Packing light helps make a trip less stressful and lets you stick to your budget. When I am flying to my destination, I only do carry-on luggage. The 3 reasons you should NOT check a bag when you fly: the expense, time and risk.
- The expense – Checking a bag costs about $75 each way per person. For a family of four, that’s an additional $600 for your trip. I would rather spend that money on meals and activities or keep it in my bank account.
- The time – anyone who knows me, knows that I hate waiting in lines. When you check bags you have to get to the airport earlier to wait in a line to check them. Years ago when I checked luggage, we almost missed a flight because the check-in line literally wrapped around the concourse. It took 2 hours to check our bags. You also have to wait at baggage claim once you land. After a long flight, the last thing I want to do is wait for luggage.
- The risk of damage or loss – I don’t trust airlines with my stuff. Airlines are notorious for bags being lost or delayed, read more on this here. Even if an airline compensates you for your things, they rarely cover real costs. And, who wants to spend the first day of your trip buying everything you need? Luggage can also get damaged (if not destroyed). My mom actually saw her bag catch on fire while it was on the baggage carousal. It had gotten stuck and the friction caught it on fire. For these reasons, I like to keep my hands on my luggage at all times.
Any good rule has exceptions. Here’s when you might want to check your luggage:
You are traveling with small children. The last time I checked a bag was when we our oldest child was two years old. We were spending a month in France and London. He was still in diapers and was going to need a lot of gear. The first two weeks of the trip was in the French countryside before heading to Paris and London. Y’all, I actually packed a riding toy! We used a goodwill suitcase and an old riding toy which we actually left in Southern France at a charity shop before we went to Paris. In Paris though we only had rolling carryons and backpacks plus the stroller for Ethan. Most Metro stations in Paris do not have elevators or escalators which made traveling with what we did have challenging enough. I can’t imagine if we had still had that huge checked bag to lug around as well. And, we only checked one big bag for our family which saved on cost.
If there is lots of good shopping. Over the last few years I have discovered amazing antique markets throughout Europe. Also, places like Peru have some of the best textiles I have ever seen. When I know there is going to be good shopping, I will come with just my carry on and pay to check a bag on the way home. This has allowed me to bring home a huge metal sign, a footstool, antique brasses, old cameras.
You are going for an extended period of time. When I studied in England at 19 for six months, I checked two bags as big as they would allow. Most trips that are more like relocations are going to need checked bags.
When we went to NY/London/Edinburgh for 13 days, the kids only had their school backpacks and I only had a backpack and one rolling carry on bag. And, we actually had things we never used. On that trip, I knew we would have the option to do laundry in London as we were staying with a family friend. I chose an Airbnb in Edinburgh with laundry facilities. Honestly though, I could have worn the same outfit every day and no one would have been able to tell because I am wearing my coat in almost every picture and it was just too cold to sweat.
I think most people overpack because they don’t know what they will need or want to wear once they get to the destination. I like to be comfortable so I check the weather of my destination and make sure I have the appropriate clothes and shoes as I outline in How to Pack Light – Packing List. Overpacking means you will have to make more decisions on the trip itself. Spend the extra time before you leave home so you can simply enjoy your time at your destination. Packing light really does help your budget and makes your trip less stressful.