The legacy airlines are hiking already high baggage fees in tandem and are veering close to what the budget carriers pile on top. You’ll pay up for any luggage on the latter, but on most large airlines, your ticket still includes a carry-on if you skipped the dreaded “basic economy” option. The type of trip you’re on determines the best kind of luggage, however, and I see a lot of travelers struggling because they bought the wrong kind. Here’s my rundown on the four main types of carry-on luggage to consider, with specific examples that are better alternatives than a TJ Maxx cheapie.

Breeze Airways Isn’t Too Bad

I know that “I flew Breeze Airways and it didn’t suck” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but by today’s budget airline standards, that’s above average. I took my first two flights with this no-frills U.S. carrier last month and it was good enough that I’m doing it again in June. One unique characteristic on my flight was that there were only five seats across, so very few people got stuck in the middle. There was more legroom than you’ll find on competitors’ flights too. Here’s a full list of where they fly and it’s robust: 36 states and four international destinations.

Digging Deeper Into Cultural Norms

It sometimes takes new residents of a country years to figure out all the traditions, beliefs, and hidden scripts that are in place among the locals. If you want some shortcuts before interacting with a population that doesn’t have the same background as you, this Cultural Atlas website is worth consulting. I pulled up two countries I’ve lived in for at least a year and found the information to be spot-on. It’s not complete: two countries I’ll be visiting later this year aren’t included, but the most popular ones for travel or living abroad are. Great for avoiding culture shock mistakes.

Return to a Classic Travel Book

I went to the Jules Verne Museum in Nantes, France last year and recently watched the TV series of Around the World in 80 Days with my mother. The museum was great, and while the TV series was a fun romp, it unfortunately had nothing in common with the book except two characters’ names and the title. I’ve learned that the original English translations of Vernes’ books were dumbed down to appeal to kids and to avoid offending the British, so the versions in the public domain are not as robust as the original French books. I bought a new translation for my Kindle for five bucks and really enjoyed reading it again.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.