How to Buy the Best Travel Luggage

Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of travel products? If you’re like 99% of us, “luggage” comes to mind immediately. Is this just a result of successful marketing by luggage brands over the years, or is there something else to our fascination with travel luggage?

Interestingly enough, you can use psychology to help guide your decisions about travel luggage. So, let’s take a look into what you need to know about travel luggage today, and also the Top 10 most helpful psychology hacks to show you how to buy travel luggage.

Let’s Explore the Psychology of How to Buy Luggage

Is soft or hard-side luggage better? Do I need to match my carry on need to match my checked bag? Why is luggage so expensive? What are the best luggage brands? Should I buy bags from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Briggs & Riley, Bric’s, AmazonBasics, or others? How about the class Samsonite? Why can’t I just throw everything into a trash bag and take that???

Clearly, a lot of questions arise about travel luggage. For some, it’s a bare necessity to get their stuff from Point A to Point B. For others, travel luggage speaks to their own identity and personal brand as a method of self-expression. Which of those best describes you? Being realistic about this up front will help you in terms of how to buy the luggage that’s best for you.

Let’s use an example. A nice power drill is a useful tool but in most social circles has less to do with self-expression. Conversely, a tattoo is a clear form of self-expression but doesn’t have much practical use. So, part of the uniqueness of travel luggage is that it strikes a balance between being a useful tool and also a means of self-expression and luxury. Travel luggage designers and marketers know this fact full well, and use psychology to help advertise to their desired angle (meaning, usefulness versus luxury) to help influence your baggage buying bonanza.

Comparison to Fashion

What else do you need to know about this “psychology of luggage” when it comes to your own product choice? It may help to compare luggage to fashion rather than other kinds of travel items. There’s a comparison to the relative importance (or to some, unimportance) of fashion items like watches, scarves, coats, shoes, and glasses. We achieve some social currency in the form of people recognizing the most popular brands, along with things like compliments and other positive attention. In the same way, many people tend to choose a suitcase based on it’s appearance and social value rather than actual monetary value.

Sometimes fashion and luggage literally go together, like when we feel the need to match our fashionable items placed in equally fashionable carrying cases. Would you toss your Louis-Vuitton suit into a duct-taped old gym bag? How about placing your raggedy workout clothes in your Gucci tote bag? The honest truth is you could, it’s just that our behavior tends to reflect the relative value that we give to our possessions.

What about the Features?

We may not actually need our watch to field phone calls and track our heart rate, but it’s kinda cool that it can right? Same with advanced features on travel luggage. I had never heard of “triple layered polycarbonate”, but by golly that sounds like something I need to have! To the experienced traveler with a consistent traveling lifestyle, certain advanced luggage features may figure more prominently in their buying choices. For example, TSA-friendly combination locks and internal compression straps (like this hardside luggage) can make getting through the airport a breeze.

“Don’t be that person that spends 10 minutes trying to squish their carry-on into the overhead storage to convince airline staff that it “really does” conform to size limits. Just don’t.“

-Psychology of Travel

For the average traveler, however, a few key tips may help you choose which features you actually need. What is the mode of transportation you plan to use? If packing up the car for a road trip with the family, you will want space-saving features like compression cubes and internal pockets to fit all that baggage in the trunk. If you’re headed to the airport, pick the bag with the highest quality wheels that clearly states it conforms to the latest carry-on size limits. Don’t be that person that spends 10 minutes trying to squish their carry-on into the overhead storage to convince airline staff that it “really does” conform to size limits. Just don’t.

Emotions Influence How to Buy Luggage

Plentiful psychological and business research has found that emotions and behaviors go hand in hand when it comes to consumer decision making. For example, researchers Laros & Steenkamp (2005) identified positive and negative basic emotions that contributed to different types of consumer behavior. To oversimplify this body of research quite a bit, positive emotional states lend to improved clarity in our decision-making processes. By contrast, negative emotional states can cloud judgment and reduce concentration, leading to increased likelihood of inaccurate purchases or purchase regret.

Be aware that social reviews are also powerful advertising psychology. Think about it, have there been times where you chose one product over another for no other reason than it had more “star ratings” from other consumers? You don’t even know the people rating it or whether they were seeking the same product qualities as you. Still, we have become accustomed to the notion that higher star ratings and reviews equal better products. The movie marketing industry shares a similar pattern on movie commercials. Think “Best picture of the year by far!” as quoted by some guy you’ve never heard of at some media outlet you’ve never heard of. Why do you think they put that in their ads?

