What does your suitcase look like? Does it have a Gucci logo (or maybe a fake Gucci logo 
?)
The reason I ask is that a recent survey of higher end fashion stores revealed that sales are down. Now we all know that the cost of living has gone up so it is natural that the sale of luxury items would go down. BUT – the one product in these stores where sales have gone up is – LUGGAGE!
It made me think that when choosing between a designer coat or a vacation people choose vacation. I think this reflects the feeling of many of us at the moment. The 50+ demographic are feeling robbed of a couple of years due to COVID and are seizing the moment and travelling. The younger demographic are looking at the state of the world and thinking that they better get out there and explore it before it disappears under the oceans – or under a volcano!
And so the luggage starts selling out.
Maybe it is also due to the short life of luggage. Have you seen some of those bags coming off the carousel? Smashed to pieces? Ripped wheels? And if you happen to have a window seat in the aircraft and you see the handlers throwing your precious suitcase down into the bowels of the plane – well I just hope you don’t have something delicate inside. Reminds me of something – when I went on my first Explora I cruise we were greeted in the stateroom with a beautiful bottle of Moet champagne. We didn’t drink it because – well we didn’t need to … so much champagne on the ship. So we left it there only to find out that some of the people on the ship actually took the champagne with them. In their suitcase. I don’t know how it would have survived! After a whole trip across the Atlantic and being thrown around from right to left you would just have to touch the cork and it would explode!
Remember the old days when people travelled with trunks. OK, so it was by sea but it made sense. I would love to see the airline check in agent when you arrive with your sea chest! It wouldn’t even fit on the scale!!
But you can still buy them….
I found this one on Etsy
$25,096.81 CAD
Try throwing this across the tarmac!!
6 Responses
Interesting article – When we retired we thought we’d get rid of the cheap old black suitcases and splurge a little on something better quality and a different colour. Easier to pick out in luggage area. Well our olive and brown coloured suitcases now look absolutely horrible with black stains all over. Never again! I am now considering a hard sided suitcase that can be wiped or probably go back to the cheap black suitcases! LOL
Yes those poor bags go through a lot. We will never know! Until maybe one of them writes a “tell all” book.
Lesley
That’s an idea for a book Lesley
Ooooh yes – the stories that suitcase could tell!
We don’t try to travel just with carry-on but we have down-sized with our typical check-in weight being under 30 kg for 2 of us. They are soft-sided as light as possible, but with 2 good wheels. My bag is black which doesn’t show the dirt etc. So far, they are surviving.
If you’re not doing an upscale, all-included trip, you probably have to lift your bags onto the train and possibly up to the racks or into the bus bins and sometimes the train stations may not have convenient elevators or escalators. Now I do look for accommodation with an elevator. No more lugging bags up to rooms up 4 storeys with narrow stairs to save money but be in the centre of Florence. One storey we may manage. We don’t need fancy, formal clothes on any of the trips we take, the last one being Danube with Viking. For trips of 2 weeks or more, we look for laundromats where they often will wash and fold our clothes within 12 hours. Or we wash clothes in the bathroom sink and hang to dry. Shirts maybe a little creased but who cares?
Be careful. Measure your current suitcase if you’re replacing it as bags always look small in the store as they have the very big bags there and people seem to keep adding stuff into their suitcase while ‘just this item’ still fits.
Some wise words there Hugh. I love to pack light and if I am not travelling for business then that is my preference. Unfortunately business trips often require cocktail attire and shoes take us SO MUCH room. I did an 18 day trip once to Ireland all with carry on. Mind you – I did burn those clothes as soon as I got home 🙂
I agree with your comments about train travel. It can be hard to find a place in the coach to store your bag. Good choice with choosing a black bag. I recently bought a new carry on back pack in PINK … What the heck was I thinking?