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Posts tagged Luggage
Thinking About Weight And Volume
0The problem with luggage is that is both big and heavy, or at least usually is. In most cases, reducing one, the size, will reduce the weight, but not always. In any case, reducing the size, and reducing the weight doesn’t necessarily help to improve the overall success of your luggage skills. For example, it could well be that you are taking heavy items which will be more durable than their lighter counterparts, and you certainly don’t want to be arriving at the other end of your long haul, needing to spend considerable time sorting out the damaged and creased clothes that didn’t travel well.
Generally the heavier items that people have to take with them are shoes and cosmetics. As far as shoes are concerned the size of these can also be a considerable influencing factor. Perhaps, for example, you are going on a walking trip, or a holiday which involves lot of walking. In this case, a pair of walking or hiking boots will be of tremendous benefit to you. However, they also take up an enormous amount of room in your case. One way of solving this problem would be to wear your hiking boots for the journey. Although it might not be the most comfortable of journeys, at least your luggage will be lighter and considerably smaller.
As far as cosmetics are concerned, it is remarkable how many people simply pack away into their bags all of the bottles, cans, canisters and other objects that are stacked up on their bathroom shelves without any consideration for the size or weight they are carrying unnecessarily.
Instead of taking the original bottles and containers purchase, for just a few pence, a set of small plastic canisters with screw tops, which you can buy from most pharmacy stores. Then, transfer your normal liquids and gels, where possible, into these smaller canisters. These will take considerably less volume and help to reduce the overall size of luggage. In addition to which, the will help to decrease the weight of your luggage, since liquids do tend to weigh far more than your clothes.
Clothes themselves can sometimes take up enormous volume, although it isn’t always necessarily the case that bigger items weigh more. For example, woollen clothes take up considerable size, and although they are flexible, they can’t squash into your luggage as well as some other items. It is true that they don’t tend to weigh quite as much, but because you are taking one larger item as opposed to several smaller items, the result is that you have less flexibility as to what to wear the other end. You can guarantee your woollen jumper will be the first thing to have a great stain on it on your first meal out. You are then stuck with that one item for the remainder of the holiday, whereas taking several smaller items, cotton tops for example, will give you greater flexibility over what to wear. You will have more items, for the same volume, and the weight will be more or less equivalent.
So think carefully abut the volume of the items that you take, compared to the number of items you take, and always bear in mind, where possible, the weight of the item, and where it could be replaced with a lighter equivalent.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant about luggage, cruises, hotels, and shopping. You will find the best marketplace for luggage, cruises, hotels, and shopping at these sites for bags, luggage, hotels, cruises, and shopping.Travel and Vacation Tips
Doing Your Bit For Luggage Security
02 days
by admin
in Uncategorized
These day it is a sad fact but airlines have an increasingly critical part to play in ensuring that all passengers are safe and that all luggage is innocent, and conforms fully to current regulations. In order to not only assist airlines with their job, but also to ensure that you face as little inconvenience yourself as possible, there are a few tips to bear in mind to make everyone’s life a little easier.
A common mistake made by a lot of travellers is to make use of the locks on suitcases. It’s remarkable how often these suitcases come with locking mechanisms, either built into the case themselves, or using a padlock to lock together the zip fastener. However, an increasing number of airlines state on he paperwork that you must not lock your suitcases. The reason simply is that they may need to carry out a check of the contents of your case when you are not present. This could be for a number of reasons. There might well be an item inside to which their attention has been drawn, quite possibly an innocent item, but one which obviously needs checking out. In this case, if the bag is locked, and obviously the security personnel will have no key, they have only one choice, since they will not be able to merely ignore the potential risks that the case presents.
Should they face this situation, they will simply force open the bag. Not only will this almost certainly damage the locking mechanism, but it could also impair the way in which the case closes, and you do not wish to find yourself on holiday with a suitcase that doesn’t close. There are two options in this situation. One is of course not to use the locking mechanism once the case is handed over to baggage. There is a second possibility, depending upon which airline you are using. There is a manufacturer that produces padlocks for cases, to which the airline security staff have a master key. In this situation, you can still ensure the security of you case as it is locked, but the security staff will also be able to have access your case and be able to both unlock it and relock it without any damage to the case itself.
