Are you a luggage lout?

THE British might think they are considerate travellers, but research suggests otherwise.  It has found that 75 percent of us are fed up with the ‘luggage lout’ – someone with no spatial awareness, and who displays selfish, aggressive and clumsy behaviour when in charge of bags, suitcases or backpacks. 

The research by Rolling Luggage reveals that 40 percent of travellers have suffered a baggage-related injury in the last 12 months, and that mobile phone distraction is cited as the main cause of luggage rage.

The research shows the top loutish behaviours in the UK are:

1. Stopping with baggage in a crowded area without any warning 
2. Stopping to take an ‘airport selfie’ on a mobile phone while carrying luggage 
3. Running over someone’s feet with a wheeled bag 
4. Banging into someone with a backpack or not removing it when on a crowded train
5. Pushing in front of others to get to the airport carousel first 

Luggage rage is particularly bad when people are in a hurry with more than 10 per cent admitting they couldn't care less about their manners when in a rush and are more concerned about getting to their destination on time. 

The research also showed that families with young children are seen as the biggest culprits of luggage loutishness, with two thirds of respondents claiming that families are less than attentive to the needs of other travellers. Families were closely followed by groups of stag and hen parties, with 25 percent of respondents frustrated by their ‘safety in numbers’ luggage loutism.

Waseem Malik Khawar at Rolling Luggage said: ‘We have devised a ‘luggage code’ of simple etiquette tips to help people be considerate of others.’

LUGGAGE CODE - THE DOS AND DON’TS OF TRAVELLING WITH LUGGAGE

DO

• Respect personal space by checking around you when walking onto a crowded train, tube or plane - especially when wearing a backpack or heavy/large shoulder bag.
• If your suitcase has wheels, always be aware of people behind you so that you don’t accidentally trip them up or wheel your case over their toes.
• Plan your packing a few days in advance, not at the last minute. This will make sure you keep your luggage size and weight to a minimum.
• Small children will understandably be excitable when travelling, but this can lead to them running in to people. Reduce the impact your children have on other travellers by trying to keep them close to you.
• When walking the aisle to search for you seat, carry your bag in front of you and low to the ground. Holding it up or at your side will inevitably knock passengers on their arms, shoulders and heads.
• At the airport baggage claim, be considerate of others. Stand back from the carousel until you see your bag approaching, then step forward to get it and avoid knocking into others.

DON’T

• If you need to stop to check directions, get something out of your bag or check your mobile phone, make sure you look behind you before stopping to avoid causing a collision with other passengers.
• Take only what you can carry. Don’t rely on other people to help with your bags up stairs or onto the train or plane. 
• If you have young children who want to carry their own suitcase, let them do this outside the terminal as much as possible to avoid them accidentally running into people. 

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: Well said, Rolling Luggage! As someone who aims to travel with as little baggage as possible, I never cease to wonder at the tons of stuff carried in massive suitcases and backpacks that people insist on taking when they go on holiday. You’d think they were re-settling in a far-off land, not jetting off for a week in Benidorm. Airlines should make hold luggage prohibitively expensive; then there would be fewer suitcases being used as lethal weapons.

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