What’s the take-home message here? Take a mindful approach to shopping, have fun and enjoy it while at the same time resisting the urge for an impulse buy based only on your emotion in that moment.

Good Lookin’ Baggage

The aesthetic and visual appeal of luggage is also worth exploring. Particularly in Western culture, we are visual-driven when it comes to products and purchasing. Brick and mortal stores are set up to highlight the products in the most visually appealing manner, complete with intentionally pleasing arrangements and trendy techno music playing overhead.

If there were no images on the internet, online stores would not exist. We like to see what we’re buying, and in the best possible angle and lighting. Have you ever been disappointed with a product when you get it home and it doesn’t look quite as bright and beautiful? Perhaps you don’t feel quite as ecstatic-looking using it as the people in the advertisement?

So, consider the realism of the non-photo-shopped images if available. Check pictures from reviewers of the actual product in places like Amazon, travel blogs, and other “real world” uses. It’s fun to imagine the beauty or luxury of travel luggage from the ads, and there’s nothing wrong with getting excited about how you may get to feel a similar way when it’s yours. Just be mindful and set realistic expectations as the ads only show the absolute ideal.

The Most Important Factor in How to Buy Luggage

So let’s get down to it. Besides the obvious factors of cost and affordability, what is the most important factor in buying luggage? The answer is…durability. Durability is not one of the flashier aspects of luggage, but it’s a critical one. Let me explain.

First, I want you to be aware that durability is an undervalued quality. In fact, durability tends to end up as one of the higher-ranked terms in consumer product reviews. Why is that important? High-ranked terms reflect the qualities that people felt most compelled to comment on in their review, even if it was not the main reason they purchased that particular luggage. Those reviewers learned something about the importance of durability, enough to take the time to share it with you while leaving out other reasons they initially bought it (like trendy design, as trends tend to fade over time so don’t make it into as many reviews).

Also, some may purchase the newest updated bags at regular intervals, but for the typical traveler you should think of the purchase as an investment. Is now the time to tighten up that wallet or splurge a little more to get some extremely durable baggage?

Luggage Is Awesome, But it’s Not Happiness…

I saved the most important part for last. The best recommendation I have for using psychology to buy the best travel luggage is to remember this: Luggage is a thing, it’s not happiness. If you’re happy traveling today, getting new and improved baggage may add to your enjoyment. If you’re not happy traveling today, getting new and improved baggage won’t suddenly guarantee better travels or satisfaction.

See my previous post on why travel is good for your mental health for more.

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The Top Luggage Brands for 2020

For Luggage Basics: AmazonBasics Luggage

I should buy AmazonBasics luggage because…It is the best luggage within it’s price point. That’s not to say it’s the best overall luggage. If you take a few vacation trips a year or less, this will meet all your basic needs with a well made and durable product at a reasonable price point.

For Luxury Luggage: Briggs & Riley Luggage

I should buy Briggs & Riley Luggage because…I like the finer things in life. This is inspired travel luggage designed for the premium traveler with high-end features. They offer a lifetime warranty, which usually speaks to the confidence this brand has in their craftsmanship. It’s expensive, but a very luxurious way to travel.

For Best Overall Luggage: Samsonite

I should buy Samsonite luggage because…it’s the gold standard for a reason. Great blend between design, usefulness, durability, and a touch of luxury with brand recognition.

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Top 10 Ways To Use Psychology to Buy Luggage

1. Look for “real-world” pictures of the product on Amazon reviews and recommended travel blogs. Advertisers only show the absolute ideal images of the product or travel experiences.
2. Take a deep breath after reading about all the “exclusive advanced features”. Which features would you really use and which features only caught your attention because of a catchy ad?
3. Use a mindful approach to the act of shopping. Enjoy it! Research suggests that emotions can significantly impact consumer decision making.
4. Don’t choose your luggage solely on the “star ratings” of reviewers, because others may not be rating the same factors that are most important to you.
5. Compare your values in the process of buying luggage to how you shop for fashion items rather than other kinds of travel products. What do you value, aesthetic appeal or functionality?
6. Recognize the most important element of the baggage: durability. Purchasing luggage is an investment.
7. Do your research. You probably already knew this, or you wouldn’t be reading this post.
8. Pick luggage with something distinctive about the appearance so you can spot it more easily on the conveyor belt at baggage claim.
9. Don’t over-extend financially if you’re going to buy a premium set of luxury baggage. It may impact your enjoyment (and possibly limit your resources for the travel itself).
10. Remember that it’s luggage, not happiness that you’re buying.

Happy Travels,

-Dr. L; Founder of psychologyoftravel.com

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