Buying The Right Luggage For Your Travels

Are you an avid traveler who almost leave in a suitcase? Well, you're not alone so you probably have several types of luggages in your collection for the type of trip you are going to make. However, if you're just embarking on your new "hobby" to see the world, aside from getting those required travel documents and deciding on where to go, you have to know which type of luggage you want to bring.
Here are some types of luggage to help you pick the right one for you.

Canvas Trolley Type

This type of luggage is made of highly strong, durable woven fabric that is used for making tents, sails, backpacks, marquees and other signages.
You can get a 4-wheeler or 2-wheeler suitcase but I recommend the 4-wheeler for easy mobility.

Wenger - Swiss Gear 7208 Spinner Suitcase Color: Orange WLU1222_9793490 - $98.99, Free shipping - Available at Overstock.com

Samsonite - 2 Piece Luggage suitcase Set 27"check in and 21"carry-on Spinner 4 Wheel Light weight design - $197.70, Free shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace

Nine West - Super Sign 20 inch Carry On Spinner Upright Suitcase (Plastic) - $69.99, Free shipping - Available at Overstock.com

Hard-Side Type

This type of luggage is made of polycarbonate and has impact-resistant properties which is ideal for any luggages that has to be stored for a long time or when packing on delicate and fragile items.

Samsonite - Cruisair Bold Travel/Luggage Case Suitcase for Travel Essential - Silver (Impact Resistance - Polycarbonate) - $189.00, Free shipping - Available at Buydig.com

Some hard-side types can even be made of aluminum like this one.

Ostart - Golden Aluminum Mini Suitcase Briefcase Business ID Card Holder Wallet Coin Bag - $7.99, Free shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace

Rossale International Inc. - Neocover Primary Color Block 24 inch Medium Hardside Spinner Upright Suitcase - $129.99, Free shipping - Available at Overstock.com

Even these lovely suitcases are great hard-side luggage. Some have pulleys and 2 wheels on the rear while others look like the classic suitcase - rectangular with a handle.

IMAX - Worldwide 6013-3 Set of 3 Antique Ivory Suitcases 6013-3 - $167.00 (22% off), Free shipping - Available at Wayfair

Duffle Bags

Using this type of bag is great for short trips that does not require too much of packing. This is very suitable for for over-nighters and short business or leisure trips.

Duluth Trading - Bag Overnight - AWOL Bag - $289.50, Free shipping - Available at Duluth Trading Company

Other duffle bags come with attached trolley for easy mobility.

GoodHopeBags - Preferred Nation 6728 Bellino 22"" 2-Wheeled The Pilot Travel Duffel GHB1436 - $147.48, Free shipping - Available at Wayfair

Trunk

This type of luggage is great for long trips or when you're relocating as it can fit plenty of stuff and even accommodate breakable items.

Mercury Luggage - Locking Stackable Trunk-Silver Grey - 4117-40 MER054 - $117.35, Free shipping - Available at Hayneedle.com

Other trunks also look like this trolley luggage.

American Procurement - Amerileather Vintage Violet 23 inch Trunk Spinner Upright - $199.99, Free shipping - Available at eBags

Stanley - Patriotic Steel Trunk Blue - SCPTBL2W, Medium-30L x 16W x 16H in. SCW024-12 - $195.59, Free shipping - Available at Wayfair

Have Luggage, Will Travel Giveaway!

#SummerDreams Have Luggage, Will Travel Sweepstakes

hosted by: Mom Powered Media & co-hosted by: Mumblebee Inc.

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One winner will receive a Tag Coronado II 5 Piece Spinner Luggage Set and $150 Old Navy Gift Card.

Giveaway ends May 6th at 11:59pm, open to US and Canadian residents, ages 18+. Excludes Quebec. Only one entrant per household. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Enter using the giveaway form below.

Entry-Form

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All In Your Hands

Photo credit: yahoo images

Budget airlines and low cost fares have made travel much more accessible. There was a time, not so long ago, when the cost of air travel was so expensive that only the well-off, or those able to save, were able to jet off to destinations that couldn’t be reached by car. Luckily, nowadays we can head off on a jaunt to a European city, or a beach break on the Med for often less than the cost of a holiday in the UK!

Whilst air travel costs are now lower, I’ve recently found that the cost of adding on baggage bumps up the price considerably. It’s important to note that the price you see on searching for bargain flights, is often not the price you will end up paying. Add on baggage, occasionally insurance (although I’d certainly be arranging that myself!), taxes, check-in fees, and the cost goes from ‘ooh that’s cheap’, to ‘ooh that’s not so good’.

It’s through many of these occurrences I decided to try travelling on the light side, and foregoing expensive baggage fees. Now, I am a girl that generally doesn’t know how to travel light, so this was somewhat of a challenge, but it was surprisingly easy once I got my head around it!

