It has been said that Yogi Berra, the late New York Yankees professional baseball player, once said, “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.” I can honestly say I have had more luggage issues than I can even begin to tell you during my lifetime. There was that time in Brussels when the wheels on my luggage splayed to the sides while I was schlepping my luggage across the train station to the track on the complete other side of the building and had to drag it with all my might. By the stagger of my gait, one might have assumed I had a cadaver inside, as the luggage appeared to be THAT heavy. There was that time in Paris when I was much younger when my French boutique hotel had a two-person, antiquated, elevator and a stairway to the second floor. Rather than waiting for the elevator to take the waiting crowd two by two to the second floor, I schlepped my luggage up the stairs by myself only to have the handle rip off in the journey. There was also that time in Ireland when the skies opened up with rain immediately after the plane landed, and my things got soaked inside my luggage. And finally there was the time on my way to Bora Bora that I TEMPORARILY threw my unopened can of pineapple flavored seltzer into the side pocket of my luggage rather than discard it before I got to the airport. It was much later that I realized with a chuckle that I never took that can out of my bag when I smelled the faint yet pleasant scent of an exploded can of pineapple seltzer when picking up my luggage from the luggage carousel. That pineapple scent set the scene for my tropical isle trip, and I think of that beautiful blue water each and every time I drink that particular seltzer.
I have gone through more luggage than I can describe through the years, too, including that brand featured on television years ago where the gorilla jumps upon it and hurls it about the room without any damage. I’ll just say that they must have a few gorillas working for the airlines in some cities, because I SWEAR that the very same gorilla in those old television commercials has jumped on my luggage time and time again. I have checked in brand new luggage at the airport only to see that it has been stained, gouged, dented, or otherwise defaced in some way when I arrive at the luggage carousel to retrieve it after my trip. The ONLY thing that has NOT happened to my luggage, in fact, is that it has never been the recipient of spray paint to become some artist’s palette on any of my trips. EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING else has happened to my luggage in one way or another through the years.
I have purchased light-weight luggage in order to pack more stuff inside for international trips, but the luggage wheels couldn’t hold up to my hefty packing. It is always a question in my mind time and time again whether it is better to spend a lot of money on luggage that presumably will last a long time or whether it is better to spend as little money on luggage as possible, treating it as more of a consumable, disposable item.
If you are thinking of taking your first trip during the post-vaccine phase of the pandemic this year, you might want to invest in some chic new luggage for your big, long-awaited trip. Rather than dish out some well-earned dollars without any thought, you might wish to consult some luggage reviews below:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-bags/best-luggage-brands
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-luggage#rimowa-4
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/luggage/buying-guide/index.htm
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/travel-products/g26898407/best-luggage-brands/
With a little tongue in cheek I am reminded of my version of a variation of an old poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson about love…
“It is better to have loved and lost (my luggage) than to have never loved (my luggage) at all!” It’s my way of reminding myself, albeit tongue in cheek, of how lucky I am to have had so many wonderful experiences while traveling the world with so many more experiences still in front of me in the future, now that the world (as well as myself) has become fully vaccinated.
What is your favorite brand of luggage and do you prefer to spend a little or a lot of money on it?
Carpe Diem with Caye 