I hate goodbyes. But it’s time.
It won’t be easy. She’s traveled with me for years, trudging through hundreds of airports and logging thousands of air miles. She’s endured a lot of manhandling without whining.
But as nice as she is, I’m embarrassed, frankly, to travel with her anymore. The years and miles are showing on her frame. There’s no denying it, she’s getting really shabby.
(I wonder though … is the same true about me?)
I’d already jettisoned her big sister. She’s in Dublin now. My step-daughter, Erica, took her off my hands when she moved last August.
But replacing her involves so many decisions! Soft, hard or semi-soft? (…and I’m not talkin’ about cheese!). Two wheels or a spinner? A matching pair, of course, but do I go with 26 and 24, or 24 and 22 or 26 and 22? Fabric or polycarbonate?
One thing for sure, though – I will avoid the one design feature that I hated about my suitcase all these years (Oh … did I not mention “she” was my suitcase?). My bag has a single telescoping handle, instead of double tubes. Anything that I place on top, braced against the handle, always falls off as I wheel her along. Drives me nuts!
I almost got rid of her in rather creative ways – two different times. A few years ago, returning from an exhaustive European trip, I retrieved my distinctive red and black Victorinox (Swiss Army brand) suitcase from the baggage carousel at LAX. I drove home, dumped her on the floor and went straight to bed. Later the next day, I reluctantly decided to unpack (a task I hate only slightly less than packing) and do my laundry. To my horror and embarrassment, I realized that I had someone else’s suitcase!
Another time, I attended a travel industry conference in Reykjavik, Iceland – in December. From there, I was going on a site inspection to Malta, then to Sicily and then to Rome. (Yeah, I know … could I have arranged a more bizarre routing?) At the airport in Reykjavik, I was advised that IcelandAir did not interline luggage with other carriers. In other words, while I might make my flight connection at Heathrow, my luggage would go no further. I didn’t have enough time between flights to claim it and re-check it. So I piled on extra layers of clothes to wear on the flight, hastily crammed as much as possible in my carry-on and checked the suitcase to London. Since I wasn’t coming back through Heathrow, I had no idea if I would ever see it again. Technically, they would not have lost the bag, since it was properly tagged to its final destination – which just happened to be different than my final destination. Given that it was an industry conference in Iceland, I hoped that my sales rep from Icelandair would get it back for me – eventually. (This was back in the days when airlines still had sales reps.)
You can guess the outcome of both of these stories – I got her back.
The “old girl,” my faithful companion – has seen better days!
I’m taking the old girl to Mexico with me on Sunday and – hopefully – returning home with her on Thursday. After that she’ll be put out to pasture – replaced with My Bag of Dreams.
My new bag will be right-sized (no matter how much stuff I take), pack itself, weigh less than five pounds, fit in the overhead compartment on every aircraft and always look chic and sophisticated. Oh, and she’ll unpack herself, too!
(A girl can dream, can’t she?)
So, you wonder, what kind of luggage do we “professionals” use? I queried my team to get photos and stories about their baggage:
Gabriel, not surprising (since he’s a bit of a clotheshorse!) travels with a large Tumi suitcase which he’s had for two years. He recently traveled to South Africa on vacation with his sister, Hilda. He complained, “I never remove my tags and stickers. But she started to peel them off. That drove me mad – I like my stickers!! Now my suitcase is all sticky!”
Sadly, the best-made luggage breaks, too. Returning from Johannesburg on Etihad Airlines two weeks ago, his bag cracked in many places. (I’m sure it had nothing to do with being overstuffed…!)
Gabriel offered this helpful tip: “The airlines lost my bag for several days somewhere in Italy. I had a photo of my suitcase and sent it to my ground agent in Rome. They instructed their airport staff to look for it at baggage claim in Rome. Sure enough, they spotted it right away! (Wasn’t too hard – it was the great big one with all the tags and stickers on it!)
Howard has a brand-new suitcase. It’s all spiffy and clean and he doesn’t have any good stories to share about it – yet!
Whitney bought her suitcase on sale for thirty bucks at Target in Denver when she was going to Atlantis in the Bahamas on her very first industry “familiarization” trip. It’s been with her on every trip since then – duct tape and all!
Deb and her husband, Chris, bought a 6-piece, lipstick-red set for Valentine’s Day in 2008. They were leaving shortly thereafter for a three week trip to Italy. She calls it her “love luggage!” (If only suitcases could talk . . .!)
So – what about you? Have any good luggage stories to share?
