Top luggage brand
Winner: Samsonite
Samsonite’s slick hardside suitcases won Marco Polo Club members’ praise when it came to the best luggage. The US brand was noted for the durability of its cases and its reasonable price point.
‘With smart tagging and more inventive solutions in the never-ending search for the perfect carry-on, Samsonite continues to evolve and see off more flashy branded competitors,’ says Mark Jones, editor of Discovery.
Travel writer and editor Cynthia Rosenfeld adds: ‘Among this gold standard brand’s many models, the sleek hardside Omni PC series offers a 100 per cent scratch-resistant polycarbonate casing yet can expand an extra five centimetres, ideal for those known to pick up a souvenir.’
Top travel product
Winner: Travel adapter
The ubiquitous travel adapter, which converts local electrical currents and plug sockets for devices, was voted the travel product Marco Polo Club members wouldn’t leave home without. ‘We all share one internet and use smartphones across every continent yet we are still divided when it comes to electrical currents,’ says Cynthia Rosenfeld.
Sabrina Klick, former worldwide lounges manager at Cathay Pacific, says she never travels without hers. ‘It’s ideal for staying connected to friends and family while on the move,’ she adds.
Top mobile app
Winner: Flight trackers
Flight tracking apps – like Flightradar24 and FlightView, which let you follow the path of a flight in real time – came out on top, followed by currency exchange apps and urban transit apps such as Citymapper and Google Maps, designed to make your journey a smooth one.
Cynthia Rosenfeld highlights a particularly useful feature that sealed her love of flight tracker apps. ‘I was not looking forward to the 4:30am wake-up call for my Reykjavik to Paris flight. Then FlightAware Flight Tracker popped up on my iPhone announcing a 90-minute delay, which meant more sleep. Most travel apps offer me what I don’t need – as I am organised enough – but this free downloadable flight tracker not only alerts me to any delays but also suggests where to eat when those delays happen.’
