Your trusted companion for every UK journey
We measured, weighed and gate-tested one 40x20x25cm bag against the big three UK budget carriers to see if a single case can genuinely do it all. Spoiler: it can, but only if you know which airline checks hardest and where the sizers live up to their reputation.
Leaving the UK by plane, boat or train means three completely different sets of luggage rules. We compare check-in deadlines, excess fees, lost bag nightmares and what goes missing mid-Channel — so you know which bag to hand over and which to never let go of.
That £22.99 suitcase from the January sales? Lovely. But the true cost of travelling with it is only just beginning. We ran the numbers on baggage fees, storage charges and train policies to find out what luggage genuinely costs per trip.
We pack for Benidorm with one carry-on, then fill an estate car to the roof for a week in Dorset. We look at why British holidays turn even the lightest packers into over-packers, and what your luggage choices should look like when the weather is the wildcard.
We spoke to the people who see your luggage before they ever see you — ground crew, hotel porters and coach drivers — and asked what your bag really says. Their verdicts are sharper than you'd expect.
That scuffed leather case in the attic has crossed the Atlantic twice and survived fifty British summers — so why can't we bin it? We look at why inherited luggage means so much, when it's safe to travel with, and when it belongs at home.
Every year, tens of thousands of bags are abandoned on trains, coaches and airport carousels across Britain. We went behind the scenes at the depots where unclaimed luggage waits — and found out what it takes to get yours back.
Flying means weigh-ins and sizers, the tunnel means an empty boot and zero interrogations, and the ferry? The ferry doesn't care if you brought a KitchenAid. Here's how your luggage rights and realities shift depending on how you leave the UK.
We spent £87 on a basket of luggage add-ons from Amazon, Robert Dyas and a garden centre, then took them on a wet weekend in Yorkshire. Most of it was clutter — but a handful of accessories have genuinely earned permanent space in our bags.
We spent a weekend in a Whitby guesthouse prodding, poking and pen-testing every lock we own — and the results were humbling. From TSA zip pulls to hotel safes, here's an honest, risk-ranked guide to protecting your gear, whether you're in a YHA bunkhouse or a five-star London suite.
Station lockers, app-based storage, hotel goodwill or Aunty Carol's hallway — we priced and stress-tested every option across Edinburgh, Manchester and Bath. Here's what a weekend of bag-stashing really costs, and when the family favour wins hands down.
Between the changing bag, the snack backpack and the child-sized wheelie that makes it exactly one gate before being abandoned, family luggage is a strategy — not an afterthought. We spoke to UK parents about what actually earns its place on the school run to the departure gate.
December is the worst possible time to check a bag — queues, cancellations and carousel chaos included. Here's how to fit presents, party outfits and proper boots into a single cabin case, and what's smarter to buy or post when you arrive.
From £20 Samsonites on Vinted to the repair shops quietly keeping cases out of landfill, the pre-loved luggage market is having a moment. We look at where the bargains are, what to check before you buy, and why a battered case might be the smartest purchase you make this year.
Vintage Globe-Trotters, hardy 1970s shells and the occasional bargain with a broken zip — charity shop luggage is having a moment. Here's how to sort the treasures from the landfill, and whether pre-loved really lasts.
Before you buy that fourth suitcase, measure your boot. We match popular case combinations to everything from a Micra to a Galaxy, and explain why the humble estate car is the staycation's best friend.
From Avanti's notoriously tight overhead shelves to GWR's surprisingly generous guards van policy, not all UK train operators treat your suitcase equally. Here's what to expect before you haul that big case onto the platform.
That £39 suitcase from the supermarket looks like a bargain — until you're buying your third one in five years. We've crunched the numbers on budget versus quality luggage, and the maths is uncomfortable.
Your case is still in Madrid and you're standing at Manchester Airport in a jumper you've worn for eleven hours. Here's exactly what to do next — from the PIR desk to the Montreal Convention — with realistic timelines and the essentials you should have packed in your hand luggage anyway.
The perfect case for a weekend on the Caledonian Sleeper is a nightmare on a Ryanair flight to Alicante, and the boot-friendly duffel that loves a road trip will topple off a luggage rack at 125mph. Here's how to match your luggage to your getaway — British trips only, no generic advice.