What would you take into space in your luggage?

A team led by millionaire and former space tourist Dennis Tito plans to send a "tested couple" to Mars and back in a privately funded mission.

The Inspiration Mars Foundation plans to start its one-and-a-half-year mission in January 2018.

Conditions will be a little tight and the report suggests that 1,360kg of dehydrated food will be enough to last the journey and the manifest includes 28kg of toilet paper for a crew of 2 for 500 days.

Would you take a Silver Antler Case?

Or would you take something a little tongue in cheek?

 Would you take a This is my suitcase?

Or would you take your washing machine with you?


So, if you got the chance to travel into space and you could take a cabin sized case.... what would you take in your luggage?

Our Debate: To Buy 2-Wheel or 4-Wheel Spinner suitcase

We know there are strong opinions out there in the case of 2 wheeled luggage versus 4 wheeled luggage (other wise known as spinner cases).

There comes a point in a traveller's life when such a choice must be made, and it's not always easy to pick a side. 

There is design, colour, comfort, weight, internal volumes, brands, guarantees and overheard storage space to consider and it's a tad overwhelming when you're searching for the perfect constant travel companion. 

As we are in the luggage business, we often have conflicting opinions about which is best.

So we have put together a list of pro's and con's for each one. 

Advantages: 4 wheels

• Heavier suitcases are easier to push
• Easier for the elderly when travelling
• Easier for travelling with families
• They can be pushed along with relative ease
• They walk beside you rather than dragged behind you
• More stable as the weight is spread over 4 wheels rather than 2

Disadvantages: 4 wheels

• 4 wheels easier to roll away - need to hang on to it all the time
• Potentially takes up more space in an overhead locker
• Looks like your taking it for a walk like a dog or pushing your shopping trolley
• 4 wheels adds (minimal) overall weight
• If one wheel goes, you are back to 2 wheels anyway
• Maybe more difficult to take up stairs?

 
Advantages: 2 wheels

Easier to store in an overhead cabin locker
Lighter in weight
Easier to manouver over a variety of different surfaces ie: cobbles, etc
Your bag will not run away on a slight incline

Disadvantages: 2 wheels

2 wheels can be abit wobbly on uneven surfaces
It needs to be dragged behind you

So help us out fellow travellers; how many wheels do you swear by?

 

What to take on Safari & Luggage for Safari

Here we want to give you a few tips and hints for when you are going on safari.

Safari Luggage:

The first thing you need to take into account on the majority of safari's where small planes are involved as connecting flights is that the baggage allowance on light aircraft is usually 15kg (32lbs) per person, this must be packed in soft bags, not hard suitcases. 

A tightly packed soft bag is better than a loosely packed one because it keeps your belongings from rolling around and getting damaged.

Large Explorer bag in canvas and leather with shoulder strap

 

Deluxe Adventurer in tan canvas and leather with shoulder strap

Top Tip: Make your bag very identifiable compared to other bags, take a picture of the bag with a digital camera or your phone after it is all packed and ready to go. Then if it gets lost, you just show the picture to the agent. It is much easier than trying to describe your bag.

Rucksack for your day away from camp:

You will need a backpack for the when you are away from your lodge in the back of a landrover or open top car. Again, the recommendation is that your backpack is not in a bright colour.

 

Batian backpack in tan canvas

Top Tip: What I can recommend you also take are some plastic bags - the sealable / lockable ones. They are worth their weight in gold. Pack everything in plastic bags... the safari dust is like fine powder. And you will need them for everything: wet clothing, lotions, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. 

I also recommend you take some larger ziplock bags for your camera, mobile, iPhone, and other electronics.

If you are taking your laptop with you, you might want to think about a tracker bag which is great for use when you get home as well. 

Have a look at this review of the Tracker bag in The Telegraph which speaks for itself. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/businesstravel/7512916/joss-kent-how-I-pack-my-bag.html

Tracker bag in tan canvas

Clothing

I am not going to tell you how many pairs of socks or knickers to take, as I am sure you are old enough to work that out for yourselves. 

However, the most important thing is not to wear bright colours or white on safari, although around the camp or on the beach you can wear what you like. And cotton clothing rather than silks or synthetics.

Safari's can be a cold place by night and in the wee small hours. From your early morning game drive to midday the sun can make quite a difference, so it is advisable to dress by layers you can take off when the sun rises. Shorts (a good compromise are those trousers that zip apart at the knee to become shorts) and long sleeved tops with a fleece for when it is colder. Another reason to cover your arms and legs after sunset is to prevent mosquito bites.


