It’s been exactly 40 years since the first piece of rolling luggage made an appearance, designed specifically for the fast pace of airline travel and since then, traditional luggage has gone through many changes. While luggage innovation has in the past slowly inched forward, that pace accelerated with the recent regulations to the airline industry and with the proliferation of fee-based luggage requirements. Gone are the days of packing the kitchen sink, unless you want to pay extra for the privilege. These days, if you want to bring something you either have to carry it on or pay “shipping”.

How the Right Luggage saves you Money

To avoid those shipping charges, it’s important to select the luggage that meets your specific travel needs. This allows you to pack exactly what you need in a space that is perfectly tailored for those items. You eliminate wasted space and reduce the risk that you’ll be paying to ship empty luggage space. If you can find the perfect carry-on item for short trips, you may eliminate having to check bags completely.

Recent innovations have largely centered on reducing weight and trying to make more storage out of less room. Also, as gadgets continue to invade our everyday lives, luggage manufactures are taking into consideration that we need types of gear that can aid in protecting all of our precious technology while providing us with plenty of storage for all other necessities.

In regard to those necessities, don’t be surprised to find carry-ons with fewer pockets for toiletries. With the restrictions on the amount of liquids and other goods, luggage manufacturers have taken back some of the space previously reserved for toiletries and afforded it to general storage.

Beyond these general trends, let’s take a look at a few concrete examples to give you an idea of the new products hitting the market.

The Transformer Vest by Scottevest

This jacket is entirely unique because it has removable sleeves that are attached by magnets instead of zippers. You may be thinking, “How exactly is this jacket a piece of luggage?” It actually boasts tons of cool features that make it in awesome addition for any traveler. Inside of this jacket/vest are twenty different pockets which can each carry certain items. There are pockets specifically designed for glasses, a camera, keys, a water bottle, and even travel documents.

The coolest pocket on the whole jacket is actually clear and can hold your smartphone. This way, you can use your phone through the pocket without ever having to remove it. The largest pocket can even hold an iPad. Consumers have noted that even with the jacket completely full of gadgets, the weight is distributed evenly, allowing for quite a comfortable experience while traveling. Think of using this jacket if you’re ever in need of more space that you may not have inside of your full luggage.

Trip from Travelteq

Feeling a bit tired during your travels? With this piece of luggage, you can sit down virtually anywhere you choose. Made of durable aluminum, this piece of luggage converts with spring operated legs into a seat along with a cushion. If you feel like stepping up your luggage game a step further, Travelteq also offers an alternate version of this luggage that includes a speaker to listen to all of your favorite music while you’re waiting!

Baseline CX by Briggs & Riley

Briggs and Riley’s new line of luggage is changing the games in terms of what luggage can actually do. Each suitcase has the ability to “transform” and can be custom changed into a multitude of sizes to fir your traveling needs. To change the size, you can simply release a latch that is located on the inside of the luggage. You can then pack your bag, zip it up, and press down on the bag. The bag will then be compressed to the perfect size, which can be a huge space saver when traveling. With this unique design, your electronics won’t be moved around during the flight and your clothes will stay unwrinkled, as everything is packed and adjusted perfectly to fit the contents on the inside.

Micro Samsonite

This piece of luggage is changing the way that many passengers travel through the airport to catch their flight. Its design is part hard-shell case and part scooter. The design basically looks like a small three-wheeled scooter with a piece of luggage attached to the front and while it may look odd, it can get you to your flight gate fairly quickly and it can fold up to an extremely compact size.

Which to Choose?

These are just a few examples of the types of luggage products being introduced on the market today. While not all of the features discussed are specifically designed to save money, many do just that. Smaller, faster and custom suited to your needs will inevitably reduce your costs, be it in hard currency, time or energy. The key is to balance the cost of these innovative features with the savings they provide…

This article was written by Hank Samson on behalf of www.AdventuresCrossCountry.com, a site that gives guidance to teens through the time of their life.