Whenever we travel, most of us like to take a few steps to give our fellow holidaymakers a favourable impression of the Brit Abroad: buying new clothes, learning some key local phrases, dropping a few pounds or keeping the kids in check. No one wants to be that family or couple that everyone steers clear of in the hotel restaurant or by the pool.
Yet there's one thing that many of us forget, something that actually says a lot more about us than we realise and allows people to make an accurate/unfair (depending on your opinion) judgement about us. What is this item? Luggage. The humble suitcase, carry-on or backpack can speak volumes. Here's what your luggage says about you.
The bulging suitcase with bright-coloured tags
This case, complete with stripy luggage strap, clearly belongs to a family. The carefully-added identification elements scream that you want to find that case and get out of the airport as quickly as humanly possible, before the little ones throw another tantrum. The contents comprises the entire family's clothing and toiletry needs for the week, hence the bulging. It looks as tired as you feel, and every other family suitcase looks exactly the same. So much for attaching those ribbons and stickers in the hope of making it stand out.
The sports bag
You throw caution to the wind with a sports bag. This choice doesn't offer much in the way of security and you can be pretty sure that the contents have been stuffed inside and not been folded, but you don't care - you only 'packed' half an hour before setting off. If you've forgotten anything, you'll get it out there - or maybe borrow from your travelling companions. You're the person who goes off on their own to see the sights on a moped or does something totally spontaneous with the guys you met at the bar the previous night. Life is for living, not sitting round the pool.
The dented, tired, scuffed case
If this case could speak, it would tell stories of adventures all around the world. This boxy, vintage, used luggage is probably something you've inherited from a relative or bought in a charity shop, but it has character, just like you. It's been around the planet, as evidenced by the trillion, overlapping, peeling stickers that adorn its exterior, but that's part of it's charm. This case makes a statement: it tells people that you've travelled, you've been places and you are interesting - or so you think, anyway.
The branded item
Your case bears the name of Antler, Samsonite, Rimowa, Louis Vuitton or Globe-Trotter, and oozes sophistication. You're someone who clearly enjoys the finer things in life and are probably heading to a top, exclusive resort away from the hoi-polloi. You're the person who has gold travel status with your chosen airline and boards the plane before the rest of the hoards. You've probably got far more luggage than is necessary, too, filled with dinner outfits and the right shoes for all of those luxurious trips and events you'll be indulging in. You travel in serious style - and why not?
The singular carry-on
Carefully measured to ensure it fits within the seemingly shrinking overhead bins, the person who travels with just a carry on either is fantastically efficient when it comes to packing or is not travelling for pleasure. You look the business with this shiny, black item though you're the one that holds up the line at security, as you're probably carrying your tablet, laptop, fancy phone and wnumerous other gadgets. Never mind, you'll be laughing at the other end when you bypass the luggage claim carousels and head straight to passport control.
The multi-coloured wheelie
Attention-seeker, moi? While we're loathe to stereotype, the owner of this brightly-coloured or swirling patterned case is probably something of an extrovert. You're up for a good time and a good time you shall have. With a case filled so fully, you need to utilise the wheelie feature - seven pairs of shoes are pretty heavy, after all. You're great fun, but a bit scatty. Noisy but forgetful. You turned the house upside down at the last minute to hunt down your passport, but you're friends know they'll have a great time when you're around.
The giant backpack
You're on a chartered flight to a European beach resort, probably with your children, but your backpack suggests you can't quite let go of your free-spirited, backpacking past. It might be frayed in places, but this bag holds a lot of fond memories of working on that farm in Oz, speeding through India in an auto rickshaw and sleeping under the stars in Koh Pha Ngan. You want people to think that while you are an adult who is going on a family holiday to Majorca, it's in direct opposition to your deep-seated, real travelling ethics.
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