I am planning a week-long trip to Riga next summer and have a few questions:
I would like to avoid checking luggage if possible and would like suggestions for luggage.
Any suggestions for walking shoes that would work with skirts and pants?
Is it better to ship items like pottery, knitwear, food, etc., back to the States rather than bring it back in my luggage? ``
Any other info i need to know?
Thank you for any suggestions! -- Andra
To avoid checking luggage you will need a bag that meets the carry on rules in length and weight of the airline you choose; these carry on rules vary by airline and what seating class you travel in.
Take a look at the shoe selection at the Walking Company. https://www.thewalkingcompany.com/
or a similar kind of store in your area. Try the shoes on where a professional shoe sales person in person can give you a better idea on what shoes look good on you and where your feet will tell you if the shoes are comfortable or not.
I managed to get 5 12 ounce bottles of beer in my checked luggage from Paris with a connecting flight in Iceland and to Chicago using paper and wrapping them up in clothes. The bag should be full so contents do not shift and provide enough cushion so when the person loading the plane does not crush the contents in your bag with other bags stacked on top.
You should look over the rules and regulations US Customs and Border patrol to get an idea of what you can bring back food wise.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go/prohibited-and-restricted-items
The subject of luggage has many threads here, particularly on the Packing section of the Forum: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing
Jazz is correct - before buying anything new, check the rules carefully for the airlines you will be flying. US-based carriers allow a bag about an inch bigger than many European carriers. And budget carriers like Ryanair have more stringent requirements then legacy carriers like KLM.
Then there's the variables that come down to personal preference. Do you like hard-sided or soft-sided bags? If soft-sided, do you want one that retains its shape when empty, or one that collapses (so less protection for the contents, but more flexibility to make it smaller when needed)? Do you want wheels or not? If you do want wheels, do you like the two wheeled or four wheeled ("spinner") style? People have VERY strong opinions about all of these, but you should get what works best for you.
There's also the issue of price and sturdiness, and how these relate to weight. Some of the more expensive bags have a lifetime guarantee, which indicates they are sturdier; however, they are also heavier than some other bags with more limited warranties, but lower prices.
If you're near a department store, it can be a worthwhile trip to see what your options are. Macy's, at least in New York and Philadelphia (the two I've seen personally) has a large selection, and the store will match any sales going on at their website (in other words, if it's on sale online, it's on sale at the store). I did need a Macy's charge card to get the best discount. Bring a tape measure, since a "22 inch bag" can actually be 22.5 or 23 inches when the wheels and handles are included. More and more airlines are using sizer boxes; if your bag is even a tiny bit bigger than the box, it will be deemed too big to be carried on.
I'll tell you what works for me. I'm using the Delsey Hyperlite 21 inch rolling suitcase as my carryon: https://www.macys.com/shop/product/delsey-hyperlite-2.0-20-expandable-carry-on-rolling-suitcase-created-for-macys?ID=2579056&CategoryID=25691
and a five year old version of Rick's Euro Flight bag as my personal item: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/flight-bag
The Delsey is small enough to meet Aer Lingus's carryon size limits, and really is "hyper-lite" - when I picked it up in the store, it literally flew up, as i was expecting it to weigh more. It holds a lot and it isn't subdivided into too many compartments (makes it easier to stuff in items of various sizes).
The Euro Flight Bag fits well under the seat, and holds all the things I want accessible during the flight or don't ever want to check. Recently when flying from Madrid to Biarritz, the plane was so small that all carryons had to be gate checked; only personal items were allowed in the cabin. I hadn't known this beforehand, but because everything important and/or required to be with me was in the Euro Flight Bag, I didn't have to do any repacking at the gate (some did - for instance, to remove extra lithium ion batteries, which aren't allowed in the hold).
