Choosing the Right Luggage Size for a 1-Week Trip | Expert Guide

Are you planning for a 1-week trip but confused about what size luggage you should choose? Your concern is valid because estimating the perfect size of luggage for a 1-week trip is difficult, especially if it’s your first trip and it can make all the difference between a seamless travel experience and unnecessary hassle.

There are various factors involved that determine what size luggage you should choose. In this guide to what size luggage for a 1-week trip, we’ll take a look at different factors and offer practical tips to help you determine the perfect-sized suitcase for your one-week adventure.

Let’s dive in and ensure your next trip is both comfortable and stress-free.

What Size Luggage for a 1-Week Trip

The safest luggage size for a week’s trip is usually a medium suitcase, which generally falls between 23 and 26 inches. A medium-sized suitcase is neither too small nor too big and proves an excellent choice for storing enough clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other essential items as well.

Any luggage size between 23 and 26 inches works really well and provides plenty of space. The best thing is, with medium-sized luggage, you can play loose and don’t have to be extra cautious about filling each corner of your luggage.

With medium-sized luggage, no matter if the weather is moderately colder, you can still make space for your one coat or sweater with a little better organization and the best thing is, you’ll also be able to bring some souvenirs when getting back to your home.

If, at some point, you feel a lack of space, you can also take advantage of expanding your luggage. Most luggage comes with this facility and offers you extra space of 1.5 to 2 inches.

The tip is that you should prefer rolling your clothes to save space and use a packing cube for better organization.

Also read: Are 29-inch suitcases allowed on planes?

Can a carry-on suffice for a one-week trip?

Generally, for a week’s trip, a medium size of luggage is required but if you’re someone who prefers traveling light and doesn’t want the hassle of checking your luggage in, you can use carry-on luggage, which is usually 18 to 22 inches.

But there are a few things that you need to be cautious about; let’s take a look at them one by one!

Weather Conditions

The weather condition of the destination is the most important factor that determines whether you should travel with carry-on or medium-checked luggage.

If you’re traveling to a warmer place with sunny weather, carry-on luggage can suffice because for warmer weather, you’ll need light and breathable clothes. You’ll need to pack light and a small suitcase like a carry-on bag would be a good choice.

On the other hand, if you’re traveling in cold weather, you might need medium-checked luggage instead of small carry-ons because you’ll need to pack bulkier clothing items like coats, sweaters, and boots.

So the first thing is to consider the weather conditions of your destination and then choose luggage according to your requirements.

Packing Efficiency

Packing efficiency is the key to fitting everything you need into carry-on luggage. For this purpose, you can use different tactics, like rolling clothes instead of folding them, using compression bags, or packing cubes.

Make sure to use each corner of your luggage and maximize space as much as possible.

Clothing Selection

Clothing selection also becomes important because you have a limited amount of space. For this purpose, you can choose versatile clothing items that can be mixed and matched to make multiple outfits and serve multiple purposes.

For instance, you can choose jeans that can easily go with different colored shirts and vice versa. In this way, you can make multiple outfits for different occasions.

Another thing to consider is to choose clothes made from wrinkle-resistant fabrics so that you don’t have to iron and steam your clothes while traveling. Fabrics like jersey knit, polyester blends, and certain types of cotton are less prone to wrinkling and can maintain their shape well when packed inside luggage.

Airline Restrictions

Another important thing is to be aware of the guidelines and restrictions of the airline you want to fly with. Medium-checked luggage is the safest luggage option; it always meets the 62 linear-inches luggage restriction by airlines, but with carry-on luggage, the case is sometimes different.

While traveling with your carry-on luggage, you must ensure that your carry-on luggage stays within the guidelines of the airlines. The most common and safest size of carry-on luggage is 22 × 14 × 9 inches so make sure that your carry-on luggage is less than or equal to 22 × 14 × 9 inches.

