924Superwagen

I'm sure a lot of you travel to Europe regularly, so I'll take advantage of the situation. I'm going on a trip to Europe in two weeks and looking to get some luggage. I'm torn between a large duffel bag or a 30" suitcase... both of which have wheels. What are the pros and cons of the two. If you guys have any suggestions...

Thanks,
Andy

TMH

Get whatever has the wheels spaced farthest apart, and the one with the largest wheels. Lots of walking in European travel centers, to get from your airline gate to the train station, etc. Bags with small wheels or ones too close together are really unstable and difficult. But... almost all of the major European airports also provide luggage carts free of charge, as opposed to American airports which charge for their "rental". Only problem is that the luggage carts can't always go where you need to be, and you've got to rely on the wheels on your luggage.

Finally, get one pretty big piece of luggage as opposed to several smaller ones. Much easier when getting onto trains to only have one heavy piece and one over-the-shoulder piece like a soft briefcase.

Good luck, and have fun on your trip. Where are you going?

Tom

slinky

Don't know how long you're going for, but if it's only a short trip, I'd recommend one of those wheeled suitcases that are small enough to carry on (like 20").

You don't want to end up in Europe while your luggage is on its way to Timbuktu!

924Superwagen

I'm off to Latvia (3 weeks) for the first time to visit relatives and such. My grandmother has told me so much about how it was before WWII, but I realize that much has changed with capitalism. I just want to see it firsthand and not through the lens of other relatives' cameras. It is something I've wanted to do, but never earned enough dough to go (due to school). Now with a generous birthday/christmass(x2) gift I'm a going!

Found a nice-sized duffel bag with the now standard rollerblade wheels at a decent price. Nice and stable at speed too (took a test drive in the shop ). I'm going with 2 pieces of checked luggage - adding an extra duffel with no wheels which I will strap to the other. This way I can pack for individual 2-3 day trips within the country or elsewhere, leaving the rest with family.

Thanks again,
Andy