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.
Paris Major Limousine
Reliable, professional transportation in Paris, France.
We disembarked one ship in Cherbourg, France, and took the train to Paris where we spent the night before flying to Valletta the next day to embark another ship. We knew we needed a reliable transfer in Paris to get from our hotel to the airport. After some research on the Internet, I came across Paris Major Limousine. I exchanged a couple of emails with Mahdi Oustani, the Sales Director for Paris Major Limousine (PML), and arranged a transfer.
Travel in a foreign country is stressful enough without having to deal with local taxis. We have learned from experience that it is much better to hire a private car when you know you have to be somewhere, such as the airport to make a flight. As promised, our driver, Gilles, was waiting for us outside our hotel at 8:00am. We were surprised that he was driving a beautiful new top-of-the-line S-Class Mercedes.
S-Class Mercedes from PML
Our luggage was loaded into the trunk and we settled into the plush leather seats. Complimentary bottled water was waiting for us to enjoy on our way to the airport.
We left the hotel and entered the frantic Paris rush-hour traffic. About two blocks from the hotel, Rickee turns to me and says, "Do you have our passports?" I began scanning my memory banks followed by digging through my backpack looking for them. Suddenly I remembered that they are back at the hotel locked in the safe in our room! When I asked Gilles if he could return to the hotel, he said "no problem" and began working his way back through the one-way streets. He told me that it might be quicker if I walked back to the hotel from the corner of the street where it was located because all the one-way streets would make the trip longer, and that he and Rickee would meet me out in front of the hotel. I exited the car and ran the two blocks back to the hotel to retrieve our passports.
By the time I obtained the documents from our safe and made my way back to the front of the hotel, Rickee and Gilles were arriving. I jumped into the backseat and we were once again on our way to the airport. Thankfully, Rickee asked about the passports when she did, or we would have probably missed our flight. Gilles did an excellent job of maneuvering the big Merc through the Paris traffic and got us to the airport in plenty of time. This is where most drivers would pull up to the front of the airport and just drop you off. But not Gilles. He parks the car, unloads our luggage on to a cart and walks us into the airport!
Once inside, Gilles even helps us find the check-in counter for our flight. That is service above and beyond anything we ever expected. After we knew where we were in the airport, Gilles said goodbye and we were on our way to Valletta.
Gilles, PML driver
There is no question that the next time we are traveling to Paris, we will be contacting Paris Major Limousine for our transportation needs. Of course, they offer much more than just airport transfers. And, they have a large fleet of vehicles to serve a variety of needs. Check their website for full details at 1st-limousine-services.com.
Note: A sedan transfer from Hotel InterContinental to CDG would typically cost 115€, the Mercedes S-Class transfer is 195€