Last week I flew to Phoenix to attend the ordination of my son, who is a minister. For various reasons, this was a “fly in on Monday – fly out on Wednesday” trip. No need to check luggage, as a carry-on should hold everything needed for two days and nights. I discovered that whether a carry-on is sufficient for that purpose really depends on the bag.

I’m a fairly adept at packing, but everything I wanted to take simply would not fit into the duffle bag I was using. I changed strategy and began placing some of my items in my husband’s bag. He was flying in a day behind me, so required fewer items and is generally a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. Even placing some items in his duffle bag didn’t fix my space problem. My mother was traveling with me, so I asked if she had extra room. A few items shifted to her suitcase still left my bag bulging. I decided I could take one less pair of sandals, and exchange the blouse I was wearing over my tank top for the packed jean jacket. The bag was no longer bulging, but heavy.

As I watched people zip through the concourse pulling their carry-on luggage behind them, I kept telling myself that lugging the bag was building arm muscles. Time to switch arms for an equal work out! I did NOT look like I was traveling with *finesse!

I have at least two more trips planned this year, so I began researching carry-on luggage when I returned home. I decided on the highly-rated 21-inchDelsey Helium Fusion Lite 2.0, which I just purchased on sale for $67.98 through Luggageonline.com. Multiple reviews on numerous sites state it is light-weight, durable and holds a LOT, which is exactly what I need. Oh, and it comes in bright blue!

Next trip I’ll be zipping through the airport with ample room in my carry-on and looking like the epitome of finesse!

My travel finesse level: 
Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert      

What’s your travel finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)