Sign Up For Samsonite Special Deals On Luggage

Photo by Bagoto from 2015 in Wikipedia.

Problem
I have always been a fan of Samsonite luggage, which I have often seen used by airline staff. But it's so pricey. Is it worth it?

Answers
I recently signed up on the Samsonite website and I get regular emails with special deals. Deals and 'steals' as the Americans say. They are usually for items which are too large in dimensions or too large for my budget, or both.

It is good to know what is available before a suitcase breaks and you have to make a quick decision.

I carefully read all the comments in the reviews. For example, a purchaser said she had less room under her seat on one airline's aisle seat.

What are the solutions? Buy a smaller suitcase? Don't pack it so full that the check-in people reject the weight or dimensions. Check the space under different seats. Be prepared to have it overhead instead of under the seat in front. Remove essential items before boarding in case you can't fit it under your seat.

Seats And Under-seat Space
Ensure that you and your partner have different seats (not one behind the other on the aisle) or different size and shape of luggage (Americans say baggage), so you can make better use of available space. Write to the airline to ask the dimensions of luggage space or look on their website to check.

Charger Port - but no charger
Another reviewer, or two, thought the suitcase contained a charger. No, it has an access point (I presume an edged hole? Surely not a plug point?) so you can have your mobile in your hand and link up to your own fully charged (we hope) charger inside the suitcase.

Here's the latest. If you read this a day later than I wrote it (Aug 19 2018) you will find different deals. Use the first half of the code as the second half is for a specific deal. Worth a look.

Samsonite Name History
The Wikipedia webpage reminds you that Samsonite was a name chosen from Samson in the bible (the one whose hair was cut by Delilah and who was blinded but so strong he pulled down the entire building. The name was intended to represent the strength (and thus reliability and sturdiness) of the luggage.

Samsonite Brand Expands
I was interested to see that American Tourister is a brand linked to Samsonite.

Variety of Luggage and Backpacks
I associate Samsonite with large hard-sided luggage. But they are also into small suitcases with spinner wheels, and backpacks with all mod cons.

Colour Contrasts
After the years of boring black, or inconspicuous black, they have now moved into marvellous magenta and raspberry colours.

Useful Websites
1 Samsonite online (from USA)
https://shop.samsonite.com/luggage/spinner-underseater-with-usb-port/905065377.html/?src=email&bxid=d889f269-c0e6-41ac-a540-821a2aac0093&utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Weekly+Steal+-+USB+Underseater+Only+$79.99+%2B+Free+Shipping+-+Use+Code:+STEAL&utm_content=08/19/2018&utm_campaign=08.19.18+-+Final+Day+Weekend+Sale

2 Amazon

3 eBay

4 WORLDWIDE
Luggage sellers such as department stores in your city of residence
https://www.samsonite.co.uk/home/

5 WIKI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsonite


I usually cut the code of the website to just the useful stuff which takes you to page one. However, this long code contains lots of interesting detail.

PS Keep an eye on the spelling of brand names. Don't blame me. The spellchecker keeps creeping up. It waits until I look away or click on update. Then, without warning, any variation on Tourist is sneakily and snakily changed to popular word of the moment.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts. Bookmark if you use bookmarks. I sometimes email links to myself and other family members to be sure I can find vital links.

Five ways to travel light

Everybody has a different way of travelling light. Here are some choices:

1 Business Traveller (male)
Wear one smart suit to travel in business class. Get them to hang up your jacket. In business class sleep in the onesie provided (Or in track suit or silk long johns and silk t-shirt hidden under blankets).
Keep gym kit in travelling bag and one white tee-shirt and jeans for time off to blend in with locals.

2 Business Traveller (female)
'Spinner' (four wheel) suitcase carry on bag like the airline staff - Samsonite or similar. Put travel outfit into laundry evening of arrival and claim on expenses the extra cost for overnight next day laundry service.

