Every now and then I'm tempted by one of the hipster luggage options but the reality is since I was a kid I've had Samsonite this or that and not once has any bag failed me in any way so I just keep sticking with them. I've probably only had 3 or 4 since I was a teenager and whenever I've replaced one it was just so that I'd have something that looked new/clean, and not because of any actual problems.
The truth about luggage is that for most people something basic will work. If you travel 3-4 times a year do you really need a $400 suitcase? The American Tourister you can buy at Walmart will be just fine. My only advice for anyone buying luggage is that you want a spinner, not one of the two wheel jobs. The ability to push it in front of you and maneuver through crowds and/or up and down aisles is key. That said, I have a TravelPro carryon (and matching larger suitcase) because I travel 1-2 times a month for work and used to do more than that. For me the biggest differentiator was the wheels. It has the best spinning wheels I've ever had which is super convenient. I can be walking with it through an airport, take my hand off of it for a few seconds to do something where I need two hands, and it keeps rolling at the same pace I'm walking without shooting off in some tangential direction.
I got the hard shell Amazon Basics three piece set a few years ago when they were on sale for Black Friday and I’ve been very surprised how well they’ve held up. For a cheap option, I would recommend.
I’ve had samsonite hard shell four wheeled luggage for almost ten years and have no issues with very frequent work travel
TravelPro carry on + Tumi backpack have served me very well for last 4 years or so. Travel weekly and both have held up extremely well.
I fly carry on only but my TravelPro has held up extremely well. Just completed ~200 flights in 5 years with it and it still looks brand new except for some scuffs on the wheels due to European cobblestone roads/sidewalks. Also, team 2 wheels vs 4.
I'll preface this by saying I've probably never used a good 4 wheel spinner bag but my experience is they're shit. Not to mention, for carry ons, it makes the bag actually smaller since the wheels sit outside the bag vs the 2 tucked up in the bag.
Also a 2 wheel man…extra space >>>> walking it alongside me Travelpro is excellent - was my first bag at traveling job and held up well. Now have Briggs and Reilly which is great but not sure it was worth the extra money tbh
We flew into Palermo in 2019 and they had several familiar options. Buy the insurance. Also take photos of the car before you leave and/or fill out the preexisting damage form when you get the car. Sicily can be trouble if you don’t speak Italian. It’s the only place in Italy where we had language trouble, and we only saw Palermo.
That's their premium offering competing with Chase and Amex's top tier cards, so it has a full priority pass membership and access to their own branded lounges.
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I've done Palermo a bunch of times. We have a family vacation home in Cinisi. Normally I use our car but this time going we will be having 3 families in at the same time and 10 people wont go in the the car... so I ended up with the short straw and will be renting an additional car. My Aunt and Uncle just flew back two days ago and they lost 3 luggages lol...
Do you still have connections to family there? Very cool if so. We went to Palermo because my wife’s family came from there around 1900, but we didn’t have much luck looking up family history. Found the section of town where her great grandfather left, and an old church from a photo. He died pre-WWII, so no one has had contact for four generations. My wife didn’t know who to look up.
Just got to Switzerland for the first time. We're in Ascona (like 45 min NW of Lugano). Insanely beautiful but way too cold to fully appreciate it unfortunately. Anyone been in this area (Ticino)? Would love tips Also I started a travel blog / IG account to document our travels on this 3 month trip + write off all the travel expenses. Hoping that takes off but I hate being that guy taking pics/videos everywhere
I’ve been workshopping a “Blogging the People of Travel Blogs” site. Mainly for the credit card salesmen.
We do, my father has almost all of his family living in and around a town called Cinisi. My mother has some family in other parts of Sicily, most of her family moved over to the States. I hope you got to hit the beaches and some of the historical sites. It’s all amazing stuff. We are planning to visit Calgari and the Volcano this time around. My kids are super excited. Showed them video of the circular puffs the other day.
We only had two days in Sicily and spent both in Palermo. No one knows the story why my wife’s great grandfather left, but he never looked back and had no other relatives in the US. We knew an old church there from a photo he had. Found the church. He got involved in the fruit business in Cincy at the turn of the century, eventually running two trucks with his son back when neighborhood delivery was a thing. His son had 13 kids, but none of them know anything about the family history prior to the US. The great grandfather died pre-WWII, so everything was lost with him.
We needed new carry-ons last year and I got my wife an Away one and I got a Briggs & Riley. She loves the Away and while it hasn't gotten a ton of use, no complaints. I travel a decent amount for work but frankly, I'm not sure the B&R is worth the premium (though some of the features are extremely cool and it's certainly well made). Of interest to probably no one but myself but one of the co-founders of Away grew up outside Cleveland in this house:
Did they play travel sports or do competitive cheer/dance? I bet they were into all that plus don’t believe $40m is generational wealth
Why do you think they had to sell their childhood home and work at a factory making luggage? Spoiler the city put a lien on their mansion because the compounding interest wasn’t sufficient to pay the water bill
The Airbnb filter for a dryer was killing me Stopping in Greece in between work travel and needed a place where I could do laundry. 90% of the listings that appeared after selecting the dryer filter did not have a dryer. Felt like an eternity just to find a spot
In my experience, dryers are a luxury outside of the US. Feel like most other countries just airdry clothes on a line.
Yeah, in place W/D seems pretty rare in Europe. Just take it to a dry cleaner and expense that shit Or stay in a hotel (yikes)