Hand luggage allowance is generally free, and although the weight restriction and size varies from airline to airline, there are several companies offering a little more in the way of cabin luggage. Monarch, Jet 2 and Easy Jet all offer more than the standard 5kg allowances with the likes of Thomas Cook and Thomson. I recently travelled with Turkish Airlines, and was offered 8kg hand luggage, and then Monarch and Jet 2 came in at 10kg. It doesn’t sound a lot, but if you’re willing to buy your toiletries at the airport, it is possible to cram a week’s worth of clothes and accessories into a 10kg case. Surprising, but true!

This challenge turned out to be a difficult one in terms of what to take, but once I cracked it, it saved me around £40, not to mention time as I didn’t have to wait for my case at the packed carousel – straight onto my transfer, and onto my destination!

Whilst we’re on the subject of saving money through baggage, let’s look at saving even more money, meaning more to spend whilst you’re in resort, or even at duty free, which is certainly one of my favourite perks.

Getting to the airport can often be a costly business, especially if you’re booking taxis, trains and coaches, not to mention the inconvenience of it all. The last time I took a coach to the airport it took five hours, when the airport is literally a two hour drive away. It’s through this I decided to pre-book Luton Airport parking for my holiday last year, and since then I’ve been hooked. The cost was lower, the service was fantastic, and I was chilled-out and raring to go by the time I arrived at the airport. I would highly recommend this service for anyone who is able to drive, and no matter where you’re flying from, you’ll find a service to suit. I’ve also used Stansted parking in the past, whilst taking advantage of a very cheap flight from the capital, and again, I can’t rave enough about it.

A little packing planning and a few sneaky extras can mean a considerable amount of money saved on your holiday. Consider it a challenge – see how much you can cram into 10kg!

Choose The Right Number And Type of Luggage For Your Travel

There are several factors to consider when choosing the right luggage for your travel and how many you should take.  Not all countries will have the same baggage size restriction as the US does. It pays to be aware of them too so you can take that into consideration when you choose your luggage and decide how many you will take.

My family and I have been traveling for more than a decade since we became employed in the airline industry. We actually have several luggages at home. I know, how can one have too many luggages. Well, to be honest, we have 2 hard cases and 3 soft ones and because there is 3 of us traveling, having 5 luggages in possession is reasonable. Why you might ask, here's why and some other tips to consider to choose the right luggage for your travel.

Decide on the number of bag you will carry according to the weight restriction and duration of your trip

That is why we have 5 but we don't all use them in one go. We only take a maximum of 3 checked ins and 1 hand carry (usually the hard case stroller to put our gadgets in) when traveling to Asia and Europe. However, it is a different in the US. If we know we are going to shop and not go to other states, we carry the usual allocation of 2 pieces of luggages. In this case, we take 1 hard case luggage for check in and the rest soft ones.

Consider the weight you are willing to spare for a hard case versus the soft one

If you are like me who loves to shop overseas, then consider carrying a soft case because you can spare the extra weight for your purchases. Do carry a small hard case trolley for any breakables you will buy to protect your fragile purchased goods.

Note how many of you are traveling

If it is just you then stick with the airline restrictions in the number of luggages and the weight. Usually, if you are a sole traveler, you tend to carry less stuff so a backpack or an overnighter will be right. If the whole family are traveling then it is okay to have few hard cases and few soft ones to balance the weight around.

Take note of the things you will pack

What you will pack in your bag will be a factor to note of since a hard case bag will be suited to protect fragile objects while the soft ones will be good to carry clothing stuff.

Take your pick.

My Travel-Light Tips

The season for long trips is fast approaching. Everybody is gearing up for the hot summer days. We are no exception to that. Right now, I am already picturing in my head the clothes I will take, the shoes I will pack and so on. I just have this habit of making sure everything is in place before the big travel day.

I have always been a "light" traveller because I loathe being inconvenienced by the hassle of unpacking what I have just packed. My daughter has this habit of taking everything her hands can grab while I fix the stuff. She would squeeze in few teddy bears (and when I say few, it's more than 5!), her arts and craft paraphernalia, her thick novel books (and that is plural), her sketch pads, pens, and few clothes. 

We're like those traders peddling our goods on the side streets! Yup, she's a messy packer and we always end up bickering over what to put and remove from the stuff she wants to take with her. Of course, being the mom (usurpation of power I must say!), I always end up re-packing and removing unnecessary items. This happens though after a lot of justifications and a little bribery on the side ("Princess, leave that and mama will buy you new stuff there. OK?"). So in our family, we each have our own luggage. There's no way I am lugging several heavy bags during my vacation this summer!

I have my own system of putting all I can carry in a single trolley bag, just enough to fit the over-head locker. And this is how I pack:

1. Depending on the weather of the place we will go to, I only pack a max of 5 shirts (but I make sure the colors can be mixed and matched to my trouser or shorts). Normally, I just buy the essentials on the destination.

I pack 1 dark-colored jeans to compliment most of my shirts/blouses and 1 trouser. Well, the color actually depends on how you will mix and match but I stick with the basics, like white, black and navy blue. I also take only 3-4 sets of undergarments. If it's cold, I only bring 1 sweater or pull-over and a parka/wind-blazer to keep out the cold. Shoes must match the weather though.

