Roxy Luggage Jet Set 26″ Wheeled Upright

If you are looking to get noticed, this is for you.  Roxy creates some of the most unique, fashionable luggage on the market, and with this piece, you will not have a problem finding your luggage on the airport turnstile.

Titan X2 Flash 19″ International Carry-On

This small, durable carry-on is offered in a number of bold colors, and maneuvers beautifully in crowded areas. 

Burton Travel Bags Wheelie Double Deck

Here’s a great bag for the guys.  This bag just plain gets the job done so you can get to your destination and start the festivities.  It has tons of room, and even has a detachable laundry bag in case you want to bring your Mom back the perfect gift (not recommended).

Timbuk2 Ballistic Checkpoint L 25″ Wheeled Bag

This is another very stylish, durable bag that provides ample opportunity for organization.  Plus, it has interchangeable skateboard wheels.  Really.

Heys USA XCASE 20″ Carry-On

This extremely light weight carry-on is offered in a variety of colors, and has a very friendly college student price point; allowing more funds to be used on other important items on your trip, like cold beverages.

Sometimes it’s the small things that make a trip enjoyable, like bathing suits, and when you’re on spring break, having the right travel accessories is critical.  Here are a few that you probably don’t want to leave home without.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Products

Eagle Creek makes a ton of packing organizers in numerous sizes to help even the most unorganized packer.  That would be me.  I encourage you to check out their line to find exactly what you need.  Trust me, our customers swear by these products.

Travelon TSA Approved 1-Quart Zip-Top Bag With Plastic Bottles

You definitely don’t want to get in trouble with the TSA, so if you want to carry-on liquids, this is the perfect product. 

Victorinox Lifestyle Accessories 2.0 Boarding Pouch

The one thing you don’t want to mess around with when you’re on spring break is losing your personal information.  This holder will help keep your information organized and together.  Obviously, when you’re in another country you are always going to want to have your passport handy, but even if you’re close to the border, it’s not a bad idea to keep your passport with you in case things get out of hand and you end up in another country.

Lewis N. Clark Water Seals Medium Multipurpose Pouch

This item is definitely worth it if you’re going to be on the beach, which I hope you are if you’re going on spring break.  Water, sand, and electronics don’t mix well, and taking this small extra precaution could save you considerable frustration and money.

Pacsafe TravelSafe Secure Portable Safe

When I was on spring break, my camera was stolen out of my hotel room.  That was bad enough, but this was back in the film days, and my Mom had used my camera for my brother’s 10^th birthday.  That film was still in the camera.  So now, we have no actual photo proof that my brother turned 10 years old, although I’m pretty sure it still happened.  This loss, however, is still periodically brought up to make me feel guilty.  Again, sorry Mom . . . geez.  If you take nothing else away from this blog, please do yourself a favor and buy this and use it.  Think of my poor 27 . . . or 26 year old brother.

Finally, I’m going to risk sounding old and say that spring break, while incredibly fun, can also be dangerous.  When I was younger, my Mom used to tell me that I thought I was “invincible” and that nothing bad could happen to me.  At first, I thought she said “invisible,” and I was really happy, but that’s another story.  Anyway, looking back, she was right, and I was lucky.  Sometimes bad things do happen, and while I’m not going to go into spring break safety tips, I am going to provide this link to some great tips put together by Dr. Daniel Y.C. Fung, of Kansas State University.  It is well worth your time to read through them before you leave. 

From all of us at Luggage Pros, have a relaxing, fun, and safe spring break!

My Daughter’s Favorites:

Lug Hearts Trip Puddle Jumper Overnight/Gym Bag 

I could see this one coming a mile away.  I would have been truly disappointed had she NOT picked this bag.  The combination of hearts and her favorite color, purple, drew her to it like a magnet.  I was heartened to know that I really did know my daughter.

Dooney & Bourke Zebra Collection Tear Drop Hobo

I do not know my daughter very well.  This caught me by surprise.  When I asked her why she picked this one, I was met with the all too familiar eye roll, and was informed: “Dad, it’s fashionable.”  She’s nine.  I am in so much trouble.

Inventive Travelware “mine!” Luggage Strap, Handle Wrap and Tag Set

She didn’t want one of these sets.  She wanted about twenty, and planned to use them to: “Keep my brother out of my stuff.”   I told her I was impressed with her thought process, but as a long-time member of the ALBS (Annoying Little Brother Society), I could guarantee that it wouldn’t work.

My Son’s Favorites:

Disney by Heys 18″ Disney Carry-on – Cars

The Cars movie was huge for him, and we watched it a couple times.  Which part of it would you like me to recite, line by line?  I wasn’t sure he was still into it as much, but this proved to be too flashy to resist.

