It’s always interesting watching people haul their luggage through the airport. From the high end traveler with the Louis Vuitton, the pink zebra stripped bags or the ancient duffle held together with safety pins and duct tape, our bags can say quite a bit about us. A recent study from Virgin Atlantic gives us a little insight into the traveler.
On one side; 20% of us can’t remember the last time we purchased a piece of luggage and 55% would only purchase a new one if it was lost or broken. On the other, 10% admit to buying luggage to trump a friend or travel companion and 25% of 16-24 year old adults say they would buy a bag to copy a celebrity.
Joe Thompson, General Manager of Airport Operations at Virgin Atlantic commented, “Virgin Atlantic carries over six million bags around the world each year and we have seen a lot of changes since our first flight in 1984. Gone is the standard suitcase and luggage is now seen as a fashion statement with many passengers checking in a variety of designs including leather holdalls, leopard print cases and designer trunks”.
Virgin Atlantic and behavioral expert Judi James put your suitcase under the microscope to ask, “What does your luggage say about you?”
Designer trunks – Celeb owners: Karl Lagerfeld, Victoria and David Beckham, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian
Designer trunks are on the rise with Virgin Atlantic seeing more and more passengers following in celebrity footsteps. Judi James comments: “For these passengers, luggage defines their achievements and their status in life and they believe all economy class passengers should stand aside in respect as they sweep through the airport in true A list style. This is the Greta Garbo of holiday makers, someone who is outwardly saying ‘I want to be alone’ although with all the matching designer gear and huge, blackout designer shades what they’re really saying is ‘Look at me! Aren’t I rich and famous?”
The Crazy Coloured set- Celeb owners: Kerry Katona, Sam Faiers, Chantelle Houghton
Leopard print, zebra stripes and fluorescent coloured cases are easily spotted on the conveyor belt but what sort of person chooses this type of luggage? Judi says “Attention-seeking and slightly scatty, this is the noisy, dramatic traveller who will hold up the queue while they hunt for their passport or dash off to get duty free just as boarding has been announced. They’re the zany friend you take on holiday only to wish you could tip them off the pier on day two of your break, although by the end of the first week you’ve probably given up fighting it and bought the same sombrero and fluorescent bikini and started to join in the fun.”
The Holdall – Celeb owners: Angelina Jolie, Matt Cardle, Prince Harry, Daniel Craig
Packing light is something that not many people can do but what type of passengers can fit their holiday essentials into a holdall? Judi comments: “This is the Mary Poppins of travellers, the one who manages to pack everything they need into one piece of luggage, finding space for things the rest of us forget like adaptor plugs and baby wipes, and yet still has room for a different bikini for every day of the holiday. Frighteningly practical and terrifyingly confident this optimist will tend to be the most seasoned traveller of the lot because for them it’s all about low drama planning rather than last-minute panics. “
The Corporate case – Celeb owners: Mark Wright, Cheryl Cole, Sharon Osbourne, Frankie Sanford, Wayne Rooney, Harry Styles
Stylish and understated, the corporate case is definitely the most popular choice for the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passenger but what does this choice of case really say about the individual? Judi comments: “These passengers know they’ve made it so there’s no need to be flashy, especially during the financial crisis when they believe it might seem crass to flaunt their wealth. There’s a very practical side to this rather focused and determined person, too, meaning a time-managed flight that includes working on the laptop or catching up on some well-earned power-napping.”
The Rucksack – Celeb owners: Justin Bieber, Chris Brown
Choosing practicality over style says a lot about your personality according to behavioural expert Judi James. Judi says: “Still living in the glory days of their gap year, this traveller is unashamedly the eternal teen, loving to imagine that they can lead the freewheeling, commitment-free lifestyle forever. They hate being pinned down or pressured into any form or responsibility and they like to think they can go anywhere the wind decides to blow them. They cherish their good causes but they can also have a tendency to be tactless or unfeeling at times, usually with the excuse that ‘I was just being honest’ or ‘I was just being myself’.