6 money-saving bags for travelers

Video: Tips for finding the perfect carry-on

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   >>> this morning on "today"'s travel, the airline industry made $2.7 billion in checked baggage fees. while these charges keep climbing higher, finding the perfect carry-on has never been more important. the director of travel & leisure magazine is here with some of the top bags on the market. good morning to you.

   >> good morning.

   >> quickly, what are the guidelines?

   >> the main guideline, if you're going to carry on bag it has to be 45 linear with inch, take the height, depth and width and add them. less than 45, you can carry them on. otherwise it has to be checked. $25 per first bag and more money if you check additional bags.

   >> we have interesting ones.

   >> very important to have a carry-on. we tested these for packability, durability, ease of use. these are some of the favorites from our september issue.

   >> starting with?

   >> we have this one, super light, only 6.5 pounds. i have bag of groceries that is -- which is great. you want to fill that up. atlanta is only $80. super value.

   >> that's a great deal.

   >> this is samsonite. people talk about the wheels on cars but wheels on luggage --

   >> like the wheels on a bus.

   >> go round and round . this in fact goes round and round , super useful if you're stuck in an airport, just for fun --

   >> you can sit on it and twirl around.

   >> more importantly, it adds to the maneuverability of the bag. we love this samsonite because it has tons of internal storage and a smart bag.

   >> how much is this one?

   >> a little one, in the $300 range.

   >> this is the workhorse of the bags. no nonsense, better for a guy, to be honest. expandible in the front. what i love about it, i put my laptop in the front and mine topples over, not great for laptops, this has a front support, so very versatile and smart.

   >> toomey.

   >> i love toomey bags, you don't see them usually this flat. this is made out of heavy duty nylon and expands to be quite sizable and the right size for a carry-on and has this chic python, for a city trip. it's an ligue bag, which means light in french.

   >> if you do have to carry on, you --

   >> if you have to check.

   >> if you have to check, there are things you can do to make sure you find your bag.

   >> there are over 2 million bags lost by airlines in the last year. it's important to make sure your baguettes where it's going. cheapest way to do it, i get this all from my desk drawer, i take one of these and wrap it so you can see it coming down the conveyor. you can do fancy luggage tags you can buy and it's important to get to the airport in time to make sure to see the tag is put on your luggage. i was about to board a flight to tokyo recently. there was no tag. hold on!

   >> a lot of people, i've done this where i've shipped the bag ahead of time.

   >> it's very important to think about this and also cost it out because it can be very expensive. if you're doing skis or golf clubs , a good idea. jetblue and southwest are two airlines allowing you to check bags for free. that might be something to consider as well.

   >> thank you. coming up, colombian

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