2023, Family, home, Kids, Travel

Luggage Conundrum

49 Comments

Photo credit: Mikes-Photography

When I graduated from high school my parents gave me luggage as a graduation gift.  Matching luggage.  This was a few years before all black luggage became all the rage.   Two suitcases, one over the shoulder tote and a make-up case (although very in-aptly name in my case, since I wore next to no make-up, even back then).  I doubt my folks were predicting my eventual career in travel; back then luggage was a common gift at graduation or wedding – something you needed as you were launching yourself out into the world.  My mother also bought me a sewing machine and a few lessons to go with it.

Obviously after all these years, none of that luggage has survived.  I now have a rag-tag assortment of suitcases and bags, many of which I got as gifts from clients (leftovers from programs).  Mostly black.

YA has purchased two suitcases since she started traveling for work – and black is apparently not the color or choice these days.  Her big bag, which she uses the most, is a blue pattern thing with wheels that go in all directions, a handle and a plug in for charging her phone.  Fancy dancy.  I don’t have any problem with her suitcase EXCEPT when she gets home from a trip.  She empties it out fast enough, but then she tends to roll it out into the hallway.  Where it sits. 

Now I’m not the fastest “put your bag back in the attic” gal, so I tend to be lenient.  I also know that YA doesn’t tend to drop anything to attend to a request from her mother.  But after the last trip, the suitcase sat in the hallway for two weeks and at least three requests to put it away.  Being raised by the Queen of Passive/Aggressive, three days ago I pushed the suitcase right into the middle of YA’s doorway.  It was in the attic within an hour. 

Passive/Aggressive isn’t my favorite mode but sometimes it’s better than nagging.  At least that’s what I’m telling myself at this point!

Do you prefer hard-sided or soft-sided luggage?  Check or carry-on?

49 thoughts on “Luggage Conundrum”

  1. After a life on the other side of the Pacific, that included lots of trans-continental travel, I’ve come to prefer soft -sided luggage. I have also learned that checking bags, even those designed for carry-on, is my preferred mode.

    That being said, I like trains even more. This coming Friday, I’m off to Montreal. Two weeks later, it will be Colorado, all without leaving the ground, almost none of it in a private car. (There’s an Amtrak station in the town where I reside.)

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  2. How appropriate, as I am leaving for Alaska today. I have always had soft sided luggage – thank goodness for wheeled bags. Since I am a short person, I prefer not to utilize the overhead bins on a plane. So my usual travel gear is a 25 or26 inch soft sided checked bag and a small backpack/soft tote/small duffle that can fit under the seat along with a travel purse. Over the years I have learned how to pack relatively light. On one short trip to Barcelona (24 years ago), I only took a large backpack – how nice to skip baggage claim. I want to be able to find my bag quickly in baggage claim so I have never had black luggage.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  3. I have a soft-sided bag I got from Eddie Bauer. I can fit ten days of clothing in it and it fits in an overhead bin easily. It has hand grips on two sides, a shoulder strap, and even backpack straps tucked away in a zippered pouch. Since I carry it on, color is not a concern but it is rust-colored. In addition to that I have a messenger-style bag, also with a shoulder strap, that I can fit under the seat.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. I’m flying Frontier next month. The passenger ticket price isn’t a whole lot more than the add on cost for one checked bag. Had I chosen a carry-on, the luggage would have cost much more than me.
    And the ads make things seem so cheap! $15.00!!!!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  5. OT. Blevins Reminder

    Sunday, July 16
    2 p.m.
    tim’s

    The Seed Keepers by Diane Wilson
    (we decided to carry this over since so many folks hadn’t been able to lay their hands on a copy)
    &
    Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. I don’t know what I prefer and I’m going to somehow make note of this conversation. I’m going to Ireland next April with a small group of women. I don’t know what to bring or how to pack for an 11-day trip to Ireland. I think it will be damp and chilly in Ireland in April. I can see myself spending big on an Irish wool sweater.

    I went to Kohl’s and just wandered through the luggage section. It was full of cases of various sizes. Some were quite large. Many were colorful, shiny, and had hard sides. Others appeared to be made from a strong fabric. Most of them had wheels that spun around. Then I glanced at a price tag! Ouch! I have no idea what to get. I’m used to my ‘90s-era large internal frame Jansport backpack with wheels and a zip-off daypack. It has seen better days and the straps are wearing through. The zipper holding the daypack to the larger pack is becoming unreliable so I don’t think I’m going to be able to take it. I also have an old LLBean daypack that should work for a checked bag. I like my old stuff and I’d prefer not to spend that much money on a new suitcase but I’m probably going to have to. I’ll be reading this conversation and taking notes! Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Wow! Thanks! I didn’t know you could leave things behind. I’m not sure how that works. I do have an old suitcase from my aunt who traveled a lot. That might be adequate but it’s not very big.

