Luggage Suggestions for tour of Sicily

I think a roller carry on size suitcase will be fine on any tours, although I've never done the tour of Sicily. So it's really up to you. The suitcases are transported on the bus belly. Carrying a suitcase to your room won't make much difference whether it is a roller case or a backpack of similar size. Most hotels will have elevators as well.

We did this tour in late October. Had a great time. You’ll love it! We took Cotapaxi Allpa backpacks. I also carried an "under the seat" personal item bag by Adidas, and husband had a small sling bag by Eddie Bauer. Everyone else on the tour had roller bags. One couple even had large roller bags because they also did the Switzerland tour and needed room for winter clothes and warm weather clothes for Sicily (temps around 80 degrees Fahrenheit in early November).

Most of the hotels weren't too far from where the tour bus dropped us off, so it wasn't a big deal to carry either type of bag. However, the hotel in Palermo (Ambasciatori) was about an 8-minute walk to the bus (which was parked near the train station when we were leaving Palermo to head to Trapani). That was the longest walk on the tour requiring us to move our luggage. It was also the roughest for roller bags because of uneven cobblestone sidewalks. Tour members with roller bags had to lift them off the ground to avoid potholes and curbs.

We also had about a 4-minute walk between the bus and the hotels in Trapani and Catania, but the sidewalks in both towns were smoother than in Palermo, so not as much of a problem for roller bags.

All the hotels had an elevator, except for the one near Agrigento. (That hotel had two buildings -- one an historic tower that did have an elevator, and the other a 2-story building without an elevator, which is where our room was located; meaning some tour members had to carry their roller bags up and down the stairs.) Some hotel elevators were very small and could only fit two to three people at a time. Because we had backpacks, we were fine taking the stairs instead of waiting in line for the elevator.

We found our backpacks were cumbersome to handle while boarding and getting off of the planes, because we didn't have them on our backs at that point (to speed up putting them in/taking them down from the overhead storage compartment). It was awkward to carry them by hand in lines.

No matter which style of bag you take, practice walking with it packed. We practiced walking for 5 to 10 minutes in our neighborhood with our packed backpacks to make sure we were comfortable carrying them on our backs. Also, this is an active tour. Segesta requires walking down a gravel path and paved road from the Greek amphitheater to the temple. Taormina is hilly with a lot of stairs throughout town. We prepared for this trip by walking 3 miles a day several times a week and also lifting weights at the gym. We included shoulder presses of at least 20 pounds, since our packed backpacks weighed about 15 pounds. Do this and you'll be fine!

I can tell you which one will be easier.....the one you prefer. There are pros and cons to both.

These days some of the longest walks you encounter while traveling can actually be at the airport. It isn’t uncommon to have walks of 10 to 15 minutes to passport control or to change terminals. Here the roller bag really shines. I know I can handle cobble stones just fine or carry my bag if necessary, but I love being able to glide through airports…….

Added note: Always remove backpacks prior to walking down the aisle of a plane or train. Otherwise you will constantly be bashing people in the aisle seats without really realizing it.