Skip to end of carousel The Upgrade Welcome to The Upgrade, By The Way’s series on travel hacks and hot takes. See how to submit here. End of carousel I’m usually wary of hacks that promise HUGE benefits with one easy trick! But that’s exactly what I’m here to tell you. By changing one element of your travel style, you can save time, money and hassle on every trip you take. The secret? Swap your roller bag for a duffel or backpack.

Four years ago, I buried my Away brand hard shell carry-on deep in the closet. I was inspired by my husband, who always travels by backpack, and David Coggins — an author who writes about travel, fashion and manners — who strictly goes no-wheels. I wanted to be as nimble as my husband, and Coggins set an example that it could be done in style.

While I couldn’t afford the gorgeous luggage of a menswear expert, I could pick up a simple black duffel (first a $100 one by the brand Boarding Pass NYC, then a North Face knockoff I bought in a pinch in Vietnam). The results have been remarkable.

On packed flights when travelers around me are forced to gate-check their luggage, my less rigid duffel is always allowed through, allowing me to skip the wait for my bag after a flight either in the jet bridge or at baggage claim — a crucial step if you’re working with a tight connection. In charming European cities, I’m not humiliated by the sound of my wheels ratting over cobblestone. In a hurry, I’m running up escalators and jumping into cabs — not slowed down by dragging a bag behind me.

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I have probably saved hours between skipping drop off and the baggage claim rigmarole, let alone the potential days-long anguish of an airline losing your luggage. I can navigate public transportation, Airbnb stairs, ferries in Maine and motorbikes in Vietnam more freely. It makes me feel like James Bond, ready for anything — even if I’m just trying to travel as efficiently as possible, not save the world.

Let me tell you about a recent duffel win: On my last flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London, while everyone else on my ultra-budget airline flight had to weigh their rolling carry-on bags (and was getting charged for going over the 22-pound allotment), my duffel and I were waved through, saving me $80.

I’m now a duffel die-hard, no matter the kind of trip. It was my bag of choice for my honeymoon in Japan, traveling for weddings — although for wrinkle-free travel, you may want to go with a garment bag — camping, a month in Europe.

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Of course, going no-wheels won’t work for everyone; it’s not feasible for travelers who need to bring more than a duffel’s worth of items on a trip. A rolling suitcase is also often the more accessible option for people with injuries or disabilities. Depending on how much you’re packing, the duffel can be a physically demanding way to haul your belongings. On a long travel day running between trains and hotels or biking across a city, my bag will take a toll on my back and shoulders. A duffel with wheels, like this one from L.L. Bean, could be a good compromise, but I don’t want to add the extra bulk.