Friends don’t let friends overpack
I used to insist on bringing so much stuff… just in case I might wear it. Why did I do that? I know I’m not going to wear most of the stuff, I just insist that I have the right to pack it all “just in case.” Well I’m here to tell you that “just in case” is a stupid reason to drag a heavy bag around for days on end. I can think of a lot of reasons why you wouldn’t want to check a bag, and it would be better to bring a carry-on.
1. No waiting in long lines to check a bag
My sister and brother-in-law just went to Mexico and their flights were paid for my his company so the payment included the option to check a bag. Even with checking a bag for free, I recommended that they bring a carry-on.
When they got the airport and all their friends were standing in long lines waiting to check their bags, they grazed through security and were sitting by the gates with their neck pillows ready for a nice nap. My brother-in-law said, “Go Nina.” I took that as a compliment. Even with it being free, it’s still not worth it.
2. No fear of airlines losing your bag
Consider what happened to my parents when they went on a cruise. They checked their bags and their flights were delayed and by the time they got to the cruise port, the airline had lost their bags. That doesn’t happen when you have a carry-on bag. You always have your stuff with you. They can’t lose something that they don’t have.
3. No struggling with heavy weighted bags
Granted, I do work out so I am capable of lugging a bag around, but when you have multiple layovers and you’re tired, do you really want to lug large bags around and try to drag them up and down flights of stairs? Plus, it’s actually kind of embarrassing watching people stare at you while you struggle.
Also, if you check a bag and it weighs too much, you may have to pay extra anyways. They tag it with a “heavy bag” sticker and then it’s no longer $50 to check a bag, it’s $75.
4. No waiting in long lines to pick up your bag
When you get off the plane, you can go directly to the cab or to your rental car. Or, you can wait for 30 minutes while they get the bags on the luggage carousel and then spend another 15 minutes watching all the bags roll around and around the carousel. Then when you see yours, you can run a bunch of people down and try to get it off before your arms become detached from your body. I always watch people desperately trying to grab a heavy bag off the belt while it’s moving and invariably someone else has to help them because it’s too heavy and it’s going too fast.
Also, I don’t know how many times the screens have been wrong about which luggage is coming from which airline. I’ve waited for my bag, and it never came and never came, and turns out it was on a different carousel the entire time. Ugh… wasted 45 minutes of my life.
My sister and brother-in-law just went to Mexico and their flights were paid for my his company so the payment included the option to check a bag. Even with checking a bag for free, I recommended that they bring a carry-on.
When they got the airport and all their friends were standing in long lines waiting to check their bags, they grazed through security and were sitting by the gates with their neck pillows ready for a nice nap. My brother-in-law said, “Go Nina.” I took that as a compliment. Even with it being free, it’s still not worth it.
2. No fear of airlines losing your bag
Consider what happened to my parents when they went on a cruise. They checked their bags and their flights were delayed and by the time they got to the cruise port, the airline had lost their bags. That doesn’t happen when you have a carry-on bag. You always have your stuff with you. They can’t lose something that they don’t have.
3. No struggling with heavy weighted bags
Granted, I do work out so I am capable of lugging a bag around, but when you have multiple layovers and you’re tired, do you really want to lug large bags around and try to drag them up and down flights of stairs? Plus, it’s actually kind of embarrassing watching people stare at you while you struggle.
Also, if you check a bag and it weighs too much, you may have to pay extra anyways. They tag it with a “heavy bag” sticker and then it’s no longer $50 to check a bag, it’s $75.
4. No waiting in long lines to pick up your bag
When you get off the plane, you can go directly to the cab or to your rental car. Or, you can wait for 30 minutes while they get the bags on the luggage carousel and then spend another 15 minutes watching all the bags roll around and around the carousel. Then when you see yours, you can run a bunch of people down and try to get it off before your arms become detached from your body. I always watch people desperately trying to grab a heavy bag off the belt while it’s moving and invariably someone else has to help them because it’s too heavy and it’s going too fast.
Also, I don’t know how many times the screens have been wrong about which luggage is coming from which airline. I’ve waited for my bag, and it never came and never came, and turns out it was on a different carousel the entire time. Ugh… wasted 45 minutes of my life.
Those are just some of the reasons why you would want to bring a carry-on. I’m sure you have some of your own horror stories as to why you only do it, but I never will pack with a checked bag again unless I become a knife salesman.