Also, consider the weight restriction of the airline. If your luggage exceeds the limit of your airline, whether it’s expanded or not, you might have to pay an oversized luggage fee and be asked to check in your luggage.

Related: Ultimate Guide to Luggage Size and Linear Inches Rule

Pros and Cons of Traveling with Carry-On and Medium-Size Checked Luggage

Quick Overview

Detailed Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits of Traveling with Medium-Checked Luggage

• More Spacious: Medium checked luggage is larger than a carry-on suitcase so you get the freedom to pack more easily, adding more convenience. You can pack even more items and get some souvenirs when you get back home.
• Comfortability: Another key benefit of using medium-checked luggage for your one-week trip is that you don’t have to carry your luggage all the time; you just have to check it in and receive it at your destination. So you’ll enjoy more freedom on the way.
• Less Restriction: Medium checked luggage mostly meets airlines’ 62 linear inches guidelines, which is not the case with carry-on luggage.
• Flexibility: Not only can you pack even more items in your luggage, but you can also extend your trip duration by one or two days and your medium-checked luggage can suffice even for a 10-day trip.

Benefits of Traveling with Carry-On Luggage

• Easy to Access: With carry-on luggage, it’s easier for you to access your items and belongings during the flight.
• Time-Saving: If you travel with carry-on luggage, you don’t need to wait in line. You can directly head straight to security, which ultimately helps you save time.
• Cost-Effective: Most airlines allow carry-on luggage for free so you can avoid checked luggage fees and save your hard-earned money.
• Maneuverability: Because of its small size, carry-on luggage is much easier to maneuver than checked luggage. It can easily roll through airports and even tight spaces.
• Avoid Loss or Damage: Unlike checked luggage, carry-on luggage stays with you all the time, so you can keep an eye on it and avoid any theft, loss, or damage.

Drawbacks of Traveling with Medium-Checked Luggage

• Baggage Fee: The most important concern for you might be an additional checked luggage fee. Generally, each passenger is allowed to carry one personal and one carry-on bag, but if you bring checked luggage, you’ll have to pay for it.
• Waiting Time for Check-In Process: When traveling with checked luggage, you’ll have to check in your luggage and claim it at your destination. This might take a reasonable time.
• Risk of Loss or Damage: Once you check your luggage, you’ve got no control over it. Baggage handlers throw them carelessly, which might cause damage or loss to your luggage.
• No Access During Flight: Another con of traveling with checked luggage is that after checking your luggage in, you don’t have any access to it, which means if you need any item from your luggage, you can’t get it during the flight.

Drawbacks of Traveling with Carry-On Luggage

• Limited Packing Space: The main downside is that you have a limited amount of space, so you’ll have to be extra cautious, ensuring that you use every corner of your luggage.
• Airlines’ Size Restrictions: Another thing is that airlines have stricter rules for carry-on luggage size. Most carry-on luggage doesn’t meet airline guidelines. So you’ll have to make sure that your carry-on luggage is no more than 22 × 14 × 9 inches.
• Item Restrictions: There are a few restrictions on items that you bring on planes. Liquids and certain items are subject to TSA regulations and need careful consideration when deciding what you can bring on board.

Also read: What does a carry-on bag look like?

Final Thoughts: Which one should you choose for your one-week trip: carry-on or medium-checked luggage?

We’d recommend you use medium-checked luggage for your one-week trip instead of carry-on luggage. With medium-checked luggage, you can play more easily and pack more items, even souvenirs, when getting back to your home.

No matter what the climate or weather is at your destination, you can pack your coat, sweater, and boots more easily, minimizing wrinkles.

On the other hand, you can also use carry-on luggage if you prefer traveling light. But when traveling with carry-on luggage, you’ll have to be careful about packing only necessary items and the airlines’ size and weight restrictions, as we explained above.

We hope this guide helped you get the answer to what size luggage is best for a 1-week trip. If you still have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section below. We’d be more than happy to assist you.

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