Travelling abroad, especially for leisure, is always great. However, I have to admit that I hate packing my luggage! However, no matter how strict you adhere to the "travel light" rule, there are still things that you have to carry with yourself and you always need a bag or a suitcase to carry them. And believe me, a bad travel bag / suitcase will ruin your holiday. Here are some tips that I have gathered over the years and would like to share with you all. Hope you will find them useful.

Check-in luggage

It is a personal choice as to whether you would like to buy a hardcase one or a soft one. But there is one key rule: choose the lightest one! The airports / train stations are getting much bigger and there are times that you will have to walk around with your luggage, without a cart that you can use! So choose one which is light! Besides, the airlines are getting stricter on the weight of check-in luggage so choosing a light luggage will always be to your advantage!

I personally like to use the soft luggage because it provides a bit more flexibility. Most of these are expandable allowing you to squeeze one or two more items in! Just a small tip: never pack your luggage too full that you have to sit on your luggage to zip it. Even if you can successfully zip it, it will cause serious damage to the zip and it will break easily in the future.

The planes are getting bigger these days, i.e. there are more check-in luggage and it is more difficult for you to find your own luggage on the luggage belt! If you are buying a new luggage, consider buying one with special colour (avoid black ones) as it will help you to identify your luggage more easily. If you have already own a black one and would like to continue to use it, try tying a colour ribbon to your luggage or use a colourful luggage tag. It will help you to find your luggage quicker on the belt!

Hand Carry Bags

As said above, the airports are getting bigger and you may have to walk a long way before you arrive at the boarding gate. Again, choose a light bag! Personally I would recommend some bag which you can put on your shoulder so that you can walk easier. Besides, do check whether your bag can fit it the size restriction of hand carry luggage. The airlines are again very strict on this and you do not want to be forced to check in your bags at the boarding gate!

Another tip: check whether your items in the hand carry bags are allowed to be brought on plane. As I had said in my other review on swiss army knife, knives and alike are not allowed to be brought on plane!

Foldable Bags
It is always advisable to put a foldable bag into your luggage. You will never know how much you are going to buy during your holiday and it is difficult to buy a new bag aboard. Bring an extra foldable bag and you will find them handy when you have brought too much.....