Suitcases have grown in size, style and security as trains, boats and plains made the world a smaller place. From buckskin packs to steamer trunks to carbon fiber carry-ons, the story of the suitcase parallels the explosion of travel and tourism. [...]

In prehistoric times, human society was nomadic in nature and travel was a way of life. Even Otzi the Iceman packed a travel kit on his final journey into the Alps. The forerunners of the suitcase had to be tough, flexible and above all light. Otzi carried a rudimentary wood-ribbed backpack which supported a leather bag. [...]

By the 19th century, the modern suitcase was finally taking its famliar form. Rugged and well built, antique suitcases had to withstand years of use on unpaved roads, often exposed to inclement weather. The average suitcase of the age was made of thick, oil-treated cowhide stretched over a stout wooden frame.

Travel became an option, not a necessity, and exotic vacations became the new status symbol. Tourists plastered their suitcases with travel stickers – the more, the merrier! The multi-labeled suitcase became an icon of travel, tourism and the vacation industry by the mid-20th century.

The name 'suitcase' is in some ways a misnomer… suits need to be kept as wrinkle-free as possible so they're usually hung up in garment bags. Even so, the word has passed into common usage. [...] Modern travel forces people together while segregating their baggage. Matching up suitcase and owner upon arrival – on a mass scale – introduced the need for luggage identifiers.

Known as Wardrobe Trunks or Travelling Wardrobes, these trunks are some of the largest and heaviest ever made and are designed to stand on end for packing or open use. One half of the trunk, usually the right half, is filled with drawers while the other half has clothes hangers, usually a shoe box, and sometimes an ironing board and even a flat iron. The most famous […] wardrobe and flat top trunks were made by the Louis Vuitton Company.

Synonymous with great British design, Globe-Trotter is the very definition of Hand Made Luxury Luggage. A modern day classic, the Globe-Trotter case offers a uniquely strong yet lightweight functionality with a stark, instantly recognisable aesthetic. Since 1987, the brand philosophy has been a simple one - never to compromise the integrity of the craftmanship. It is this value that has made Globe-Trotter one of the most loved and sought after suit cases with generations past and present.

Suitcases are usually plastic, bulbous and age badly. They're black, or possibly silver. There is little possibility for using something you particularly like, or you can get the remotest joy in using.

If it's a weekend bag you're after, there's plenty of choice. Mulberry is always a staple – I recommend their scotch grain range. Bown makes beautiful bags – particularly the overnight cabin bag. In fact, almost anyone that makes lovely leather items can do you a good weekend bag. [...]

The problem is leather. It is too heavy for a suitcase, but no one quite knows what an attractive alternative would be. Louis Vuitton suitcases are made with canvas. This is lighter but still not so light you could carry it around for any length of time. They were designed, after all, for the age when porters carried your cases for you everywhere.

Fortunately, I recently stumbled across Globe-Trotter. Its suitcases are made with vulcanized board – essentially compressed paper with a protective coating. They are therefore light, while been famously strong: a famous old stunt featured an elephant from London Zoo balancing on top of one.

What's more, Globe-Trotter fulfils all my criteria for buying luxury. It is built for longevity. It is something I will use often (I probably travel on business an average of eight times a year). And it has a history behind it: it was founded in 1897; Queen Elizabeth took it on honeymoon; it was used in the first ascent of Everest; and Churchill carried a Globetrotter briefcase.'

'It was both Ross's organic style and philosophy that we were interested in,' says Gary Bott, brand manager of Globe-Trotter. 'He is concerned with the planet and this idea of changing trends for the future that we are focusing on more and more.'

Globe-Trotter, the British luggage designer which since 1897 has furnished luxury carryalls for the likes of Queen Elisabeth II and Winston Churchill, will soon add another formidable piece to its collection: a bulletproof case designed by Ross Lovegrove. Weighing in at under three pounds, it's the lightest rigid suitcase of its kind.

Commemorating the 110th anniversary of Globe-Trotter, this exclusive black carbon fibre/kevlar-weave travel bag of the future is stronger than steel, lighter than air, black like coal, and as innovative as tomorrow.

Globe-Trotter charged innovative designer Ross Lovegrove with the responsibility to create a truly iconic case that would encapsulate the fundamental values of Globe-Trotter's one hundred and ten years of experience making luggage while maintaining an aesthetic that would stand the test of time and become a collectable modern classic. Lovegrove began working on the project in 2006, and over the next two years, his investigation led to the development of an exclusive carbon fibre and kevlar 'weave' that is incredibly lightweight and highly durable.