Rimowa Topas Aluminum Cabin Trolley

This is another surprise entry.  When asked why, he said: “It would be so awesome to keep my Batman stuff in here!”  I could not argue with that logic.  It is very sleek looking, and very Batmanish. 

Inventive Travelware Remember – Train Luggage Tag

He likes trains.  He didn’t care about the “remember” part of it, and didn’t know what he would use it for, but he likes trains.  If we carried a luggage tag with a giant insect on it and the word “butt,” I guarantee you his choice would change.

So there you have it; my kid’s top six Luggage Pros products.  As a warning to others who may want to try a similar list, you should be very specific when explaining to your children that just because you asked them to pick out their favorite items, doesn’t mean you are going to buy those items for them.  It was a lesson learned the hard way for me.  At the end of the day, I took two thoughts with me at the result of this blog.  First, I need to start saving for my daughter’s teen years now, and second, it really would be cool to keep my son’s Batman stuff in that Rimowa trolley!

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Given the global concern over the threat of terroristic actions on flights, the TSA’s restrictions regarding the amount and type of liquid a passenger is allowed to carry on a plane are certainly understandable.  While this may be an inconvenience for those with gel shoe inserts, or those who get caught trying to carry on their souvenir snow globe, the technology is apparently not far away that will bring convenience and security back to liquid hording travelers. 

     According to a recent article I read on The Engineer Online, German researchers at the  Forschungszentrum Jülich are working on an advanced  system that can quickly identify dangerous liquids in passenger luggage.  The procedure uses electromagnetic waves that are able to reflect a substance’s internal molecular structure to provide detailed information about its identity.  Although other similar substance identifying technologies exist, there are certain limitations which this new method has overcome.  What is even more amazing about this technology, if that’s possible, is that it will do this within one fifth of a second.  I’m a pretty patient person, so I would be willing to wait up to two seconds for this process to happen, but one fifth of a second is simply remarkable.  In fact, in the time you have taken to read this, they could have identified roughly 150 substances.   

     While this technology is not ready for current use, head researchers believe that it could be available for widespread use within the next five years.  I think more than anything, this should be extremely encouraging for travellers to see how these type of technological advances are continuing to be developed to offset the threat of terror and make our airline travel safer and more convenient.

Here is the point that I am trying to make.  Alcohol on flights doesn’t cause problems, its people that drink in access and become roudy and obnoxious that do.  I have been on my share of domestic, charter, and international flights and haven’t seen the serving of alcohol cause any problems.  Now consider the fact that I have been on several spring break flights – flights where you would expect wild college kids to go crazy and overboard with the alcohol…but they didn’t. I am not a huge drinker, and generally don’t drink on shorter domestic flights.  However, when flying longer international flights, I like knocking back a few strong cocktails because it helps me fall asleep, and sleep through the flight.  Now I don’t know about you, but when I sleep, I don’t get annoying, violent, or belligerent.

Mr. Elliot writes that alcohol hightens stressful situations, and that on a plane its harder to ignore or get away from a beligerent drunk.  He also mentions that alcohol at higher altitudes is much more toxic/intoxicating than at ground level.  This is true, however a simple reminder of this for people will likely solve that problem.  Most average people aren’t on the plane to get wasted, especially since getting drunk on a plane is generally a very uncomfortable situation.  I would be ok with limiting the number of drinks that each person can have, although then you run into the problem of weight and tollerance.  I think that flight attendants should act like bar tenders – they should cut people off before they push themselves over the top.

One more thing – even we did stop the serving of alcohol on flights, it wouldn’t solve any of the issues, because the people that do want to be drunk on a plane still will be.  Their are airport bars which serve alcohol, and don’t forget about the duty free shops which sell alcohol for cheap.  Also don’t forget, airlines are struggling as it is, taking away alcohol, one of their revenue sources, is probably not going to help the situation.

I am very interested to get our readers take on this one.  Please reply with your comments.

"To tip or not to tip"

To tip or not to tip, that is the question.  Or better yet, how much to tip.  Whether you are travel frequently or seldom, for business or for pleasure, or any combination of the above, you have probably had this dilemma.  This becomes a problem especially when traveling internationally.  In the U.S. we are pretty much used to the commonplace 10% – 15% minimum gratuity, however in other countries this can vary up or down.  And what about those dreaded doormen, porters and maids?  In this post I will give you some pointers that  I have gathered from my travels.

