Semi-soft combines benefits of other two. These are what I like best. They are partially framed and have expandable tops and bottoms. They weigh less than hard-sided ones, but still protect well.

Material. For soft and semi-soft luggage, nylon or ballistic nylon is stronger than polyester. Look for a tight and dense weave. If denier is mentioned, it refers to thickness of fiber. High denier means thick fiber.

Zippers. Metal ones aren't good. The newer, synthetic zippers made of coils can actually self-repair when slide is moved over teeth.

Self-repairing zippers is one thing that separates well-made luggage from rest.

Since people tend to over-stuff their suitcases (especially if they did some extra shopping), zipper takes strain of trying to close and hold suitcase together.

These self-repairing zippers will do that job better than any others will. A standard zipper can fail under that strain. If your suitcase zipper breaks as you are finishing packing and hurrying to catch a plane, you suddenly have a big problem.

There you are, it's time to go and your suitcase zipper is broken. Everything is falling out and you don't have time or capability to fix or replace it.

Whatever you buy, make sure that it has a large, self-repairing zipper.

Hooks. Many rolling bags have a hook to carry an additional bag. These are wonderful. With these, you can often easily carry two extra bags - one on hook and one over extended handle. The bag on hook tends to counter-balance everything making downward load on handle lighter.

Tip - some hooks are stronger than others are. The most strain on your luggage hook comes when you have a heavy bag attached and you are on an escalator. The hooked bag is unsupported. If this is an issue, look for elevator.

Other Nice Features. Many pockets inside and out are useful. Many bags have some plastic lined pockets. These are great for wet items like swimsuits or workout clothes. If you are getting a bag that will be outside like a backpack, rain flaps over zippers help keep contents dry when it's raining.

Warranty. If you buy a good suitcase and use it for a long time, a good warranty is very important.

A long warranty period is a good indication that manufacturer believes in their product.

Many higher-end bags have lifetime warranties. While these suitcases may cost a bit more, if a free warranty repair is difference between more years of service and garbage, it's worth it.

The smart choice is to buy well-constructed, long-lasting quality luggage. That will be best value, last longest, and be wisest choice.

There are four specific brand of luggage that I personally recommend.

To learn which ones those are and why, please visit my complete luggage ratings web page at: http://www.pilot-pauls-travel-accessories.com/luggage-ratings.html

If you go there, you'll also learn best places to find these suitcases at best prices.

Pilot Paul is a captain at a major U.S. airline. He also hosts http://www.Pilot-Pauls-Travel-Accessories.com where an airline captain helps you with your travel needs.

If you would like to learn more travel tips, see travel accessory reviews and recommendations, learn insider's secrets, find travel discounts, or receive our FREE newsletter, please visit us at

You brain has capability to disregard many background noises. They still are present and cause fatigue, but you become unaware of them. During ten minutes, your brain will discontinue blocking these sounds from your consciousness.

If you take them off after ten minutes, you'll be amazed by amount of noise they had been cancelling. These headphones can be used as regular headphones for listening to plane's audio system, movies, or any other sound device. With these, everything will sound even better because much of background noise is cut out. This will create new levels of listening enjoyment for you.

With a good noise canceling headphone, you'll also be able to listen to recordings or movies at a much lower volume. There's no competition with background noise. That's good for your hearing.

I frequently use noise canceling headphones with a portable CD or cassette player. I'll leave volume set and later use regular headphones. The volume setting I used with my noise cancelling headphones was so low that when I switched to regular headphones, I couldn't hear anything.

You can also use noise canceling headphones by themselves without external audio to make your world much quieter.

Noise canceling headphones are helpful for resting and solitude. That's because wearing them signals people around you that you want to be left alone. If you're worried about that over-talkative person in seat next to you, putting these on can be a great way to discourage them from initiating conversation.

Noise canceling headphones are so effective at reducing noise fatigue that many pilots use them in-flight. Headphones with this technology are great for in-flight radio communications in noisy, propeller-driven airplanes.

Warning! Once you've tried these there's no turning back. You'll be hooked on them and will want to use them regularly.

What Makes One Noise Cancelling Headphone Different From The Rest and Why Do The Prices Vary So Much?

If you've ever seem ads or displays for noise cancelling headphones, you've likely wondered why prices vary so much.

I've used two different noise cancelling headphones extensively, and had chance to try several others for extended periods.

With that experience, I've found two different noise cancelling headphones best suited for all-around use.

There are many on market, but these two stand out. One is expensive but worth it, and other is surprisingly less expensive than many others.

I've also found best places to get each of these.

For a complete review of these as well as more information about noise cancelling headphones, please go to: http://www.pilot-pauls-travel-accessories.com/noise-cancelling-headphones.html

Pilot Paul is a captain at a major U.S. airline. He also hosts http://www.Pilot-Pauls-Travel-Accessories.com where an airline captain helps you with your travel needs.

If you would like to learn more travel tips, see travel accessory reviews and recommendations, learn insider's secrets, find travel discounts, or receive our FREE newsletter, please visit us at