Co-ordinate clothes outfits. Colour scheme black skirt, black trousers, white blouse, red scarf and jewellery for evening. Blouse with detachable collar and cuffs, which can be washed in any toilet washbasin and dried or half dried under hand drier or using hotel bedroom hair drier. Wear two pairs of underclothes on trip, silk or thong panties and second larger pair. Reversible dress and reversible jacket, plain black for day, colour for evening or vice versa.

Wear two silk tops, one as tank top, another three quarter length sleeves, to keep warm in warm destination and dress in layers to discard into carry bag on arriving at hot destination (and vice versa on return). Bikini doubles as underwear. Jump straight into shower in bedroom or gym on arrival for two minutes and be dressed for dinner while most people are still in the queue to check in.

3 Student
Wear new t-shirt from London. Wash and press on arrival and offer to give it to your hostess or donate to charity.

Buy t-shirt to wear home. Wash and press your worn once garment to give to family member or flatmate on return. Or donate to charity or keep in stock for next trip to same continent.

Alternatively, have on smart dress which you wear when travelling. Hang it up in the shower to remove creases on arrival.

Roll up clothes in a soft sided bag. Or use a backpack (ideally one which coverts to wheels).

4 Practical Lady
Pack one outfit for each day with one set of co-ordinating jewellery which you wear all the time. Wear a dress, to save decisions, with a matching bolero.

Alternatively, one black jacket to match all outfits, so each outfit must have black in the pattern, or black and white, or plain black. Alternatively to match the black jacket, you have black accessories, necklace, bracelet, belt, shoes, bag, eye liner, hat or cap or headband.

Put each outfit back in your suitcase at the end of each day. On the last day, no packing is needed, because it's already done. When you reach home, put all the clothes from your suitcase straight in the washing machine, no sorting needed, because each outfit has been worn once.

5 Jungle traveller
Pack light but duplicate every item including camera and phone backing each one to the other camera/phone. Sleep with one bag under you as pillow, the other with strap around your ankle. If one bag is stolen you still have everything you need in the other.

Specialist travel firms can supply trousers which zip off to make shorts, jackets with zip of sleeves, reversible raincoats, hats with removable brims, roll up packable reversible sunhats.

You can also buy reversible belts, rings, bracelets and pendants. Long necklaces and those with magnetic catches can be doubled over to make bracelets to match different outfits or create a new effect for variety for pleasing yourself or your fellow travellers.

Packing
Socks go inside shoes in order to save space. This also speeds dressing. Most important, it ensure you don't end up with shoes and no socks, or no matching socks - red sandals with yellow airline socks. If you are short of socks, most long-haul flights give you a pair free. Another member of your family or travel group might donate their socks to you. When packing check the current colour of airline socks. Singapore Airlines used to give you plum socks.

I went away wearing burgundy sandals. When the purple socks I'd worn on the journey were washed and still wet, I looked for my latest free socks. I then found the socks I was hoping to add to my week's collection were yellow.

If you can't reduce the number of clothes, watch the videos on you tube which show you how to pack items flat, alternating directions.

ANGELA Lansbury, B A Hons, travel writer and photographer, speaker.

Another suitcase from Samsonite - with three shelves

What more can suitcase manufacturers offer us? Wheeled suitcases which pull easily. Retractable handles. Inner straps and compartments. Life out matching sections. (you can buy sets of bags which match each other from Lakeland. You could also buy compression bags or lock top boxes for cosmetics

Here's a suitcase which turns into a shelving rack.
Advantages?
Need not waste time unpacking. On arrival go straight to the restaurant or indoor swimming pool which is about to close.

No need to wast time re-packing.
Spouse insist you pack the night before leaving? Taxi at door? No worries.

Disadvantages?
Two wheels instead of four. Could be heavy if you are travelling by air and want an ordinary weight suitcase of carry-on.
Good for those with extra weight allowances - some US or Canadian airlines, internal flights, or passengers with extra frequent flyer allowances. Also if not flying but in a caravan, or driving holiday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3138855/Is-best-suitcase-Expanding-design-turns-rack-SHELVES-means-no-rummaging.html#reader-comments