Will be taking a RS Tour of Eastern France. Have two carry on bags, both with wheels but only one with backpack straps. Can any recent travelers on that tour offer advice about the necessity of taking the bag with the straps? Is it all pretty much the kind of terrain that the wheels can handle, or is any of the terrain / distances such that the back straps are really needed. Any insights will be appreciated. Thanks, TC
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Do you mean you plan to take two carry on bags . ( not one each?) . I have never found a roller bag to be a big problem anywhere in Europe in over 35 years of travel.. yes, sometimes I have to pick it up for stairs or such.. but really ... that's easier on my back then carrying it the whole time on my back .
The deal with the tours is simple.. if you can handle your luggage without whining and holding up the group , no one cares what you bring.. its just easiest to handle one main bag... I suppose one could deal with two small bags.. but only if you could carry them up stairs.
Posted by
OP
Atlanta
5196 posts
Thanks Pat. Sorry for the confusion. We each have the option of a strap or non strap bag. But we never take two each -- not even on a cruise. TC
Posted by
Morrison, CO, USA
893 posts
Hubby and I each took a RS roller bag on the Eastern France tour and we each had a small backpack for meds and ipads stuff like that.
The longest walk that I can remember was Vaison la Romaine and it wasn't bad. There were some cobblestone areas that we clop, clopped along, but our suitcases and the wheels held up fine. The hotel in Vaison where we stayed had no elevators, but we expected that. It was one of my favorite stops! It was also one of our favorite tours out of 5!
Have a great trip and look forward to your trip report!
Mimi
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3279 posts
I'm 71 and a couch potato. I never check my luggage. On an RS tour in Turkey, one of the wheels on my case broke and it was misery till the end of the trip. A year later I used another roller bag for a Christmas RS tour to Florence. Because my bag weighed more than 10 kilos, I was not allowed to carry it on board. I arrived home on January 1st; my bag followed on January 7th. Glad it was the end of mytrip and not the beginning.
I bought the ETBD backpack simply because it is light. I find it easier, faster and more convenient to go the backpack route than dragging a bag through airports and city streets. Check with your airline not only about the dimensions of a carry-on but also the weight limit. I had my laptop in my bag when it was weighed by Air France in Miami and hand carried it on board so my backpack would make the weight limit.
The Eastern France tour is a great trip!