Newbie question about luggage - Rick Steves Travel Forum

You're basically setting yourself up for the perennial check/don't check your luggage argument. Some are terrified of having a bag lost or delayed, despite the slim chance of this happening and will only ever do carry on.. Some are happy to accept the very slim chance of a lost or delayed bag and will check their bag for the convenience of being able to pack more, and not have to do laundry every other night.

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Pretty much everyone here will say that large suitcases (like the 28") are not appropriate at all if you are going to be using public transportation (like trains or buses) on your trip.

We always check our bags on flights, and manage just fine on trains with our 24/25" bags, plus day bags. You just have to be able to manage them yourself, lifting them up or down on the trains. There's no right or wrong, only what works best for you.

Because you don't need that much capacity. Because the bigger the bag, the greater the temptation to fill it with stuff you don't really need. Because the more stuff you have, the heavier the bag gets. Because the bigger and heavier the bag is, the harder it is to manage on your own.

Because you will have to get on and off public transportation (trains) quickly. Because you must be able to do that without getting help from anyone else.

Because there may not be elevators where you stay and you may need to carry your bags up and down stairs.

The only time I check a bag is if I'm forced to do so because the plane's overhead bins are too small even for an international size 2-wheeled bag.

It all starts with your travel wardrobe and a light weight carry-on bag. I have two 22" wheeled carry-ons that weigh between 5 and 6 pounds and two international ones that weigh between 4 and 5 pounds. Whichever one I use, if the fully packed weight goes over 22 pounds, I take things out until it doesn't.

Obviously, you have to wear something, so you end up actually packing less than the total number of garments you take. In my case, I always wear lace-up boots when out and about, on trains or changing locations. I never pack them. Many times they've kept me from turning an ankle or falling on slippery cobblestones or rough terrain.

I'm now 75 and will be 76 by next summer when I go to Ireland and Wales for a total of 5 weeks. I pack for a week and do laundry as needed along the way. I travel solo. I appreciate and will accept help when offered, but I don't count on it. Amusing for me is that the offers of help have increased as my hair has gotten grayer, at least in Europe.