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9 Comments
Wasy February 20, 2015 at 4:03pm
Marilyn, whatever you buy make sure it has 4 wheels and “it walks with you”. I call my a four wheel drive suitcase…. So much easier to handle. I am not one to spend so much money of a brand name luggage because like every suitcase it will be thrown around and just because it has a “brand” name it will not be handled with extra care or with white gloves. I enjoyed reading your story. Very nicely written.
Katlin February 20, 2015 at 4:09pm
I have finally found a bag that I love and that fits in most overhead compartments – My Rick Steves eggplant colored rolling backpack (with a matching super lightweight daypack). http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=8&id=507 If my clothes, etc. don’t fit in that luggage, they don’t get to go on the trip. No more checked luggage, if possible! 🙂
Tina Yoppolo February 20, 2015 at 9:31pm
I have the same suitcase as Katlin. Mine is a mousy grey. I am trying to get better at packing light. It’s a learning process.
Ann February 20, 2015 at 5:19pm
I loved your story, Marilyn, and I have to agree with you about the Victorinox, I don’t like the single telescoping handle either, ugh.
But it’s still going strong, so I will wait a little longer.. Hope you enjoy your travels this year! lucky you
James Lockard February 20, 2015 at 6:15pm
I parted with my 20+ year old Delsey roll aboard on our last trip to New York. The zipper finally gave out and I had to let it go. There is really nothing like it on the market today. I went to Macy’s Herald Square and got a Ricardo two-wheeler, which is smaller but has some nice features. I don’t like the four wheelers – dangerous on a hill! We almost lost Dorianne’s on a steep street in Nice.
Interestingly, the sales person at Macy’s luggage dept said that they did not have ANY two-wheelers. We found four.
The old Delsey had tens of thousands of miles on it, but, eventually, we had to part ways. I left it with the desk clerk at the Hotel Indigo in Chelsea.
Now the Ricardo is making its first trip to Europe!
Good traveling!
Jim Lockard
Ken Paganini February 20, 2015 at 6:26pm
Marilyn, I can relate entirely with you. My old TravelPro was retired after 30+ years and a lot a mileage and repairs. I struggled and purchased several replacements. Then three years ago I purchased a Rimowa hard-side 22″ spinner. Just plain and super!!! I recently added a 26″ spinner to it for those ventures requiring checking bags. They are bullet proof. Highly recommend……Happy Trails.
Deborah February 20, 2015 at 6:47pm
If they could to talk, you would blush!
Jane Halsey February 22, 2015 at 1:45am
A few years ago after a gym workout when heading the the women’s locker I slip on a rug and broke my shoulder in two places. Three weeks later I had a sales trip to SF and because the show must go on, I needed to find the most lightweight suitcase made. I had just recently bought an expensive large fold over bag so this was not a happy excuse to buy a new suitcase but a necessity. Off to Bloomingdales to discover that the most lightweight bag was a Rimowa. It was super expensive. Weighing in at 6 lbs, it is a four wheel spinner like Ken has. Mine is 24″ and goes on three days to three week trips. You are right about the single handle and tote backs but since it spins (glides upright) I just sit the tote on the top of the case and it rides smoothly, except on the escalator. I love this suitcase and the pretty fold over bag has not come out of the closet ever since a broken shoulder introduced me to Rimowa.
Ron Murphy February 23, 2015 at 2:25am
I have a luggage story!: Gao, India. 1993 I think. I was travelling with a 10-year-old JansSport internal frame backpack. (externals were still on the market in 1983!) Staying in a beach bungalo for a few days. It was my last stop before heading back to New Delhi for return flight to Japan. There was a small market area adjacent to my bungalo. I took my backpack in to repair and reinforce seams, which were straining. The shop guy said it would be ready the next day. Next day, which was my last full day (or so I thought at the time!!), I took my book, towel, etc. and set myself up on the beach. About 10 minutes later, out of NOWHERE, a realization flashes upon me — my flight departs New Delhi THAT NIGHT! NOT the next night! (flight ARRIVED in Japan the next day, so I had the next day’s date stuck in my head, but confused it with departure date). It is now total panic time! I sprint to my room. My back pack! Oh shit! Sprint to the shop (10 a.m. ish). Closed!! OH SHIT!!! Extreme, unbelievable panic! I run around like a wild man, pleading with other shop owners to call this guy! Tell him I need my bag, NOW!!! He shows up an hour later, I pack and I’m gone! Taxi driver speeds to local airport. I make the flight to Delhi, in time for flight to Japan. To this day, I can feel the panic of that morning! …29 years after first purchasing that back pack for my first-ever foreign travel (Europe in 1983), I used it for my trip to the Middle East in 2012! Worked great! … Next time, my Joberg/Tanzania luggage story! Until then…..