Personal Finance Topics / Macroeconomic Trends and Risks
No. of Recommendations: 1
I'm seeing a lot of stuff that TSA and airlines will be a lot more strict going forward. Even a bag dimension over by 1/2", and you'll have to check it.
This video lists a bunch of stuff. It starts in the baggage section of the video, but you can rewind it to the beginning.
TSA is going strict with liquids, and also "smart" bags are going to be a problem. Apparently, you need to know the specs of your powerbank or they might take it from you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9p3s7rcqs&t=249sThoughts?
No. of Recommendations: 4
It's a worthwhile watch. What they didn't stress is that, over the past few years, the :standard" US carry-on size has shrunk - and, at the same time, the "standard" suitcase design had become less useful.
In the US, the standard carry-on maximum size for most airlines is 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 36 x 23 cm), including handles and wheels (European airlines tend to have smaller maximums - in fact, our old 22 inch rollerboard "carry-ons" became our checked luggage for a Trip which included flights in Turkey). At the same time as smaller bags were required, the standard wheel/caster type changed from a pair of nearly recessed rollerblade wheels to the bag sitting on top of four spinning casters. While this made the bag more convenient to wheel on smooth airport floors, it made it more difficult to drag along the street - as well as raising the bag a couple of inches (and giving up that amount of packing space).
We have no shortage of luggage pieces, yet recently bought a new pair of carry-ons (cheap at TJ Max) which maximized thee interior space, yet exactly matched the maximum size allowed. Our "personal" bags are a pair of waterproof soft "duffle bags" with shoulder straps which can be squooshed into nearly any space.
We travel a lot (by any measure you might use) and, like most professions, tools are important. For checked luggage, I highly recommend this specific model of luggage (color of your choice): Samsonite S'Cure, Silver, L (75 cm - 102 L), Spinner - currently $171 on Amazon and, if you are lucky, 135-150 Euros in some parts of Europe. We have used these for dozens of trips and they laugh off an incredible amount of abuse. They are light enough that 50 pounds (23kg) fits easily, don't have zippers to break or get cut, are gasketed against water, are easy to maneuver and so on. They are available in colors that stand out as "your" bags and don't appear ostentatious enough to be theft magnets (in fact, I keep threatening my wife with polka-doting them with sprays of magenta and cyan Krylon paint to make them uglier).
I highly recommend Global Entry cards if you travel abroad.
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 2
We have Global Entry / Trusted Traveler. I need to see the expiration, so we can renew in a timely manner. They either expire next year, or in 2027. I forget, but need to verify.
My primary bag is from Rick Steves. When I bought it, it was expandable soft-sided. Fully zipped, it conformed to the European carry-on standard. Fully expanded, it conformed to the US (and international flight) standard. I'll need to verify if that's still the case (it may not be now). It also has rollerblade wheels. I hate spinners. They're great in airports, but total rubbish on cobblestone streets (which a lot of places in Europe have). The rollerblade wheels are effortless on cobblestones.
We also acquired two medium check-in bags. Alas, spinners. There's no point getting the big ones because the medium ones will fit 50 lbs easily. A bigger bag just means it's not as tight, and stuff can flop around inside.
I'll check out your bag suggestion. We've had Samsonite in the past, and they always seem to have issues. They can't seem to complete a journey without something breaking (handle tearing off, zipper pull missing, etc). My Rick Steves bag, and the two medium bags we got (Beis and Mono), appear to be quite durable. No issues to date.
We'll also have to review our lithium devices. If we need to know the ratings of our powerbanks, I'm going to have to take some notes (maybe write it on the powerbank with a sharpie). I already carry all such things with any meds in my personal item (usually my camera bag, if I bring it).
No. of Recommendations: 0
Alas, most Samsonite bags (including their Tumi line) have been in a race to the bottom like most major manufactures (and the ones who haven't, like Briggs & Reilly are way more expensive). This specific model (Secur) was designed and made in Europe (though the ones sold in the US seem to be made in India) and it just hits the sweet spot on all the technical at a rational price. I forgot to mention that, not only have the ones we own been indestructible, but the slightly flexible, but hard sides, offer significant protection to anything inside. Despite the slight "give" in the center of the expanse of the bag, it is rock stable when open or closed (none of the "wiggle" which most hard sided bags have today).
