Since the majority of airlines charge passengers for checking in luggage, more savvy travelers are choosing to pack their belongings into their carry-on luggage.
The big question remains, how do you decide what to bring, how to pack it, and what type of luggage should you buy? Let's face it, luggage that's too heavy to carry, and too large to store in an overhead bin can make the beginning, middle, and end of your trip very frustrating.
To make your next trip more pleasant, here are four tips to help you choose carry-on luggage.
1.
Luggage for comfort Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, if you choose carry-on luggage that's built for comfort, you will choose either a backpack or a small roll aboard.
Comfort can be defined differently by various types of travelers.
However, when your belongings comfortably fit inside your luggage, and you can easily store your bag into an overhead or under your seat, it makes the traveling aspect of your trip that much more enjoyable.
2.
Bags designed for practicality Not every bag is pretty to look at, but when your goal is to pack as much as you can into the smallest amount of space and you're looking for a practical advantage, then you will want to choose soft sided luggage.
Make sure it has lots of zippers and pockets, both inside and out.
Two examples of selecting bags for practicality would include travelers who have young children and photographers who carry a lot of gear.
The traveler with young children needs to carry toys, food, diapers, changes of clothing, and sometimes medicine.
Certain bags are not practical for this type of situation.
Fortunately, luggage manufacturers carry complete lines of carry-on luggage for moms and dads who travel with their children.
In the example of a photographer who is traveling on assignment or for pleasure, the common practice is to bring a camera bag that contains a sufficient amount of equipment for your photo shoots.
Some photographers will purposely not carry luggage that would tip strangers off that they're toting around several thousand dollars worth of equipment in a small carry-on bag.
Although the camera bag may be packed very efficiently to protect and secure cameras, lenses, memory disks, flash units, etc.
some photographers prefer to insert their well organized camera bag into a larger bag just because it's easier to carry and it doesn't draw attention to what's inside.
3.
Secure carry-on luggage If you travel with electronic high-tech equipment, sometimes you have very few choices when you decide to purchase carry-on luggage.
You need a bag that will secure and protect your large dollar investment of what you're bringing onto the plane.
For example if you're traveling with a laptop computer you want to choose carry-on luggage that provide security and protection for the laptop and any additional accessories that are vital to its operation.
4.
What purpose does your carry-on luggage fulfill? Before buying luggage, ask yourself what the primary purposes are for the luggage you're bringing on your next trip.
How will you use the items that you bring onto the plane as opposed to storing them in a larger suitcase and checking it? When you consider in advance your travel preferences, what you need to check and what you need to carry aboard the airplane, you'll make your future buying decisions less stressful.
In addition, when you purchase several types of bags, you can choose which ones to use depending upon the purpose of your trip.