• When arriving to a new destination, make a quick detour to the airport info kiosk and ask about tipping practices/customs in the area.  Otherwise make a quick stop at the hotel concierge and ask the same question (don’t forget to tip him/her as well)
• Have a separate stash of “gratuity money” available in small local denominations.  This way you don’t have to worry about getting change back (some waiters tend to “forget” to bring it back), or about not having enough money for a tip.
• Whenever tipping, its best to err on the side of generosity – think about it, these people are preparing your food, cleaning your room, and ferrying you around from place to place…all things you want done well, and generally you get what you pay for.
• Most countries outside of the U.S. include a service charge in your bill, but its still a good idea to give at least 5% over the top.
• In most Asian countries, Japan and China in particular, gratuities are not common place.  In bigger cities its a good policy to leave 5% – 10% more, but otherwise they generally include a service charge and don’t expect to get anything on top of that.
• If you are ever traveling in a country with a corrupt government/social system, try to avoid paying bribe “gratuities” if you can.  If you are forced to bribe your way out of a bad situation do so, but otherwise just walk/drive away.

These are just some general guidelines for you, but as mentioned above its a good idea to ask the locals when you arrive, because every place is a bit different.  Check back next week, for a more detailed region-by-region synopsis of tipping policies.

1. Know The Rules – Double check the carry-on guidelines with your airline.  The size and weight guidelines tend to vary a bit from airline to airline, so be sure to get specifics.  For example, your 35lb. suitcase might fine with one carrier, but will have to be checked with another.  Carriers also have varying linear size limits.  Check out our Travel Center for more tips, guidelines, etc.
2. Know Your Size – Are you planning on domestic travel, international travel, or both?  This is very important, since domestic regulations limit the carry-on bag size to a 22″ bag, whereas the international limit is 20″.  If you plan on using the same suitcase for all your travels, I suggest getting a 20″.  I personally travel with a Crew 7 20″ Rollaboard .
3. Beware of the Liquid Restrictions – In case you didn’t know yet, the TSA has restrictions on liquids.  All liquids must be in 3oz. containers which all need to fit into one clear ziplock bag. You can technically go out and buy mini bottles of shampoo, shaving cream, lotion, toothpaste, etc.  However, my preferred solution is purchasing a TSA approved bottle kit.   This allows you to not only bring your favorite shampoo, lotion, etc with you, but it also will save you money because the mini bottles are grossly marked up.  The Eagle Creek Pack-It Custom Travel Bottle Set is my favorite because it contains squeeze bottles, a pump bottle, a spray bottle and a toothbrush holder all conveniently packed into a custom reusable zipper bag.
4. How to fit everything you need into one bag – when going on longer trips, it becomes harder to fit everything you need into your carry-on, especially if you are traveling to colder climates and packing bulky clothes.  My favorite solution is compression bags.  If you have a few extra large heavy duty ziplock bags handy, you can pack them full, and press the air out of them.   However the ziplocks are prone to tears and they do slowly refill with air, so you need to pack fast.  My suggestion is to spring $20 or so, and buy a set of compression bags (Eagle Creek Pack-It Compressor Set).
5. Check Your Lock – If you are going to lock your luggage, be sure that you are using TSA approved locks.  This can benefit you in several ways.  First, if you bag needs to be searched, you don’t need to fiddle around for the key, every TSA agent has a master key.  Second, if you make the bonehead mistake of forgetting or losing your key, you will be able to have a TSA security agent open it for you – save yourself a trip to the hardware store and $25 on bolt cutters (personal experience).

Top Rated Briefcase-Style Laptop Bag

Brenthaven MetroLite II Laptop Shoulder Case – This bag is stylish, durable, and functional.  For such a thin case, the padding is very thick and impact absorbent.  Your laptop will be safe and secure.  A very functional front accessory pocket is perfect for all your cords and accessories.  An optional shoulder strap is also included.  The one downside of this bag is that there is not much space for transporting books, notebooks, files, etc.  At a price of $79.00 this is a great bag for the someone who sporadically takes their laptop out of the home and/or office to work.

Top Rated Wheeled Computer Bag

Brenthaven Duo II Wheeled Case – This laptop bag is perfect for the road warrior and/or those people who need to constantly have multitudes of files and paperwork with them, as well as their laptop.  This bag is a bit on the heavier side, which is normal for wheeled bags, but it provides great padded protection for the laptop, and has a second main compartment for all your notebooks and paperwork, as well as an organizational pocked for all the necessary laptop accessories.

If neither of these two bags are to your liking, please checkout our large selection of laptop bags (laptop backpacks, laptop messenger bags, laptop briefcases, etc.).