“Hey, what kind of luggage did you bring on your two-week trip to Europe last time? I am going on a trip soon and would like to get some ideas about luggage sizes.”

“I am going to meet with my clients in Singapore next week. What size luggage is the best for a 3-day business trip?”

“Woohoo, I am super excited to go on the trip and go shopping overseas all day and night. I wonder if the 29” luggage is big enough to handle my shopping spree.”

“I am planning to go to Australia next summer, and will stay there for a month. How do I prepare for it?”

From all these common conversations, we know that picking the perfect luggage for each occasion can be a frustrating experience. Honestly, everyone has different luggage needs, and the number of luggage options and the sizes matter A LOT. In this article, we listed out the most frequently asked questions when it comes to picking luggage size. To better understand the concept, we will provide some scenarios below so that you know exactly how to choose the right partner for your next trip!

First, let’s start with the most crucial factor.

Travel Days:

When it comes to selecting the luggage size, the most important factor is the length of your trip. This will be the initial starting topic, as there are a couple things that you need to take into consideration: What is your vacation schedule? Do you have the weekend off or will you work the entire time? Also, don’t forget to factor in National Holidays where you live and where you are going. Check the National Holidays to see how many days you will have off. Simply put, the more days you’ll be gone, the more luggage space you need. As easy as that, below is a reference for you:

1-3 days：22” or under（XS, S）

3-5 days：22” to 27”（S, M）

5-7 days：27” to 29”（M, L）

7 days +：29” or larger（L）

The above sizes are measured in TOTAL HEIGHT OF A LUGGAGE. If you want to learn more about how luggage is sized, please refer to this article here. Departure uses the system you are most familiar with: XS, S, M, L, so there’s no confusion. For carry-on luggage, choose S or smaller size.

Now, after you know the length of the trip, here are some scenarios that you might want to prepare in advance before your next trip. 

1. The Destination

Without question,“Where are you going ?” is the deciding factor behind the luggage you pick. This is because when we travel farther from home to areas like America, Europe, or Africa, travelers tend to stay longer as the flight is longer and cost to visit is higher. Having said that, travelers will need more luggage and / or larger baggage.

On the other hand, if we travel to countries with a shorter flight time and lower costs in South East Asia or East Asia, such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, or Vietnam, travelers may go back and visit more frequently. The days they spend traveling in these places tend to be shorter, so travelers only need a light and small luggage.

And here’s another one that you should take into consideration: Where are you going during the trip? Are you going to places like the beach, mountain, forest or desert? If you are, you probably ought to consider bringing an additional large backpack or traveler duffle bag. 

2. Season

Understanding seasonal weather is also important when choosing the luggage. After all, you need winter outfits including thick jackets, gloves, boots to keep you warm during the trip. On the contrary, if you are traveling during the summer season, all outfits you bring will be light and easier to fit in your luggage. So, there’s no question that you definitely need to know about the weather before you go, because no one wants to freeze themselves when sightseeing, or spend money on luggage that can't even fit all the thick jackets!

And there’s something people often neglect…..is the weather in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere is contrary. If you are going to Australia or New Zealand, don’t forget that it’s Winter there when it’s Summer in our hometown. Conversely, our Winter is Summer over there.

Now, we believe that the above covers the common knowledge you need. However, if you are still not 100% sure, we have additional knowledge to help you build your confidence while choosing the right luggage! 

3. The Purpose of Traveling

Below are some of the scenarios that you should pay attention or prepare in advance:

• Shopping: If you are planning to splurge and buy a ton of souvenirs, or particularly consumer electronics during the trip, you’ll need larger luggages because the packaging takes up a lot of space. You’ve got to be well-prepared!
• Business Trips: If it’s just 1 or 2-day business trips, many businessmen just put their suit on and bring a backpack and a carry-on. This way, not only will they be able to keep the suit nice and wrinkle-free, it also saves them time waiting at the baggage claim to get your belongings. (Seriously, on average travelers without checked bags save about 30 minutes minimum) . If it’s a longer business trip, we’d suggest you bring a larger luggage as if you put a suit in a small luggage, it gets wrinkled real fast even if you fold it.
• Extended Stay: If your trip is about a working holiday, study abroad, or an extended stay vacation, then your luggage will likely be filled with a lot of daily necessities and clothing. (Well, of course, it depends on where you go. Some places have relatively easy access to everything). As it’s better to be safe than sorry, we suggest bringing more than 1 luggage so you won’t have to spend time buying things right off the plane.

Alright, above is our suggestion on how to pick the right luggage that you need. We want to emphasize again - because everyone has different luggage needs, we are talking about the regularly encountered situations here, you’ll have to take your individual circumstances into consideration when picking the right luggage. 

One more thing to say:

We bet that you already have a concept about which luggage is best for you. Just in case you are super interested in learning more about other luggage topics such as material, weight, price, or after service, we’ll explain all these in our next article.

If you still have additional questions and are not sure how to pick the right luggage, you’re welcome to leave a message below or click here, we’ll do our best to answer your questions. In order for you to pick the right luggage faster, we set up a friendly filter on the website to help all of our customers!