When you are planning for traveling one of the thoughts in your mind is probably what type of luggage to take. The luggage type that is appropriate for your journey will depend on a number of factors.

The Deciding Factors

Choosing luggage for a journey will depend on how you are traveling, how long you’ll be gone, where you will be staying, and how often you travel overall. Your method of travel will obviously impact your choice of bags because you’ll have varying amounts of room for your belongings with different types of transport. If you travel by airplane, you usually have an allowance of one or two checked pieces and one piece of hand (or carry on) luggage.

However, traveling by bus or train often limits your storage space. These modes of transport may offer a hold baggage area where you can stow bags, but often there is only an overhead compartment for stowing one small piece of luggage. If you are traveling by car, your space is limited only by the size of the car.

The length of your journey is also another obvious factor for your luggage size. A weekend trip won’t require nearly as much luggage space as a three-week journey, so a smaller bag will probably be suitable.

You should take into account the place that you will be staying when choosing your luggage. If there are laundry facilities on site, you may not need to pack as many clothes and will therefore need smaller bags. Also, if you are staying in a place that may not be secure, you will want luggage that can be locked and that is difficult to break into.

Finally, how often you travel will be a consideration for you because of the cost involved in purchasing luggage. If you are taking your first journey ever and don’t plan to take another in the foreseeable future, it will be much more cost effective to borrow bags rather than buying your own. However, if you are a frequent traveler you will be better off buying luggage that is extremely durable and can handle the brutal conditions that it is likely to be subjected to on your journeys.

Of course, you should always keep in mind not only the size, but the quality of the luggage you are buying. Bags are often thrown around and handled roughly when you travel. You don’t want to deal with a zipper breaking or a seam ripping when you are in an airport or hotel far from home.