Packing tips and Check List
Going on holiday is probably one of the highlights of your year so it makes sense to get as many things right as possible during the planning stage.
One of the most important aspects of planning is deciding on a bag that is suitable for the journey you’re taking, and the type of luggage you need to transport. Different bags offer different qualities that might make your holiday that much easier.
We explore four different types of bags and look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide which one will best suit your next trip.
The Backpack
Beloved of the young at heart and gap year travellers everywhere, the humble backpack is the ultimate in functionality if not in style. Backpacks come in a range of sizes from those at the smaller end of the scale which hold 30 litres, right up to the heavy duty 80 litre or more backpacks made for serious trips.
The beauty of the backpack is that it is fun, extremely durable, versatile and easy to carry. It can also almost always take one more item of clothing if you really need it to, and is easy to pack and unpack fairly quickly.
For the world wanderers backpacks serve as something of a travel companion containing your whole life while doubling as a bed or pillow. It even acts as a status symbol or approximate form of identification (no self respecting back packer would even dream of letting somebody else carry their bag).
The downside is that by their very nature backpacks are a bit coarse so probably aren’t de rigueur at five star hotels or on business trips. Also because of their shape and soft, pliable nature, they are often among the first items to be stored in the hold, making them the last items to arrive on the baggage carousel.
Trolley Cases
Depending on your background trolley cases are either God’s gift to travellers everywhere or the bane of your existence, invented to annoy and delay all sane travellers.
On the plus side trolley bags are easy to move around (provided the ground is fairly smooth underfoot) and so are good for people less able to lift heavy bags. For people with back injuries, young children and older travellers this is their primary attraction. Again these bags come in a variety of sizes and colours so you are able to choose something that fits in with the amount of luggage you wish to take. The hard outer shell on most trolley bags is also good at ensuring that your luggage is well protected from the inevitable bumps and knocks that bags take on holiday.
On the downside the cases can be an awkward shape to lift if you aren’t able to use the wheels (there will plenty of instances, trust us) and the lack of handles doesn’t help. Many of the bags are secured with a number combination lock which means yet another number to remember, and often their locks are flimsy and can be prised open.
The Sports Bag
Sports bags can make excellent travel companions being relatively spacious, easy to carry and robust. They also often have a variety of compartments which can make them handy for storing and separating different types of luggage such as washroom kits and electrical chargers.
The downside to sports bags are much the same as those problems associated with backpacks, with the added annoyance that they are not as versatile.
The Laptop Bag
Laptop bags are very common and make sense if you are taking your laptop with you on holiday (what on earth for?). The bags protect your laptop against things like spillages, knocks, rainy weather and accidents. Most airlines will also allow you to take a laptop bag and one piece of handheld luggage with you on the flight. This is a bonus, allowing you the best of both worlds.
Many Laptop bags have a surprising amount of space and can therefore be used to keep all the other fiddly pieces of luggage such as mobile phone chargers, MP3 players, iPods, and handheld games consoles safe.
One of the few problems when travelling with a laptop bag is its size; having it swing around and dangle from your shoulder while you’re trying to get your main bag up two flights of stairs at the airport can be frustrating. There is also the added delay at airport security points where officials will invariably open and check the entire bag before leaving you (still without your shoes or belt on) to repack all the cables, wires and superfluous accessories.
