So as I sit on my balcony in the warm evening air, gulping down a oversized glass of wine, trying to forget the crazed work day I had, I find myself escaping yet again into planning my Summer Europe trip. Surprising in itself is that in the history of my travels, I have never actually planned a trip more than a few weeks in advance. but we will leave that alone and simply put it down to...was young then and now i feel old (LOL 25yrs old!!) Either way as my mind wanders off to images of laying on the beach in Ibiza or viewing da Vinci's The Last Supper in Milan and as I flick through the many travel blogs I subscribe too, I have come across a slight confliction of advice, which should i leave closer to the escape day could be a HUGE dilemma in the world of traveling: should I take a backpack or a suitcase?
I’ve traveled with my Diane Von Furstenberg suitcase or roller bag for every trip i have taken, when i travelled with my husband to the USA for months at a time, we would always take two large suitcases, plus a carry on suitcase (which always worked well because of the massive amount of shopping we did while over there, all the DVDs and fitted caps and shoes etc.) I guess the difference with my experience in the past to my upcoming travels are I've always gone direct in a cab from the airport to my accommodation (usually with family or friends) or a hotel. While granted some of the areas I'm (traveling solo! Not sure i mentioned that!) visiting like Madrid and Paris where ill be staying for a few weeks, ill be doing exactly that! Airport to apartment and simply use a shoulder bag for my daily exploring, there's also a large part of my trip spent on a tour or jumping on a train from country to country. Some of the blogs I have read tell me that dragging a suitcase over all the cobblestone streets in Europe or up and down flights of stairs at train stations is a nightmare?!
But here’s the thing: I don't know if I can picture myself traveling with anything else other than a suitcase and certainly not a big clunky backpack on my back. I am in total confusion, because there are so many people who say to take a backpack or even a roller backpack, that when traveling all over the countries of Europe on different modes of transport, to places unknown, it is the only option that suitably works and makes traveling that much simpler (and provided you get the right fit backpack also a comfortable option). The downside though, and this is a big downside for me, the amount of space in the backpack for my clothes and shoes and toiletries and the actually packing and unpacking of a backpack. I will be literally stuffing my backpack to the brim (because i always seem to overpack or collect to many things along the way) meaning crinkly clothes, and most importantly, the overpacking part will make it impossibly heavy and difficult to walk for long periods of time in, which renders it as a ‘walking backpack’ kind of useless
The pros of the suitcase: The suitcase is larger and it rolls, which is great. It will nicely pack all of my things, and they’ll be more protective and less likely to get, for better lack of a word, disgusting. No matter how heavy the suitcase is, I’ll still be able to roll it along. And I’ll feel significantly safer stowing my iPad/camera (when not in my shoulder bag) in there than I would a backpack.
Another suitcase vs. backpack dilemma is the psychological factor. With a suitcase, I’m afraid that it will take away more of the ‘travel’ feeling for me. Which is defiantly something i don't want to lose feeling of. With a backpack, i will feel young and daring and on top of the world- that I have everything in one backpack, and that’s all I need in this life- that I can take my stuff and just spontaneously wander anywhere, totally carefree. I think the suitcase kind of takes away that aspect- it might make me feel less mobile, like I need to plan everything out before I do it. (Don't laugh, even though I am planning this trip ahead of time, I defiantly wanting to keep a lot of it unplanned too!) And using suitcase will make me feel in my comfort zone and a bit more like ‘a grown up’- like a more mature traveler, that has more of a purpose to traveling?
So now that I’ve fully explained this evening's confusion. Should I go for a backpack or a suitcase this time around?
P.S The reason for posting this now is I have a Birthday coming up, so maybe if I'm lucky a gift option??
I’ve traveled with my Diane Von Furstenberg suitcase or roller bag for every trip i have taken, when i travelled with my husband to the USA for months at a time, we would always take two large suitcases, plus a carry on suitcase (which always worked well because of the massive amount of shopping we did while over there, all the DVDs and fitted caps and shoes etc.) I guess the difference with my experience in the past to my upcoming travels are I've always gone direct in a cab from the airport to my accommodation (usually with family or friends) or a hotel. While granted some of the areas I'm (traveling solo! Not sure i mentioned that!) visiting like Madrid and Paris where ill be staying for a few weeks, ill be doing exactly that! Airport to apartment and simply use a shoulder bag for my daily exploring, there's also a large part of my trip spent on a tour or jumping on a train from country to country. Some of the blogs I have read tell me that dragging a suitcase over all the cobblestone streets in Europe or up and down flights of stairs at train stations is a nightmare?!
But here’s the thing: I don't know if I can picture myself traveling with anything else other than a suitcase and certainly not a big clunky backpack on my back. I am in total confusion, because there are so many people who say to take a backpack or even a roller backpack, that when traveling all over the countries of Europe on different modes of transport, to places unknown, it is the only option that suitably works and makes traveling that much simpler (and provided you get the right fit backpack also a comfortable option). The downside though, and this is a big downside for me, the amount of space in the backpack for my clothes and shoes and toiletries and the actually packing and unpacking of a backpack. I will be literally stuffing my backpack to the brim (because i always seem to overpack or collect to many things along the way) meaning crinkly clothes, and most importantly, the overpacking part will make it impossibly heavy and difficult to walk for long periods of time in, which renders it as a ‘walking backpack’ kind of useless
The pros of the suitcase: The suitcase is larger and it rolls, which is great. It will nicely pack all of my things, and they’ll be more protective and less likely to get, for better lack of a word, disgusting. No matter how heavy the suitcase is, I’ll still be able to roll it along. And I’ll feel significantly safer stowing my iPad/camera (when not in my shoulder bag) in there than I would a backpack.
Another suitcase vs. backpack dilemma is the psychological factor. With a suitcase, I’m afraid that it will take away more of the ‘travel’ feeling for me. Which is defiantly something i don't want to lose feeling of. With a backpack, i will feel young and daring and on top of the world- that I have everything in one backpack, and that’s all I need in this life- that I can take my stuff and just spontaneously wander anywhere, totally carefree. I think the suitcase kind of takes away that aspect- it might make me feel less mobile, like I need to plan everything out before I do it. (Don't laugh, even though I am planning this trip ahead of time, I defiantly wanting to keep a lot of it unplanned too!) And using suitcase will make me feel in my comfort zone and a bit more like ‘a grown up’- like a more mature traveler, that has more of a purpose to traveling?
So now that I’ve fully explained this evening's confusion. Should I go for a backpack or a suitcase this time around?
P.S The reason for posting this now is I have a Birthday coming up, so maybe if I'm lucky a gift option??