It is also helpful as far as security is concerned to ensure your case is easily identifiable should you be unfortunate enough to have your case go missing. Being able to make it recognizable is a distinct advantage. This is easily achieved by having a label or sign or other sticker attached to each side of the case. This will allow the case to be visible on CCTV and even a cursory glance through lost baggage.
Finally, luggage labels play a very important part in helping to ensure not only that your bag arrives at the same destination and at the same time as yourself, but also should it take a different journey, it helps to allow its eventual return to you. However, labels can become detached, and to guard against this eventuality it is helpful to all concerned to have the same information as was on the luggage label on a label inside the case. Simply get a large sheet of paper and write out your name, address, contact number, destination and flight number, and lay this piece of paper on top of the luggage in you case before closing. This also allows your case to be returned to you should it either go missing or stolen.
How To Steal Contents From Luggage
0Almost certainly this isn’t the case, but of course being aware of the methods used by criminals to obtain access to people’s luggage will help you to protect yourself against such risks. Knowing how they achieve their tricks will allow you to put into place methods that will prevent them from all but the most determined theft.
Should you wish to steal luggage, the easiest way of doing this of course is to identify bags or cases left either unattended or whose owner is paying little or no attention, more distracted perhaps by their children’s activities, the departure board or an argument with their loved one. Make sure in this case you are quick, casual, deliberate and draw little or no attention to yourself. It is remarkable how successful this simple technique can be.
Should you find an interesting looking carryon bag left tucked under chair whilst its owner sits on the chair, it is a simple task to sit on the chair behind the owner. Then, carefully pull the bag through the rear legs of the chair and then either walk off with it, or have a casual look through its contents and remove anything interesting. Some owners have become wise to this method and either keep hold of the shoulder strap or loop it through another case’s handle or part of the chair. In such a situation, simply pull out the pair of scissors or small knife that you keep with you, and cut through the strap. In most cases, this is quickly and easily done, particularly with the cheaper bags.
Should you find that the owner has taken care against even this method by purchasing a bag with a strap built to resist cutting, then you may be forced to look at alternative ways of accessing its contents. Find any bag which is not being watched carefully, such as those over the shoulders of passengers looking at departure boards in crowded area, and identify a zipped pocket which looks likely to contain interesting items. Zips are easily opened with very little trouble, however, should the owner have had the foresight to lock the zip closed, simply start at the opposite end to the lock and pull the teeth of the zip apart. Cheap zips will pop open very easily and allow you to remove the items from within.
In rare cases, the owner may have even purchased a bag with zips that resist forced opening in this way. In which case, you will have to resort to the quick and easy method of taking a Stanley knife or other similar knife and quickly cutting a slash somewhere near the bottom of the bag. This will allow the contents to drop out, and for you to pick up the most interesting of items and disappear quickly into the crowd.
One final piece of advice: should you find that the owner of the bag has purchased one with a metal mesh lining built into the case itself to prevent the cutting open of the bag, it is worth giving up and finding a far easier target, since there will be many more of these throughout the airport.
It is, of course, a tongue in cheek way of looking at the situation, and I am in no way encouraging the theft from bags in airports. However, bear in mind the range of methods that criminals do use, and some of the ways you can help guard against any reason for them to target you. Remember the golden rule, that the most likely target is to be a bag whose owner is paying little or no attention to it, and that you should at all times make sure that you give no criminal any reason to think that you would make such a target.
Luggage And Liquids – How To Survive
08 days
by admin
in Uncategorized
Today, because of the increased security required at most airports, the carrying on board of liquids is significantly reduced. In order to prevent problems whilst boarding you would be well advised to contact the airline well in advance of your intended day of travel to obtain an up to date description of what liquids you are allowed to take, and also in what quantities.
Generally most airlines today will limit you to 100 ml per liquid or per canister. Almost certainly the canisters and bottles you have at home in your bathroom will be sold in far greater volumes, and even trying to take on board a 150 or 200 ml canister could result in both a delay, and the loss of the entire canister, which could certainly cause some problems and inconvenience.
