Congratulations! You are officially two weeks away from studying abroad. Or, if you’re more like me, you’re so eager for your trip that you want to start packing months in advance. Let me be the voice of experience that says that you shouldn’t start packing more than two weeks before you leave.
And what a daunting task that packing can be. My experiences with packing, prior to my first study abroad, were with duffel bags and maybe a small suitcase. I had no idea how big suitcases could come! Or, frankly, how expensive they could be.
The first step is to go and buy that large, expensive suitcase. Don’t get sticker shock; a suitcase is one of the things for traveling that you’re not going to want to skimp on. Exhibit A: While traveling, I saw a lady’s suitcase zipper tear, spilling all of her belongings onto the dirty bus floor. It was irreparable, and now she had to go spend some hard-earned vacation money on a new suitcase to fly back home with.
So I’ll say it again: Spend some money on a quality suitcase. That’s not to say that you need Kate Spade’s ten-piece set that costs more than your actual flight but invest in a suitcase that you can use multiple times and can stand up to the wear-and-tear of airport handling.
That still leaves you with hundreds of options. Hard-shelled or soft? Two wheels or four? And how big does the darn thing have to be anyways?
All in due time. Let’s get a little more detailed.
The age-old question of hard versus soft suitcases. There really are two types of people in this world: those who buy soft-shells and those who are wrong. All joking aside, each type has its benefits. With a hard shell, you get more peace of mind that your belongings won’t be damaged in the carrying hold of the plane. You wouldn’t believe what a difference this can make on a ten-hour flight.
However, hard shells have shorter lives. Often, the case can, and will, crack under the right set of circumstances since they’re not flexible. They also tend to show every mark of misuse. That’s right; if it falls out of the trunk of your car onto cement, the suitcase will never let you forget it. Another downside is the absolute lack of outside pockets, which are a small luxury that should never be overlooked.
Soft suitcases are more flexible, easier to keep looking nice, and often cheaper. They have outside pockets, and often you don’t have to compromise on durability. If you pack correctly, then no worries about opening the case to find the shattered remains of your perfume bottle.
The selling point for soft cases, for me at least, was the weight. Most airlines will only allow 50 pounds (or 23 kilograms) and you want to maximize on that. Which means a lighter suitcase can make the difference between packing that adorable dress and having to leave it behind.
Wheels. Oh, how I love the wheels of my suitcase. When buying my most recent suitcase, I didn’t care about color. I cared about the wheels. I wheeled about five suitcases around the length of the store in an attempt to weed out the cheap. And it worked!
Don’t buy a suitcase with two wheels unless you don’t plan on flying with it often. Spinning four wheels are a godsend in airports. They turn on a dime and it means that you don’t have to pull a 50-pound weight behind you, but rather can push it beside you with ease. They transition from tile to carpet to escalator and back again without missing a step (literally).
Tip: Other than the handle and the zippers, the wheels are the next thing most likely to break on a piece of luggage. So make sure all three of the above are covered by a decent warranty.
Now that you know sort of what type of suitcase you want, it’s time to think size. Most likely, this will be determined by your budget. However, there are a general set of guidelines to follow. You will probably exceed the weight limit on airlines before you exceed the size limits. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist; most checked suitcases can’t be bigger than 60” when you combine length, width, and height. Plus a bigger suitcase = more built-in weight = empty space inside the suitcase where things can bounce around and break.
So for checked luggage, the size is less important than the weight. It’s the very opposite for carry-ons; they won’t weigh your carry-on, but 100% they will measure it if it looks like it exceeds the size limitations.
I’ve had my carry-on, which sits on the fence of being too large, checked for me by airline attendants who don’t want to deal with the hassle of trying to fit it in an overhead bin. It’s their prerogative, and it was another headache for me. Take a ruler with you luggage shopping, because not all companies will print the size of the suitcase, which needsto include the wheels and collapsed handle. A general rule of thumb is no bigger than 21” x 13” x 8” (56 x 35 x 23 centimeters) but check with your airline.
Other luggage shopping tips:
- A plastic, leak-proof pocket provides extra peace of mind for your liquids that might decide to spontaneously burst mid-flight.
- A separate pocket for shoes is also handy if you don’t like dirt and mud all over the rest of your clothes.
- This should be your last concern, but try to buy a suitcase that isn’t black. There are a million black suitcases out there, and it’s much easier to spot a firetruck red bag on a carousel!
Tip: If the bag you like only comes in black, then buy a super unique luggage tag. I attached two brightly colored tags to my black suitcase to make it even easier to distinguish.
Remember, you’re going on a trip of the lifetime, and your choice in a suitcase isn’t going to make or break your trip. Have fun shopping!
