- Traveling doesn’t have to be a hassle. Having a great suitcase can be the difference between an amazing trip and a bad one.
- After much research and testing, we found that the Travelpro Maxlite 5 Expandable Rollaboard is the best piece of checked luggage you can buy for long trips.
I love almost everything about traveling — that includes hanging out in the airport. Yep, you read that correctly. Long lines, hectic check-ins, overstuffed airplanes — they don’t really bother me because I’m usually giddy about getting away. But I do dislike packing.
Mostly that’s because I can’t decide what to bring. But sometimes it’s because of my suitcase. I admit that I’ve been embarrassed once or twice at the baggage carousel by stepping up and pulling off that suitcase. I’ve also cursed out a suitcase several times — once when I was zig-zagging through crowds at Heathrow desperately trying to catch my flight home and one wheel snapped right off.
There are, of course, many other things that can go awry with your luggage. Sometimes the airline misplaces it, or the zipper breaks as you are headed out the door, or you arrive home to find that your carefully-wrapped souvenirs have been smashed to smithereens. And who among us hasn’t, at some point, wondered if your non-locking suitcase was rifled through — did I leave that new scarf in the hotel room or did someone take it?
Buying the right piece of luggage can help eliminate, or at least lessen, the chance that you will encounter many of these problems. There are thousands of different brands and styles of luggage to choose from. No one suitcase is right for everybody. It depends on many factors including how frequently you travel, what you are packing, and your budget.
We’ve done all the research to find the best pieces of checked luggage you can buy for long-haul trips where even the best carry-on bag just doesn’t cut it.