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 0
Thanks, if it wasn't for the $162.50 in shipping I would order one.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Quite a while ago I bought a wheeled carry on bag and I was looking for the lightest one I could find and be fairly inexpensive. I ended up with a bag from eBags (I think samsonite bought them a while ago). That bag is still going strong probably a decade later and it was pretty cheap. I don't think it is smart to pay a lot for a bag since almost any bag can be damaged.
I do have a briggs/riley bag with a lifetime warranty but it is big and except for moves it isn't something I use for travel. Also the premium you pay for the lifetime warranty isn't worth it in my case.
I reluctantly switched backpacks after my old one developed a tear. It might not spread especially with some duct tape on it but I don't want to be traveling and have it break and have a big mess. The only negative with a new bag is getting used to where things are located. After years of using one backpack where you knew where you put everything and now having a different pocket/zipper arrangement, it takes a while to figure things out.
Rich
P.S. Whatever you buy, learn to travel lightly, wear clothes multiple times, don't bring a bunch of shoes, etc. It is sad or sometimes just laughable at the crap people, especially people w/o children, carry on trips. We saw this one older couple, maybe 70s, and they were telling us how often they travel. Then we saw the husband carrying a bunch of bags into a taxi and my wife and I looked at each other and thought "geez, haven't they learned to pack lightly by now?"
No. of Recommendations: 0
Depends on the airline. If you buy the cheapest ticket or on a cut-rate airline that makes much of its revenue from baggage charges, you'll run a real risk. For other airlines and/or a bit higher-priced ticket, it's rarely an issue, in my experience. The YouTube videos often have scary titles intended to get you to watch them, and then buy something they recommend to solve the (nonexistent) problem.
Regardless, we travel with international-sized carry-ons exclusively, unless I'm bringing extra sports equipment. I even went one step further recently and bought a 35-liter (capacity) Osprey travel backpack that holds a bit more than my (two-wheeled) rollaboard (30 liter) yet fits in the same dimensions. Even with inline-skate wheels, the rollaboard is somewhat unwieldy (to me) on narrow European sidewalks and cobblestones.
I used the backpack on our trip to Hawaii this past week, and I like it a lot. I'll use it for our 7-week trip to Europe this spring.
No. of Recommendations: 0
The cut-rate airlines, sure. The point of these recent warnings is that the majors are also seeing this as a potential revenue stream. Plus, many people (including us) pack the carry-on, and then hope that they will ask for "gate checks" at the gate. We volunteer quickly, so we get a free checked bag instead of having to pay $35 for it (domestic). We keep all our in-flight essentials in our "personal items", which are easier to fit in the overheads**. Less of an issue with the international flights, which typically use the larger Boeings or AirBuses.
And some of the rules are TSA, independent of airline. Like size of lithium battery cells ("power banks").
**Our last flight was on a Embraer 175 (I think), in which our legal carry-ons wouldn't have fit in the overheads at all. I saw several people not able to fit their bags in the bins because they were smaller even than the 737 bins.
No. of Recommendations: 1
+1 to Ormont's info above. For a trip to Italy in Oct '24 we bought Osprey carry-on pullable backpacks with recessed wheels - fit the recent US carryon rules. They weren't cheap ($240 each IIRC) but they were perfect for that trip. The backpack straps tuck inside the outer layer when not needed; the recessed wheels are much more durable than spinners and stay in size limit; and the pull handles extend and collapse as standard.
We used them as backpacks for walking between airbnbs and train station instead of dragging across cobblestone streets for distances, but just normally pulled them in airports etc.
Obviously not big enough for a weeklong winter/northern trip by themselves, but plenty of room for enough warm-weather clothes for a week, or more if you have laundry.
Global Entry is well worth the $ from the first time you come back into the US and you're able to bypass an an hour+ line at customs. And it gets you a known traveler number which automatically brings TSA precheck with it.
If you're flying out of Boston, TSA precheck is a must to get around a security line that frequently exceeds an hour - plan for that delay if you can't get that.
No. of Recommendations: 1
If you're flying out of Boston, TSA precheck is a must to get around a security line that frequently exceeds an hour - plan for that delay if you can't get that.
Put in for disability, which costs no extra. Have a nice person from another country bring you a wheelchair immediately inside the terminal door, take you straight to the head of the TSA line, (also any others in your party), continue on to the gate, be dropped off. Give them $10.
So totally worth it, especially if your airline comes in at a distant gate. (Allegiant, for instance, looks to be close, but you have to walk all the way to one end of the plaza, turn around, and walk all the way back - which I simply cannot do with my back issues. At least in the terminal we frequent there are no moving sidewalks, so it’s all on your legs.)