A little planning and preparation therefore will help to prevent any such inconveniences. One way in which you can effectively kill two birds with one stone is to invest in a set of small screw top canisters which can be purchased from most DIY stores and pharmacies. Making sure that the volume of these canisters is no more than 100 ml, transfer all of your necessary cosmetics into these canisters, remembering of course to label them properly, and then you can make quite sure that there is no risk of your bottles being confiscated due to oversize. But at the same time what you have also achieved is a reduction in the size of the bottles and containers that you take in your luggage. You don’t, after all, want to be taking a huge bottle which originally held 500 ml and now only contains 100 ml. The bottle won’t squash, but you will find that you are taking a good volume of fresh air in your luggage which you can’t use.
Another common problem as far as liquids are concerned is of course the risk of leakage. A glass bottle of perfume is of greater risk, but plastic bottles can crack, and the caps can be knocked off if the bag experiences a sudden knock. Therefore, how do you protect against the risk of leakage? The solution is quite simple. In addition to purchasing a number of small plastic containers for your cosmetics, buy a pack of sealable sandwich bags. These are the type of bag which is transparent, and has a sealable snap top which can be pressed shut to seal any liquid inside.
Place the canister individually into it own sandwich bag. Next, roll the bag up starting from the base. This ensures that you remove any excess air which might otherwise take up space in your bag, and like a balloon, be at greater risk of bursting itself. Once you have squeezed all the excess air out of the bag, seal it and pack it. In this way you will help to maximize the protection of your liquids. If you plan wisely you may find you are able to pack into these canisters only the amount of cosmetics you actually need for the duration of your holiday. Since the canisters and bags cost merely a few pence, if space is critical in your bag, why not simply discard the bags and canisters at the end of your holiday, and save a little extra room on the return trip?
Religion, Clothing And Your Luggage
032 days
by admin
in Popular Destinations
Apart from the well seasoned and experienced traveller, an issue that should concern us all when packing our luggage but which is frequently overlooked is that of the religious expectations or cultural standards held by the people of the country we are visiting. Some people indeed are of the belief that when you are in Rome you should do as the Romans do. In other words, whatever the dress code and cultural values of the people are, you should do as much as you possibly can to respect these traditions and values. Indeed, some go as far as adhering to strict dress codes.
However, even if you do not feel entirely comfortable with going as far as this, you should always make every effort to be sympathetic to the values held by the people you are visiting, and do not do anything which could be considered offensive or disrespectful in any way. After all, when you are visiting a friend’s house or a family member’s house for an event, you are likely to give consideration to the social expectations, and dress accordingly, either wearing smart or casual outfits.
No less should be true when going abroad. Having said that, making assumptions that may be out of date or merely stereotypical can be every bit as offensive as making no effort to make any consideration. If in doubt, it is always advisable to discuss your concerns with a professional and experienced travel agent. These people will be able to advise you on specific customs and expectations of the people you will be visiting.
As a general rule, most cultures will be reasonably accepting of visitors bringing their own cultural values with them. But, to give a specific example of where this does not go down well, visiting the middle east wearing outfits more suited to a Mediterranean beach holiday will not be considered to be in good taste. Indeed, there are many cultures which consider that unnecessary over exposure is highly offensive. It is also wise to consider the fact that this does not merely limit itself to the dress code for women, and that there are expectations for men just as much.
Should you be anticipating visiting places of worship within the areas you are visiting, then it is also worth knowing that for many religious cultures, removing one’s shoes is essential before entering such buildings. Clearly if this is the case, then it is important that your choice of footwear include socks or their equivalent, since bare feet is not always considered appropriate, or indeed hygienic.
Very rarely, the colour of the clothes that you wear can have some significance, and although this is unusual, again, it is always worth checking with either a well seasoned traveller who has been to the location, or a professional travel agent who can advise you. Of course, we don’t always have an exact planned itinerary for when we go on holiday and sometimes due to unexpected weather conditions, unexpected cultural events and a range of other factors, we can find ourselves visiting areas we didn’t expect, or being involved in events we didn’t plan. Therefore the golden rule of flexibility will stand you in good stead. Taking a wide range of interchangeable outfits will provide you with a wardrobe likely to allow you to fit in to the local culture, conditions and climate far more than would taking one or two set outfits more suited to your home town.