2. I roll my clothes. Yup, roll and not fold. Rolling clothes take up few spaces but of course I do not roll my heavy jacket. I don't bring towels anymore after checking and confirming that the place we will stay in has this amenity. We don't worry much about creasing our clothes because I bring my compact pressing iron.

3. I don't take the normal bottles of shampoo, lotion, conditioner, face moisturizer. I have this small toiletry pouch with tiny refillable bottles for the above bath assortment so I just transfer enough amount of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and moisturizer for the duration of our whole stay. I also buy a very small tube of toothpaste which we all share so only one of us carry these stuff. Most of the time, the hotel provides these amenities but I still carry my personal preference.

4. As per travelling shoes and slippers, I depend my choices on the place and weather situation and the activity we will engage in while we are abroad. If it's the beach area, I just carry a pair of very light sandal which I also use to go around and a nice loafer for malling or if in case we need to check out museums. I never bring rubber shoes because of the tight security in the airports these days. I try my best to wear something which I can just kick off my feet. Same goes with my hubby and daughter. They too carry light slippers and nice loafers.

5. We use "canvas" luggage. The hard case is durable but it already takes in extra weight so we prefer the cloth. Canvas bags are more flexible and you can squeeze those extra stuff you have bought after the retail therapy sessions.

6. This is just a handy tip, I also carry a big tote bag which serves as my hand carry. Not too big that the entire house will fit and that will call the attention of the check-in agents but big enough to accommodate our travel documents, my purse, mobile phone, keys, small gadgets, and 1 fave book to read. Approximate dimension is 1 ft (H) x 4 in (W) x 1 ft 6 in (L).

There are plenty of sturdy bags in the market so choose a very durable one which has many functional compartments like these:

 

(Both bags are mine)

7. Keep the electrical cords of your gadgets in a single pouch bag.

8. Instead of using those heavy bag tags, I make my own personalized bag tags the size of a calling card which I laminate. I use a thick laminating card to make it very sturdy and use a thick ribbon to tie it around our luggage's' handle. I also write our names inside the bag, just in case.

All in all, the art of packing and travelling light depends on your travel's agenda. Just always ask yourself while packing if you actually will use a certain item often while on trip. And if you answered "yes" then put it in. You need to evaluate the need to carry the item and if it will serve it's purpose for the trip. If not, skip it and leave an extra space for future items to occupy. Remember the reason for the trip! It's not a "relocation."

What To Pack When Going To The Beach This Summer (For The Ladies)

Photo credit: livinggreenmag.com

It's that time of the year again and every beach lover out there must be raring to drive to the nearest beach resort or even fly to a great seaside retreat for a nice soak and tan. If you're one of them, you're probably starting to fill your luggage with the necessities.

Here are the essential carry-ons for your beach outing:

For those who are going to take a flight:
Your travel documents, eg. passport, visa (if required), list of important numbers, hotel vouchers and other travel documents you deem required to take along
Enough cash, debit card, credit card (try to limit the use of this only for emergency)
Your medications in a pillbox, if required

For those who are going via land:
Hotel voucher for your booking
Enough cash, debit card, credit card (try to limit the use of this only for emergency)
List of important numbers
Your medications in a pillbox, if required
Some refreshments/snacks like cookies and water

And the essentials:

• 1 or 2 swimsuits (depending on how long you plan to be in that resort)
• 1 light weight cover-up like a caftan or a sari that can dry easily
• a lightweight mat that you can fold and this is optional. You can borrow the ones in the hotel or resort.
• 1 sunglasses
• 1 hat or cap
• 1 foldable umbrella that you can bring when beach umbrellas are not available or when you're going to the market for sight seeing
• a stylish beach tote bag (go for canvas or the straw kind so it's breathable and sands can be easily shaken off)
• 1 pair of sandal or a 1 flip-flop. My rule here is, you can only choose one. If you're choosing the sandal, it better be water proof or at least, one that dries easily and can be worn fast. It has to be flexible that you can take it to other places and step it on the beach.
• 1 or 2 shorts (depending how long you are staying in the resort.  I will stick to just 1 if you'll be there only for 2-3 nights)
• 2-3 light cotton tees
• 1 pair of lightweight jeans
• 1 lightweight cardigan for that night time relaxation in the cabana
• 1 maxi dress for city touring if you need to
• undergarments - a must!
• 1 small sunblock lotion or if you want to tan, a tanning lotion
• 1 lip balm with SPF
• Toiletries like shampoo, cologne, body lotion and body gel in travel sizes that can fit a small pouch
• A couple of sanitary napkins or liners for the ladies
• A good book
• A nice camera to document those precious summer moments
• An mp3 like your iPod or other small gadget you can play music with

The list may seem long but when you're actually packing them in the bag, they're all compact and will easily fit a cabin bag. If it goes beyond that then that means you're overpacking!

People who are planning for a trip to the beach must remember to pack appropriately for the occasion. Keep it light! Have fun, rest and relax and be safe!