Planning a holiday or trip away can be exciting. We may spend a lot of time planning where we are going to go and do, but less time thinking about the logistics of travelling abroad. Once you have picked your destination and how long you are staying it is important to make sure that the luggage you own can facilitate the clothing and items you want to bring with you on holiday. But you also don’t want to bring a suitcase that is too large for your needs as transporting the large suitcase could prove cumbersome.
Why Choosing The Right Suitcase Size Is Important
Easier Organisation
Ensuring your suitcase is not too big or small can be very beneficial on your holiday, if the suitcase is too small for your needs you may not be able to fit all the clothing and possessions you would want. This means you may go on holiday feeling unprepared. On the flipside bringing a larger suitcase may mean that you are subject to higher fees, if your suitcase needs to be filled more the items within the suitcase may also get damaged.
Comfort Whilst Travelling
If you bring a larger suitcase than you need to on holiday, you will unnecessarily have to take a larger, heavier suitcase around, which will become cumbersome quickly.
Cost Savings
Choosing a suitcase that is the right size is important to keep costs down and not only at the airport. Your choice of luggage may also affect your reliance on Taxis during your trip. As if your suitcase is too small it may mean that you have to bring other bags with you. Which can be cumbersome to carry long distances. Having a suitcase that is too large may also increase your reliance on taxis because of the fact larger suitcases are often heavier.
Types Of Luggage
Hand Luggage
Hand luggage can be taken on board into the cabin of the plane with you, most commonly hand luggage is a small suitcase or a duffel bag. Airlines usually accept hand luggage measuring under 55x40x20cm, but you should check the guidelines of the airline you are flying with. This type of luggage is ideal for short trips or business trips lasting up to 4 days.
Medium Size Suitcase
Medium-sized suitcases are usually between 60x40x25 and 70x50x30. They can fit enough clothes in for 7-10 days, but if you are going for any longer you probably should get a larger suitcase.
Read: 25th Island of Greece: A Hidden Gem of the Cyclades
Large Suitcase
Large suitcases are best for longer trips or where you need to bring large items or a larger quantity of smaller items. They provide enough space for up to two weeks of clothes.
How To Maximise The Space In Your Suitcase
Make A Packing List And Stick To It The Best You Can
Making a list of the most important things you want to take on holiday can help you prioritise the essentials and not take too many unnecessary items with you.
Ensure That The Clothing You Have Packed Is Suitable To The Climate You Are Travelling To
If you are going to a warmer country you can get away with bringing less hoodies or blankets which are both quite bulky. On the other hand, you should also prepare for unpredictable weather; for example, if you are going to a warmer country you should still bring at least one fleece and raincoat in case the weather is not as good as you expect.
Pack The Heaviest Items First
Packing the heaviest, bulkiest items in your suitcase first helps you pack more into your suitcase as you can put softer items at the top of your suitcase instead which are easier to compress, allowing you to fit more items in your suitcase.
Use Packing Cubes And Compression Bags
These handy tools allow you to fit more items into your suitcase, packing cubes are small bags designed to organise and compartmentalise your clothing. Compression bags are used to minimise the amount of space each piece of clothing requires, you can remove the air in the compression bag. This effectively compresses your clothes and reduces the amount of space they require.
Fill Empty Spaces
You can fill gaps between your clothing with smaller clothing items such as socks and underwear. For example, you can put these items in any footwear that you are putting in your suitcase since the space inside would not be used otherwise.
Roll, Don’t Fold Clothing
By rolling clothing instead of folding you can compress your clothing more efficiently, rolling can also minimise the amount of wrinkles your clothing has when you take it out of the suitcase.
Pack Less Bulky Clothing
Packing clothing that is not too bulky can maximise space in your suitcase and fit more in your suitcase.
Conclusion
Choosing the right luggage size can save you headaches on your trip. Ideally, you should consider if you have appropriate luggage for your trip around the time when you book or agree to go on the trip, providing you with ample time to ensure that you have appropriate luggage options on hand. There are multiple ways you can help maximise the amount of space that you can fit in your suitcase, but the most obvious option is to pack less bulky clothing; instead of packing multiple pairs of bulky jeans, you could pack a pair or two of men’s full tracksuits instead to save space.
