the plane and go right to the ground transportation area, skipping the tedious task of waiting by the carousel for your big bag.

    There are many good YouTube videos on how to travel two weeks using a carry-on.  I’ve done it rarely, but I’ve done it!  It’s gets easier the more you travel, because you realize you can bring mix and match items AND you can launder in the hotel.  In any event, clothes usually don’t bulk up that much, shoes and accessories do.  This applies for men too.  Here’s some tips:

    1. Don’t bring what you can buy there like toothpaste, hairspray, shave cream.
    2. Do bring the things that are hard to find like your favorite allergy meds, skin lotion, etc.
    3. Don’t bring more than 2 (ok maybe 3 pairs of shoes) and wear your bulkiest shoes on the plane (like boots, hiking shoes, etc)
    4. In a carry-on you should only have 1 weeks worth of clothes not matter how long you travel. Example: 1 pair of jeans, 1 dress shirt, 5 daily shirts, 1 pair of shorts/skirt (if warm destination), 1 pair of dress pants.
    5. You can dress up any casual outfit with accessories like a scarf (women) or a belt (men). And either gender can dress up with jewelry or swapping out watch bands.
    6. If you didn’t bring it, but you need it, buy it there!
  4. Do you have a tendency to over-pack?  I do! If this is the case (no pun intended, maybe you should get a hard case that prevents over-packing.  Also, bring a pack-able extra bag … haven’t had to use it yet but this is what I got:

    Foldable Travel Duffel Bag 20” Lightweight Waterproof Travel Luggage Bag(Pack of 2) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G75TRWN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bottomline, if you travel a lot (more than once every few years), you should look up the restrictions for luggage in your airlines and buy luggage that will meet the toughest restrictions.

  • Don’t be afraid to buy new luggage and sell old luggage that doesn’t work for you anymore.  The fees are way more than the cost of buying new luggage.
  • If you are frugal, you can get away with a carry-on and your life is so much easier.
  • Consider a few well-thought out pieces and it will save you money and time.