Lifting and Carrying Mechanics for Travel

An often overlooked aspect of travel is the frequency in which you will be lifting and carrying your luggage. Think about the airport, taxi, train, bus, walking to your accommodation, etc. Even if you do not have concerns about lifting a 20lb object multiple times, improper mechanics can increase your injury risk. The last thing you want to do on vacation is be nursing a sore back or shoulder.

Consider the Type of Trip you are Taking

The first part of this post is helping you consider how often you will be lifting your bag. If you are going on a guided trip where luggage transfer is included, you will likely still lift your bags at home and at the airport. Did you book a trip where the lifting is done for you? Be sure to look at the fine print and ask the company what is and is not required of you. Will someone will be there to pick you up at the airport? Most European airports require you to get your luggage before exiting the secure area. This means you will likely need to collect your luggage yourself before meeting your ride. If luggage service is included between hotels, ask if you are responsible for bringing your bags down to the lobby or if they are collected from your room.

Other things to consider include how many times will you be changing lodging locations, how you are getting to your lodging, and if elevators will be available. The diagrams below show how often you will be moving your luggage at the airport.

Lifting At the Airport

Think about the amount of times you will need to lift and carry your luggage at the airport. First, you need to get your luggage out of a vehicle or off public transportation. Secondly, you need to transport it to bag drop. You will need to lift the bag onto the conveyer belt. You will do this in reverse when returning home.

Carryon Luggage

As you will be hauling your carryon luggage around for a longer duration, you will want your carryon luggage as light as possible. If it is a backpack, make sure it fits close to your body. It should have a hip belt if is a larger bag. If it is a roller bag, make sure it moves effortlessly and the wheels do not get caught easily. For more information on what to look for in travel backpacks and roller bags, read our post on Luggage Ergonomics.

Roller Bag

Whether or not your roller bag is your carryon luggage, ensure your bag has at least two handles. This will help you when lifting your bag in/out of a car, train luggage racks or overhead bins. Do not hesitate to hold onto both handles while bringing a bag down from an overhead compartment.

You may already know that lifting overhead is not a good option for you. When this is the case, aim to check a bag. Have a carryon that can fit under the seat in front of you. If you need that extra legroom, try for a bag that can be on its side to allow you some legroom.

Boarding

For many people, prolonged standing to wait in boarding lines is challenging. If so, consider boarding early when they ask for people to come up who need extra time. Consider this especially with the luggage you will have with you. Boarding an international plane can require standing in line for at least 15 minutes. Boarding early will also give you more time to get your luggage situated underneath you or overhead. Please note this early boarding is truly for people who need this extra time. You may be questioned if you are moving about without difficulty. Also consider that the earlier you board the plane, the longer you will likely be sitting in your seat.

This can apply to train travel as well. You will likely go through security for international trains. Certain countries such as Spain have security for most of their fast trains within the country. You will also need to be able to step up into the train car with your luggage. Newer train cars have eliminated the step requirement but you can also book a baggage handler at certain train stations ahead of time. Check out our Mobility Guide for European Train Travel post for more information on this.

Lifting and Carrying Once on your Trip

Another important part of planning your trip is considering how many times you will be changing locations. As mentioned earlier, if you are on a guided tour, you may not be responsible for moving your luggage until heading home. If you are traveling indpendently or on a group trip that does not move luggage for you, consider all the changes. Every time you change lodging, you are carrying your bags to a bus, a taxi trunk, onto a train, etc. An alternative would be to pick one or two places to stay and take day trips. That way, you will be able to see many things and different towns but significantly reduce the amount of lifting and carrying you will need to do.

For example, you could stay in Madrid for one week. You could take day trips via train in under two hours to Toledo, Valencia, Salamanca, and Segovia. The other 3 days can be spent in Madrid and you never have to move your luggage. Side note, this was my plan when I spent a week in Madrid but I liked Madrid so much that I only made it to Toledo!

Proper Mechanics for Lifting Luggage

Now let’s talk about proper body mechanics for lifting luggage. Do you want more information about proper squatting and lifting techniques for scenarios other than travel? Check out this helpful pdf from California State University, Chico.

Squatting

This is perhaps the most important concept for lifting anything off the ground or lower than your knees. Bending your knees, and pushing your hips back allow your glutes, quads, hamstrings, etc to help you lift rather than mostly your back. We are all guilty of bending at the waist with our knees straight. This does increase our risk of injury. Get close to your luggage. Squat down and lift the luggage as you stand back up. As you are standing up, pull the luggage close to the center of you. Ideally, you can squat low enough to reach the handles on your suitcase/travel bag in order to lift it.

Lifting

As you are standing up from the squat, pull the luggage close to the center of you. If you have to lift the luggage overhead, see if there is a halfway point in which you can rest the luggage. For example, if you are on a plane and are putting your luggage in an overhead compartment, try to rest your luggage on a seat first. Then, you can change hand position to then lift overhead. Being able to hold onto both handles of a roller bag helps spread the amount of weight you lift. Even if you are picking up your luggage onto or off a curb, bend your knees and lower your body towards the bag.

Proper Mechanics for Carrying Luggage

Having the weight as close to your center of mass as possible decreases the amount of force you load through your back. Travel backpacks can be great for this reason, especially if they have a hip strap and you can hold weight through your pelvis rather than the tops of your shoulders. See our Luggage Ergonomics post for more on this.

If you are rolling a roller bag, it should roll with little force from you. If you need to carry it for short distances, make sure you can walk with it without it significantly changing your walking pattern. Ideally, you can switch carrying it on one side and then the other. Generally, I discourage duffle bags due to their size and limited carrying options. If someone else is doing the lifting for you, that helps.

Ideally, when you carry your bag, you are able to keep yourself upright. If you notice you lean towards the side carrying your bag, the bag is heavier than the strength you have to counteract the force. Packing light is really essential, especially if you will be lugging your bag around yourself. If it takes two hands for you to carry your bag and you are slumped forward, this puts your spine in a position more likely for a compression fracture to occur. If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, this is especially important for you to avoid. Also, with the bag in front of you, it will be very difficult to walk and maneuver around, not to mention likely increasing your risk of losing your balance.

Uncomfortable with Squatting or Lifting in General?

As a physical therapist, I feel it is important to talk to your primary care provider about any limitations. If you already have a physical therapist, speak with them about improving your squatting and lifting ability. These are important functional activities that will likely get a couple of PT visits covered by your health insurance. Especially if you do have orthopedic conditions that make lifting and squatting difficult or you do have osteoporosis or osteopenia, a physical therapist can work with you to figure out the safest and most functional ways for you to move your travel gear.

I hope this has been helpful in both considering how often we lift and carry our luggage on trips. I hope it also helps you think about what kinds of luggage you want to bring on specific trips as it will likely change based on the factors we have discussed above. Packing light to lighten your load is a smart idea. Focusing on lifting and carrying mechanics will help improve your trip!

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