My favourite luggage for any trip

As many of you know, I am a travel blogger (over at www.bloggeratlarge.com), and have been since 2009, and I've also been hosting tours for my readers since 2017. So I've packed a fair few suitcases in my time!

If you're as old as me, you'll remember the soft/saggy suitcases that needed a separate set of wheels to drag them through the airport - which is what I used when I set off as an exchange student to America in 1985! Why did they take so long to put wheels on luggage?!

These days I like 4 wheels that can spin 360degrees, so I can glide effortlessly through airports. I make sure my luggage always has a TSA lock, so that if customs need to open it, they can do so without breaking the lock.

But the best thing I like is the new style of hard-shell luggage that is top opening. I'm over the hard-shell butterfly style luggage that opens in two halves. They are handy for packing and seeing where everything is, provided you have the space in the hotel to do that.

But invariably you don't have the room to open the suitcase fully, it won't fit on the luggage rack, and if your friend/partner also has the same style it's like jumping over hot lava to get across the room.

See the 3 top-opening luggage ranges here >

What size suitcase do you use?

Great question! I use a medium size, which is extendable, no matter how long I'm travelling for. From a weekend to a month, I can get everything into a medium size. The only difficulty is shoes. I try and be ruthless and only pack three pairs of shoes, but in winter there'll be boots too.

And don't forget, you'll do laundry. About every 6 or 7 days I seek out a laundry either at the hotel, or a call-in service, or on the ship.

The only disclaimer I'd make is if I'm travelling for a couple of weeks or more, I might also take my rolling cabin bag. This is also expandable, so has room for a little extras like shopping!

Shop our full luggage range here >