Head Gear

Make sure you take hats, ideally wide brim and tight. Don’t forget bandanas or scarves – extremely valuable if you are caught in a dust storm. And sunglasses too.

Shoes

Unless you're seriously hiking, just bring comfortable shoes. A thick sole is a must, since it will keep your feet safe 

Binoculars 

We think these are the single most important element of your packing. We would recommend bringing the best pair you can afford and try to take a pair each. If you are buying binoculars, try lots of different pairs, don't be tempted to buy anything too small and avoid 'gadgets' like zooms lenses as the dust can cause problems for these.

Different types of Safari holidays


There are many different types of safari holidays available on the market from your traditional game safari which everyone assumes to be the only type - why not think about:

A horse riding safari: With Zara's Planet (www.zarasplanet.co.uk)

Zambian Safari: with Zamag Tours and Safaris (www.zamagsafaris.com)




 

Man Bags: Gone are the traditional keys & wallets in their pockets.

Sporting a 'man bag' may be the latest fashion for men as they moves away from the traditional business briefcase. 

 Picture: Sandstorm Bag

Men are not carrying as much paperwork, or newspapers to their work place, and the trend has been put down to the need to carry an ever-growing number of electronic gadgets – from smartphones to iPads, Kindles and laptops – as well as keys and wallets.

Trendsetters such as footballer David Beckham, rapper Jay-Z, Brad Pitt and Gerald Butler have all been spotted wearing the functional fashion accessory.

 Picture: Gerald Butler, Scottish Actor

The man bag has its various guises — from traditional over the shoulder laptop case, to messenger bag and satchel.

They say that mens messenger bags are now heavier than a womans handbag. This is because for women, gadgets are getting smaller, and men are carrying more.

What do you keep in your man bag and when do you use it ?

Bags in the Saga TV advert

Happy New Year to everyone.

I spent some time infront of the TV over the festive period, and during an ad break, I thought there was an advert for our company and showing some of our fabulous bags had been made that I did not know about.

I literally stopped nattering away to the person beside me, my mouth hung open, and my eyes opened wide. 

When was the advert made? 
Why did I not know about it. 

The person beside me thought I had seen a ghost. 

OK - it was momentary - but still that milli-second, was all it took for all those thoughts run through my head. It turns out, I was not the only person who thought this, and a number of people I know saw the advert as well,  and thought the same - maybe not with the shock or perhaps delight that I had.

It turned out that the advert was for Saga Travel titled: With Love from the Suitcase - Saga Holidays TV Ad Jan '13

It turns that the bags are not the same as our Odyssey bags, but they were very very similar.

I do like the advert, and maybe we will call one of our blogs - with love from my travel bag.... 

Does Santa use an iPad or a laptop ?

As I sit here thinking and helping some young ones write their letters to Santa.

It strikes me, that Santa over all these years still uses the same big red sacks when delivering his presents.

The children I am with are writing a letter to Santa by hand, but there are other children who might e-mail their letters.

I was wondering if Santa stores all his letters on an iPad or a notebook laptop?

How does he carry his laptop in Lapland and protect it when he is travelling from the snow?

I wonder if he has a red iPad case ? Or

a red laptop case like this ?

What do you think ?

Recruiting the right person with the right personality for my business

Early next year we are going to be looking for more team members. Yup - we are going to be recruiting. It has been awhile since I completed my Personnel Management course at New College in Durham and the idea of recruitment fills me with fear.

Infact, this is an area of the business that we have put off somewhat as the thought of going through all those fantastic CV's is enough to give me sleepless nights. I hate the idea of interviewing the final 10 people and having to turn down the others down.

How do we get the right person? 
Can we find someone who can multi-task with the right skill group?
How do we employ a nice person to work with ? 
How do we do it, so that they fit in with our personalities as a growing company ?

This was a constant concern for us, and so many people ticked so many of the right boxes. Until, one particular CV caught our eye. 

They ticked the boxes on paper but they offered us an insight into their personality. I admit, I was nosey at first, but when I read an unbiase assessment of this person - I had to share this process.

The website address is  www.personalitycertificate.com and from our perspective it scores a lot of points giving us that extra insight into someone’s personality. 

And for those of you who are interested, a job offer has been sent out by letter in the post today.

Normal luggage and bag chat will resume tomorrow...