This new '3X Fibre' was created by Toray Corporation and Dupont in 2007 exclusively for Globe-Trotter. These two highly specialized materials are layered with a triple-axis weave to produce the world's lightest suit case; this case is 5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.

'I'm an evolutionary biologist, more than a designer. I don't know what design is anymore, I create form, I understand form and I'm enjoying the digital age to create it. I'm hoping to push that even further. My work also relates to nature, in an evolutionary sense as I'm concerned with reduction. […] I exercise what is called 'organic essentialism' which means using nothing more - nothing less than is needed. I feel comfortable in this organic, isomorphic, anthropomorphic, liquid age of making things, but I try not to force it into things that don't need it.'

Carbon fiber is a designer's dream - extremely strong, versatile, elegant and lightweight. On the down side, it has a hefty price tag, which means finding the material in affordable designs is likely to remain a dream[…] Commonly used to make aircraft parts, [it] may now be to furniture and industrial design what titanium was to architecture […] still beyond the reach of most people but the harbinger of the next generation of affordable designs.

Discovered in 1958 […] designers are now using it to make hard-working and beautiful objects.

Alberto Meda created 'Light Light', one of the first carbon fibre chairs in 1987 that weighs just 4 pounds.

Light Light

One race car designer John Barnard is knife-edge thin and weighs just 75 pounds. But at a cost of $55,000 it's not for everyone.

'Carbon fibre is made from extremely thin fibres formed by heating carbon,' he said. 'They are then fused together with resin.' Heat rearranges carbon atoms into strong strands; you can take thousands of these and twist them into a yarn that can be woven, impregnated in plastic resin and molded into any shape. In effect, carbon fibers set in resin are like metal rebar in reinforced concrete.

But unlike concrete, which needs crisscrossing rebar for strength, carbon fiber strands are laid in the same direction. They are like the grain in wood, copper or aluminum. Because of the strength of the parallel fibers, each of these materials is strong but moulded carbon fiber is the lightest of them all. […] 'Designers like to use carbon fibre for its aesthetic elegance. It can be moulded very thin and therefore it is lightweight.'

Of all the travel skills you might acquire, travelling light is the one most likely to result in a relaxed, productive, stress-free travel experience. [...]

Using a Packing List:
Arguably the single most important aspect of intelligent travelling is the issue of what to pack. This, more than anything else, will determine the size of your luggage, the weight of your load, and the state of your happiness. Your top priority, then, should be the acquisition, personalization, and use of a good packing list. 'What to pack' is far too important to make up as you go along!

Chosing a Bag:
To begin, recognise that getting a better bag won't make you a 'one bag' traveller: there's little that the bag can do to reduce the amount of stuff you bring with you. Once you have acquired more efficient travel skills, though (and abandoned the notion that you need to pull a small trailer behind you), you will find that an optimally-designed bag can make a huge difference in your travel comfort and convenience.

Quality — because even non-checked luggage takes a beating, and because quality should always be an important consideration

Transportability — because you will carry your luggage more than the carriers will (and yes, whatever your actual plans, you will carry it)

Airline carry-on limits — because most people who learn to travel light find that everything they need to pack will fit easily into one carry-on-sized bag (which is fortunate, as in the real world there are two kinds of luggage: carry-on and lost)

Hand Baggage:
No more than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels.

• a standard size bag must not exceed 90cm x 75cm x 43cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels.
• a non-standard sized bag must not exceed 190cm x 75cm x 65cm, including the handle, pockets and wheels.
• Each bag over 23kg and up to and including 32kg will incur a charge of £30 at the airport.

There has been an upmarket trend in tourism over the last few decades, especially in Europe, where international travel for short breaks is common. Tourists have higher levels of disposable income and greater leisure time and they are also better-educated and have more sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for better quality products, which has resulted in a fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations; people want more specialised versions, such as Club 18-30, quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays or niche market-targeted destination hotels.

The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as jumbo jets, low-cost airlines and more accessible airports have made many types of tourism more affordable. WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any time. There have also been changes in lifestyle, such as retiree-age people who sustain year round tourism.

Tourism, the act of paying money to go from one place to another to see different and unique sights, has been a fact of civilized life since approximately the 12th century. Of course, back in those days it was basically the upper, upper classes that had the time, the money, and the interest in travelling from one spot to another. The word 'travel' by the way comes from the medieval English word 'travail' which means suffering great hardship, and that is a very good description of travel in its earliest days. Much has been written about the journeys of Marco Polo, who until recently was considered the world's first tourist.