Luggage Map

My luggage has a lot of pockets and compartments. I don’t know exactly when luggage makers decided it would be a good idea to create so many different nooks and crannies in every bag, suitcase, and backpack, but it can be very confusing.

I know whoever designed these extra compartments had some good reason. Maybe they are supposed to help people organize their things while packing. Maybe they are supposed to make it easier to pack items of different sizes in such a way that they may be found easily among other packed items. The extra compartments are indeed helpful in some ways, but they also cause me stress.

Adding in all these extra pockets means that there are essentially many hiding places among my bags. When I travel, I inevitably arrive at my destination and realize I forgot something. However, more often then not I arrive back at home only to find that I never actually forgot what I thought I forgot; I only hid it from myself. A few months ago I spent two weeks without a working cell phone because I thought I left it at home. When I returned I searched all over for it and eventually found it in a compartment in my carry on luggage that is almost completely hidden. Now when I ‘realize’ I forget something I simply search even harder and longer for it.

That’s just one example of a difficulty I have using the various pockets in my bags, and I doubt I’m the only person who has these issues. Sure, the extra nooks and crannies are helpful, but they also cause so much confusion and hysteria. To combat this I think there should be some sort of map or checklist included with the luggage that travelers may fill out to tell them where they packed their stuff.

When I think about this idea, I picture it either being some sort of dry erase map that can be reused or a pad of paper maps that may be filled out and discarded. It is a rather simple idea that would surely go a long way.

Are there any luggage companies that already include such a map? Have you ever thought you lost or forgot something that you actually just hid in your luggage? Would you use this type of thing to help find things you’ve packed?