I’m no super hero, or a secret agent or indeed a government spy. I am, however, interested in “luggage sets” and the new and exciting designs and innovations that cross my path are sometimes too fantastic not to share/ take the mickey, whichever fits!

Here are my top three outstandingly ridiculous, whilst being marvellously brilliant at the same time!

Number 3

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the transforming luggage, the suitcase that can transform itself into a) a chair, b) a bookcase or c) a lamp. Now who doesn’t need each of these things when you are away on a trip! I haven’t yet worked out what happens to the contents of said suitcase when you flip it into a chair but there you go.

Number 2

The suitcase bike, which does it exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a bike, that you can ride and the frame is formed into a suitcase! Breath-taking. Clearly, it is exceptionally useful in China, the country which produced it, but given that we Brits drive everywhere I’m not sure it will catch on here.

Number 1

My favourite strange luggage design at Number 1 is, I am sure you will agree awe inspiring. It looks more like a garment bag than a suitcase, so you can imagine it stuffed with very important documents that you wouldn’t want people to lay their hands on. But this suitcase is ultra safe and secure and a great thief deterrent. Why? Because it has 80,000 volts running through it. Activated by a remote control, it also has a 107 db alarm which is set off when the button is pressed and if that didn’t scare them off, then a nice shock of electricity running through their veins might just do the job!

Most people sport some kind of flight bag, you see them at the airport all the time. They’re the little cross-body bags in which you keep all your essentials: passport, tickets, money and all your travel documents.

My little bag has two zip pockets and a small flap-over pouch at the front. The main compartment fitted my camera and purse in perfectly and the slim other pocket is perfect for stashing my passport.

My flight bag is made of a lightweight fabric, so it can easily be washed back to new by slinging it into the machine on cool when I land safely back home. I would recommend everyone take one of these little beauties on holiday. I had a quick search and some of the “Antler luggage” flight bags are rather nice and is the Jupiter shoulder tote.

For an inexpensive option you could try the Shoreline green smart shoulder bag. It’s almost identical to the one I carry but it has the benefit of an adjustable length strap and a flap-over pocket hiding the main compartment further.

For any traveller, male or female, I would emphatically suggest investing in a flight bag: it would certainly make a great stocking filler for the keen voyager in your family. If the material is fabric then you can opt for any colour you choose because it will be machine washable and so you don’t have to stick to mundane black … then again, if like me it doubles as your handbag, black tends to go with everything!

We put ourselves through this every year, what the hell do you buy your loved ones at Christmas? Thankfully Antler Luggage has some fantastic ideas on their site, so I thought you might appreciate a little bit of inspiration.

Aside from explaining the Carnaby Street luggage set designs, which are a particular favourite, Antler luggage also has a whopping 60% off the recommended retail price at the moment, meaning, credit crunch or not, it’s in everyone’s Christmas budget. From a distance this luggage set looks like it’s white quilted leather, closer up its made from polyester but has a Teflon coating, so it should manage to stay white for a while!

How about a nice shiny new laptop bag, with a 30% discount and a free continental travel adaptor? Antler Luggage are also selling an inexpensive laptop bag called the Executec for the business traveller in your family. It comes with a 30% discount and a free continental travel adaptor - £34.90 including delivery. Better than a briefcase any day!

It’s all very well and good booking that luxury week’s holiday, purchasing some gorgeous new antler luggage for the journey, just so you look the part, but sometimes we could all use some assistance with the actual packing part so we don’t overload those trolley case.

I bet we are all the same, we wash everything in sight, iron it all, fold it all beautifully then stuff it all in at the last minute, sitting on top of the suitcase just to add some much needed weight to close it.

There is a better way you know…..

I am a die hard fan of the day by day planning method. I make steadfast decisions on exactly what I will wear each day and resist the urge to waiver, apart from a couple of extra tops (in case I spill something), a couple of jumpers (in case its cold) and a jacket (blame my Mum!). You can take it one step further and pack each outfit in a plastic bag separately, but unless you have OCD, it’s probably not necessary.

I expect many stick to the folding and stacking method. Everything is perfectly aligned and piled as high as you can, Mary Poppins style. Except of course, she doesn’t squidge it all down with her palms so she can close the lid.

The final method of course, used by hardened travellers and the like, is the rolling method. Everything gets rolled and squished and packed tightly side by side. It’s a popular myth that this reduces the wrinkling, so beware.

Finally, there are some superb little traveller toiletries packs you can buy. They tend to come in the form of a clear plastic resealable pouch containing several small plastic bottles in which you can put shampoo, conditioner, shower gel etc. The perfect travelling companion.

As a nation, we spend a lot of money of luggage every year. I’m not sure of the exact amount but I wouldn’t mind betting suitcases and wheeled luggage adds at least a few million to the economy every annum.

Now all your hard earned cash that you spend on the holiday paraphernalia, I wouldn’t mind venturing a guess that whilst you mind forget the travel adapter, you will never forget the combination lock that you attach to your latest Samsonite luggage piece. Fruitless really, more chance of the entire thing getting lost than someone cracking it open and stealing the contents of your jump luggage … but hey ho!

There are numerous safety devices available to secure your smalls safely inside your case; however, were you aware that combination locks, those of the 4 number variety are now a thing of the past! We are onto words people, words!

Wordlock presents the first combination travel lock that unlocks with a word, instead of the standard, forgettable, multi-digit code. Four whole letters to choose from… what about lump or case or pant or … oh goodness, there are over 10,000 word and letter combinations, so have fun picking one! Further news on the good side of course is that if you forget it, you have more chance of landing the right word than winning the 14 million to one lotto.

