How Wheeled Luggage Teaches Us About Creativity and Problem-Solving

I really don’t like stressful parts of travel, including managing many pieces of luggage and then thinking. Wait a second, what did people do before luggage even got their wheels? How much more cumbersome was that? For anyone rushing through an airport today, wheeled luggage feels as essential as air conditioning in the summer. Yet, it wasn’t until 1972 that Bernard Sadow patented what we now recognize as modern wheeled luggage, a suitcase with wheels and a retractable handle. The idea wasn’t born from a eureka moment but from everyday observation. Sadow watched an airport worker roll a heavy machine on wheels and thought, “Why not apply the same to luggage?” And yet, even Sadow wasn’t the first to think of this.

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Years earlier, in 1954, Alfred Krupa, a Yugoslavian artist and inventor, had already put wheels on a suitcase. His design, however, never made its way into mainstream travel culture. When Robert Plath, a Northwest Airlines pilot, introduced his sleek “Rollaboard” design in 1987, wheeled luggage truly transformed global travel. His innovation, combining wheels with a telescoping handle, was quickly adopted by travelers worldwide, permanently reshaping the landscape of suitcase design.

These stories raise an interesting question: If wheeled luggage existed in the 1950s, why did it take nearly 30 years to become mainstream? This gap between invention and adoption provides a powerful lesson about innovation and creativity. Even after wheeled luggage was invented and marketed, it remained expensive in its early years, making it a luxury typically purchased by business travelers or those with enough disposable income to afford the convenience. This highlights how accessibility and affordability play crucial roles in the widespread adoption of any innovation.

Literally, creativity doesn’t always require reinventing the wheel

Innovation often feels like a mystical process reserved for geniuses who create something new. But take a moment to think about this: Wheeled luggage didn’t require inventing wheels, handles, or even suitcases. The brilliance was in combining these existing ideas in a simple, practical way to solve a problem everyone knew too well: lugging heavy suitcases across sprawling airports and train stations.

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This leads us to an important realization: You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel to be innovative. Sometimes, the most impactful solutions come from creatively assembling things in new ways. Think about Velcro, Post-it Notes, or even smartphones. Most consist of pre-existing elements recombined to serve a better purpose.

Why the delay? And what that tells us about problem-solving

Why didn’t Krupa’s wheeled suitcase catch on decades earlier? Some resistance may have been practical; airports in the 1950s weren’t as labyrinthine as they are today, so the need wasn’t as pronounced. However, cultural and societal norms also played a role. Early designs of rolling suitcases were dismissed by marketers as “effeminate” or unsuitable for men, reflecting how gendered thinking stifled innovation. It took shifting travel habits in the 1970s and ’80s, plus some clever marketing from Sadow and Plath, for the masses to finally adopt the product.

Even though unthinkable today, bulky luggage without wheels is not from the ancient past. Suppose you watch some episodes of ‘Mr. Bean’, you can also see him handling luggage without wheels, and huge bulky pieces of travel luggage are seen in front of hotels that can’t be easily transported. This shows us another key element of successful innovation. Identifying a problem is insufficient; timing, perception, and broader societal context also matter. Innovators must bridge the gap between ideas and practical adoption, a challenge that often means fighting resistance or outdated assumptions.

Unlocking your inner creator

Creativity isn’t a talent reserved for the chosen few. It’s a muscle that can be trained. Sadow had a problem (carrying heavy luggage), observed something practical (a cart with wheels), and tinkered until he found a solution. You can apply the same process in your life.

Start by finding a problem. Better yet, one feels a problem. Have you ever been frustrated by a tangled mess of cables on your desk? That’s step one. Step two is immersing yourself in creative thinking. Gather items, hold a brainstorming workshop, and tinker with sketches, prototypes, or simple ideas. Use what’s around you and experiment. Draw, build, fail, and try again. This reiteration process unlocks the “lightbulb” moments we all admire but rarely see until the result.

Creativity is for everyone

The story of wheeled luggage should give us hope. It reminds us that innovation is accessible to anyone willing to look at mundane problems with fresh eyes. You don’t need a garage full of gadgets or a genius-level IQ. You need curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to explore the “what ifs” in everyday life. Whether you look at Rimowa, Samsonite, or a company that does something completely different, they all want to solve problems and create value.

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With practice, you can train your mind to enter “creativity mode.” Start by tackling small problems and using simple tools. Build confidence; you might roll your metaphorical suitcase into new territories before you know it. Who knows? The next travel revolution (or at least a brilliant idea in another field) might be yours. Creativity isn’t born; it’s cultivated. And the only limit is the one you impose.

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Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been done by Oleksii Chumachenko. The photos in the body of the article have been credited directly beneath each position.