Level 8 Voyageur Luggage Set

The search for the perfect set of luggage seems to be never ending. Over the past 20 years of travel, we have gone through no less than a dozen different carry-on and checke luggage products.

When it comes to checked luggage, we have had hard-sided luggage and soft duffel bags. We have had luggage with wheels and some without. We definitely prefer those with wheels.

Our most recent checked bags are wheeled soft duffels that came from COSTCO. They have performed well, but are beginning to show some wear and tear.

Finding the perfect carry-on bag is no less challenging. Rickee and I agree that a carry-on must have four wheels that easily swivel and fit "wheels first" into the most common aircraft overhead bins.

We recently became aware of Level 8 luggage from YouTube and reached out to them to see if they would like for us to review their products during a cruise with Swan Hellenic.

The first to arrive was the Voyageur 2-piece luggage set which included a 26" checked bag and a matching 20" carry-on. Some may find the yellow-and-black color scheme to be a bit garish, but we like luggage that we can easily spot in a sea of black bags on an airport carousel.

28" Voyageur Check-In

The Voyageur Check-In is available in three sizes: 26", 28" and 30". We opted for the 28" and it looks quite substantial compared to our current duffel checked bags. The 28" actually measures 27.3"H x 16.6"W x 13.3"D, weighs 11.8 Ibs and has a claimed capacity of 93 liters.

The Check-In is shaped more like a trunk than a traditional piece of luggage. The shell is a German-made Makrolon® polycarbonate construction, which Level 8 claims to be light and durable. Ours came in yellow and black making it hard to miss.

The base of the Check-In is 8" deep while the lid (the yellow part) is 5.5" deep.

The zipper has Level 8 branded pulls which appear sturdy. The zipper is not waterproof, so care should be taken not to leave the luggage in the rain. The zipper is the most likely point of failure on any piece of zippered luggage, and only time will tell if the Level 8 zippers will hold up to the rigors of abusive baggage handlers. The zipper does glide easily and the pulls can be secured into a TSA lock mechanism on the side of the bag.

The four casters each swivel 360 degrees to turn this into a spinner bag. Each caster has two wheels and each wheel has a rubber tread. The bag glides easily on hard or carpeted surfaces.

The aluminum telescopic handle has three detents and is one of the distinguishing features of the Voyageur line up. Unlike on the more traditional spinners, the handle spans the entire with of the bag, making it quite sturdy and stable while placing the support rails inside the bag at the very edges.

This design places the support rails on the interior of the base at the far edges of the bag rather than in the center of the base. This design makes it easier to pack the base without the need to work around the handle support structure inside the base of the bag.

Opening the shell of the Voyageur Check-In may lead to some confusion as the interior designs are not consistent from bag to bag. For some reason, the Voyageur luggage interior comes in two different layouts. On the Check-In sent to us, the black base is covered with a zippered mesh fabric, underneath which are compression straps. On the lid (the yellow piece), is another zippered panel with two zippered pockets. One pocket is a breathable mesh and the other a vinyl “moisture proof” design. The interior configuration of the other version is just the opposite with the two zippered pockets being placed on the black base side.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 2/26/19 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 2/26/19

Global Rider Limousine - Kona, Hawaii

When choosing a local transfer in Kona, Hawaii, there is only one choice...Global Rider Limousine.

Whenever we travel, we prefer to pre-schedule transfers between airport and ship or hotel. Trying to negotiate with taxis can be a hassle, at best. On a recent Hawaii trip, we were planning a hotel stay at the end of a cruise in Kona, Hawaii. After contacting Alex at Global Rider Limousine, we arranged to have a Town Car transfer from the port to the hotel, and from the hotel to the aiport the following day. Even before we disembarked our ship in Kona, we could see Igor dockside waiting for us.

*Igor with Global Rider waits for us at the port in Kona, Hawaii*

After disembarking, Igor loaded our luggage and we were on our way to our hotel, about a 20-minute drive from the pier. Upon arriving at our hotel's security gate, we learned that we would not be allowed to access the property until after 12 noon. Apparently, the hotel was sold out to a private company the night before and was not open to the public until after 12 noon. So, what to do? Igor graciously offered to drive us into the city of Kona, or to nearby Waikaloa Village. We decided on Waikaloa as it was only 10 minutes from the hotel and our contact at the hotel agreed to pick us up after 12 noon and take us to the hotel. The mark of a good company is how they respond to an unexpected situation, and Igor handled it perfectly! He dropped us at a Starbucks where we had Internet access and the nearby shopping was a good distraction for the next two hours.

For our drive from our hotel in Kona to the aiport, Yuri, showed up right on time at our hotel. As it turns out, Yuri is Igor's brother! Once again, the Lincoln Town Car was spotlessly clean, comfortable and outfitted with two bottles of water for our convenience. Yuri was every bit as personable as Igor, and got us to the airport right on time.

In addition to airport and hotel transfers, Global Rider offers a variety of private island tours and has a range of vehicles including SUVs and vans. We would not hesitate to recommend Global Rider whenever a pre-/post-cruise stay in Kona is in your plans. And, if you cruise to Hawaii, a pre-/post-cruise stay in Kona is a MUST!

You can get more information about Global Rider by visiting their website.