We are nothing if not informative in this travel blog, so I thought you might be interested to find out what happens to your checked in wheeled luggage after you have handed it over. It might also reveal some information on why, sometimes, it comes out battered or bruised, if, of course, it comes out at all!

The whole baggage handling system is a procedure made of three parts. The first part is to transfer your luggage set from check in, to the departure gate. Then, if you are flying long-haul, then the suitcase holding all of your travel necessities needs to ensure that it makes the connecting flight and is travelling with you. Last of all, after touchdown, it needs to be waiting for you on the carousel.

In an ideal world, your new set of luggage should arrive on the carousel at precisely the same time you walk up to it to collect it, but life, of course, is not so simple.

If you ever flown from a London airport, it’s plain to see that the luggage system has taken its inspiration from the M25 and regularly has jams, blockages and accidents causing the entire thing to collapse in a heap. Terminal 5 is your perfect example!

A lot of the mistakes, Terminal 5 aside, are human error. The moment everyone’s luggage set arrives at the departure gate; it is manually offloaded and put on a conveyor belt onto the plane. This is perhaps the moment of truth … you are already on the plane waiting to take off, so you won’t know if your bag was left on the tarmac until you arrive at your destination.

No travel blog would be complete without a few tips to help you avoid the dreaded excess baggage charge at the airport.

Until someone invents an anti-gravity luggage set we all have to take a deep breath as we place out suitcases on the official weighing scales at the check-in desk. To avoid the red faced embarrassment of having to unpack and dispose of items, or pay to take the extra gear on board, invest in a set of luggage scales. Relatively inexpensive, they are perfect for assessing the weight of your luggage set before you set off.

Digital scales will of course give the most accurate reading and nothing beats the Balanzza luggage scales. Unlike many designs it isn’t restricted in the type of handle it can accommodate which means rucksacks, holdalls and suitcases are no problem. For those of you into gadgets, this is one to add to the Christmas list and make sure Santa brings you one this year.

If you want to spend a little under a tenner, another version is a dial scale: in some cases it comes equipped with a handy tape measure.

We spend a lot of time on this site analysing and monitoring the latest gadgets and luggage sets, keeping a close eye on new collections from our favourite travel buddies at Samonsite and Antler but today, let’s talk accessories!

By accessories I mean the invaluable, inexpensive and potentially nerve saving devices we like to call luggage tags. Don’t be tempted to just take one off the counter and hope that the flimsy, origami version the airline provide you with is good enough. It isn’t. For starters, it’s made of paper and if that doesn’t put you off, try having your address on full display to let all the burglars know your house is empty because you are jetting off on holiday.

What you need on your wheeled luggage is an authentic and recommended luggage tag, one that encases your private credentials so they aren’t in full view.

Basic luggage tags start at about £5.99. They’re usually made of high quality robust leather. You insert your details through a plastic window and a leather flap hides it from view.

If you want to make more of a statement, have a glimpse at the funky designs from Tepper Jackson. Not only will these offer all the same features and benefits but they make locating and identifying your luggage set very simple. They are a bargain at £8.95 and with over seven designs to choose from there is sure to be something that suits your taste.

Alternatively there are eight further designs available from Yosifa Penina in a similar price bracket: these ones have a snap closure to hide your personal information. They’re also water-resistant, so if your luggage set falls into the sea the divers will know to return it to you!

By far the best patterned suitcase I have ever seen had a cow print design. Black and white, pinched in at the waist (if cases have waists) and with a glossy coat – OK, it may sound hideous to you, but it brought a smile to my face!

I went in search of more patterns today to see what has eclipsed it in terms of ridiculousness and found a leopard print, very Bet Lynch. There was also some pink luggage that looked like it had been mislaid by a flamingo (it was still funky though!).

There are all sorts of highly amusing designs and styles if you check out kids’ luggage ranges too. There are some great ‘character’ suitcases you can buy, such as lions, zebras and tigers. Some manufacturers even include a detachable travel rucksack that forms the head when it’s attached!

Ok, so you wouldn’t take one on a business trip but a patterned suitcase puts the fun back into travelling. After all, you are the one carrying it pulling it, lugging it up stairs, and into cars. There’s a practical purpose too: a patterned suitcase, animal print or not, is easily recognisable when you’re standing by the carousel watching hundreds of identical cases do the rounds. You might get some funny looks, but at least you won’t accidentally wander away with somebody else’s case.

It’s time I broke it to you people. There’s a material masquerading as leather, and it’s called pleather. As the name suggests, it’s a combination of plastic and leather. However, when you want real leather, the bona fide, genuine article, you need to know what you’re looking for.

In general, there are 4 grades of leather: bonded, split grain, top grain and full grain. I won’t go into the detail of each too much, however if you want to purchase a top quality “leather backpack” or travel bag then it’s best to go for full grain leather.

Full grain leather is preferable for “leather backpacks” and luggage, because it offers a combination of strength, durability and appearance. It is made from the outermost layer of the hide and isn’t sanded or processed in anyway which also means you get that gorgeous natural look complete with original markings.

Naturally, it’s best to avoid the cheaper version which is bonded leather. Wouldn’t it be awful to pack all your belongings and then half way on your trip you realise you have left your belongings smack bang on the pavement because the bottom has fallen out of your cheap leather backpack.

Bonded leather is made up of all the scraps that are quite literally bonded together to form one single piece of leather. The entire manufacturing process makes it look like one big stretch of the top quality stuff but frankly, it seriously lacks the strength of the single piece of hide.

For the snakeskin, alligator or ostrich look, manufacturers will in the main use a top grain leather which is just one level down from the good stuff! It comes from the durable outer layer of the skin and is processed or sanded to hide serious imperfections.

So that’s your lesson in leather for today. You can tell pleather a mile away: there are no flies on it!