That baggage will cost you
Are you traveling somewhere soon by air? I found this Washington Post article useful. It compares the cost of shipping your first and second bags with various airlines. It’s one thing, when you are traveling alone or on business, but for my family of five, it will cost us between $75 and $125 to each ship one bag, one way! And if you’re one of those packers who like to bring different shoes for every outfit and a different outfit for every day of your trip, forget about it—chances are you’ll be over the baggage weight limit that many airlines impose and you can watch that dollar figure skyrocket.
So what’s a savvy traveler to do? You could look into shipping your clothing essentials ahead of time. Or, (and this is probably the best solution) you could simply pack more efficiently to ensure that everything fits into one airline-approved carry-on bag, whether leaving on a quick getaway or spending close to a month in Australia and New Zealand. Easier said then done, I know, but my fellow blogger at Collette offers some tips on the art of packing.
My personal favorite for utilizing every square inch of available space in a carry-on involves rolling and plastic bags. I just realized how odd that sounds—I definitely don’t recommend packing illegal contraband. The method I approve and that backpackers swear by involves laying the item face down (this method works best with pants, skirts and sports shirts), folding back the sleeves where applicable and then rolling from the bottom up. I then group outfits together for short trips or pack all shirts, all pants, etc. for longer trips and put the rolled items in plastic bags (I save and use the bags that items like pillows, sheets and blankets come in but you can buy packing bags as well). It works for me—not always—but as I mature I like to think I am getting better at packing.
I’d love to hear your ideas for packing light to avoid paying airline baggage fees.
posted by Melissa McKee
Collette Vacations
Tags: Family Travel, Travel Tips, Traveling Well