        Like

        Reply

  7. I’m not sure that’s very passive-aggressive, VS – you’re just calling attention to something.. : )

    I like soft sided, I guess, and checked unless it would be a very short trip. The checked bag gets decorated with bright orange duct tape, etc. I once had someone take my black bag by mistake – luckily, they figured it out right away.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  9. Rise and Pack the Luggage, Baboons

    Soft side. When I can do it I carry on only, but if I am gone for a longer period I have to check something. I do not buy black luggage anymore, just because it is so difficult to distinguish from the luggage of other people. Even with a different color, I put a notable tag on it so I know it is mine.

    I go back to work today. In three weeks I retire! But whose counting.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  10. I got a soft-sided suitcase with little wheels as an anniversary gift from one of my workplaces, years ago. I use it to store t-shirts I don’t wear anymore but won’t get rid of, including one from Ruminator Books (I have the one with the quote “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms” on the back).

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  11. 17 years of travel by car and plane I don’t remember the suitcase I used. Always checked because it held lots of papers too. I think that paper wore one out. Nothing very expensive or elaborate. Computer or changing ones through the years in various cases as carryon. Still three suitcases in apartment for when I move. So many issues swirling around that. My glaucoma may cause problems at eye test for driver’s license in December. I was astounded to learn only 3 million Americans have glaucoma.
    Clyde

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  12. Krista – I was in Ireland in May and had no rain for two weeks. Don’t know about April but do bring rain jacket and umbrella. Plan to wear layers. Stick to a simple color scheme so you can mix and match. Temps for us ranged in the upper 50s to upper 60s with a mix of sun and overcast. Quite breezy on the coast. Need good comfortable shoes – especially if your itinerary includes much walking.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. What K-Two says. I had that same experience twice in Ireland, where the weather was beautiful. My first trip it rained the last day. But the rest of the days were perfect.

      And I also vote for getting a beautiful sweater while you’re there.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. The sweater is in my plans. We have already identified Cork and Dingle as destinations. I’d like to see the Aran Islands. I’ll bet they have handmade sweaters there.

        Like

        Reply

  13. Top photo: old luggage as furniture, love that funkiness. I wanted to do some of that, but Sandra was not with me on it. Now when she sees it she says we should do it. In her mind we can still do such things which gives her a full life.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  15. A friend of mine has a very old trunk that sits on its end, and when you open it there are hangers and a rack for hanging your clothes on one side, and the other side has drawers.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. I just threw out a steam trunk that was really beat up and not worth saving, but it had a fascinating array of hangers and drawers, and slide out jewelry boxes! It would have been quite something back in the day.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    2. We have an old footlocker that I put little legs on and we use as a coffee table. It has a sticker on it from Lutherland in the Poconos. Sounds like a fun place, doesn’t it?

      Like

      Reply

  16. I’m with tim, 100% carry-on baggage if I can manage it. I’m a very light packer, so I usually can. I learned that lesson the hard way. On a two week vacation to Mexico in February many years ago, I checked my luggage in Minneapolis, and didn’t catch up with me until five days later. That’s a long time wearing Minnesota winter clothes on the beach in Mexico. Thank god I could go barefoot, or it would have been intolerable.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  17. I also prefer to carry-on if I can. I’ve had late luggage several times, although nothing irrevocably lost. However, I think I’ve told the story about my trip to Kenya and Tanzania, on which it took my luggage five full days to catch up with our group. I never wore those shoes again.

    Like

    Reply

  18. I’ve known musicians who checked their guitars and regretted it.

    I appreciate all the great tips from the travel savvy Baboons here on the Trail! Thank you!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. I think we’ve all heard stories of guitars or other instruments that suffered horrible damage while in the custody of airlines.

      I don’t think I would ever entrust an airline to transport a pet of mine.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

        1. Many airlines allow musicians to carry guitars into the cabin with them and store them in various closets. I see touring musicians exchanging information regularly with each other about which airlines to avoid because they won’t do this, or which ones try to accommodate them. If there are empty seats they may strap them in there. There are ways to avoid the nightmare that other luggage often go through.

          Like

  19. Last time I flew on a plane was… 2018 I think. No idea what I did for suitcase.
    Usually I can pack what I need in a duffle bag. I remember doing the self check thing; carrying it to the gate and checking it there, then picking up again… but if there are layovers, I don’t want to lug a big suitcase around; I’ll pay for the convenience of not having it. Haven’t lost one so far, but my sister in PA seems to lose hers about half the time she travels back there from here. Well, not “lost”… just… taking the scenic route.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  22. I seldom travel, and only rarely by air, so a duffel bag serves the purpose for me.

    My younger niece has some suitcases of my aunt Roberta’s that look like the ones in the header photo, arranged as a sort of accent table/craft storage center. She took them when my aunt was downsizing from the apartment to the room in the assisted living place. Roberta had some difficulty with the concept of using the suitcases as home decor instead of as luggage.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment