'Can't believe how much easier it is': Travel agent's game-changing luggage move
It's no wonder Gillian Woodley has plenty of tips when it comes to luggage.
The travel agent has been to 120 countries.
And she recently made a change after 28 years in the business, admitting she should have switched up her suitcase choice much sooner.
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Gillian Woodley has plenty of tips when it comes to luggage. Supplied
"I have gone to a four wheel wheelie bag. And I cannot believe how much easier that is in airports to have four wheels," Gillian, 51, from Hobart, she tells 9Travel.
"I would say however that it should always match the places you're going. It wasn't ideal for cobbled streets on flights or floors of stairs."
As anyone who has been to Italy and other European hotspots may agree, she says opting for a backpack might be better for those kind of places.
Some cities have even mooted bans for the noisy act of hauling a case through ancient streets.
However, make sure you choose the colour carefully.
A major European airline went so far as to warn passengers against choosing luggage in black, grey or navy to "avoid confusion" when travelling.
A four-wheeled suitcase can be easier to pull around. Getty
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Meanwhile, on Gillian's packing list, no matter where she is going is also a small umbrella, poncho ("not the most appealing looking outfit, but it's easy to pack and versatile"), multi-use travel adaptor and charger bank.
And while like many travellers these days she uses cubes for packing, she has fairly drastic advice,.
"Pack your case and then take half out," the Travel Associatesagent says, adding that women generally always take too many pairs of shoes.
Despite all her travels, she's been lucky enough to have only lost her suitcase once. That was 14 years ago - and it has still never turned up.
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And there has really only been one other mishap she can recall over her many years of globetrotting.
"When I got to the airport, I had the wrong passport," she says.
"Time was very tight, and I had to get a neighbour to break into the house, have my dad drive the passport out to Sydney Airport to actually get on the flight.
"The moral is, always double check your documents."
