Bon voyage, luggage fees!

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I’m sitting in the lounge at the Munich International Airport and have noticed the amount of carry-on wheeled suitcases that people have. They’re the rage, that much is clear. This

Ultralight luggage pieces.

morning, when checking in, there was someone who had to pay extra for excess weight in his suitcase, because he seemed to be unable to switch the contents of his checked baggage into his carry-on (since I live in Finland, the issue was some very good vodka and that can definitely not travel in carry-on luggage).

I am very aware that the vast majority of members of OAS FCU are like me, that you are from one place but live in another, far enough that you need to fly to get home. So: let’s talk about ways to help you avoid incurring baggage fees when travelling that don’t involve surrendering those extra dear items you bought during your trip.

Alright, let’s start with the practical side of the issue.

Pack light

I know, I know, many of us travel to visit family for weeks on end and if you’ve ever done

The basics.

this, you will know how you end up with a suitcase -or two- full of things for various family members and friends. But if you are not travelling to see family or friends, but for a short vacation someplace, here are the basics for travelling light:

• Gather everything you plan on taking with you, and re-examine every item to make sure it’s absolutely necessary to take. Leave whatever comes up as a “maybe”.
• Take clothing that layers and combines so that you get more than one outfit from each item of clothing.
• Think smart: don’t take two sweaters when you can take one jacket that works over both.
• Two pairs of shoes, max, and one of them goes on your feet when you travel.

  

  Rolled-up clothes wrinkle less and
  take up less space.

• Limit the amount of electronics you take; that being said, if you like to read, take a reader device rather than books.
• Buy travel-sized toiletry containers and fill them with your own shampoos, lotions, etc. You can even buy fillable perfume/cologne sprayers.
• Roll your clothing: it saves on space and it wrinkles less than with normal folding.

Technical solutions for lighter travel

• Get a luggage scale. They are lightweight so they travel with you, and they allow you to weigh your luggage before you ever get to the airport. There are lots of very good ones for around $10 on Amazon (remember Amazon Smile!).
• Get lighter luggage: sure, you have your trusty cordura unbreakable suitcases from 20

  

  Travel scale.

  years ago. But, have you tried weighing them? If your luggage weighs more than 10 pounds, it’s too much. Nowadays you can get ultralight hard-case luggage that will allow you to take an extra 5-8 lbs. If you travel often, it’s worth the change.

Solutions for organized people
These are solutions for peeps who travel often and need to be organized and save money:

• Shop your airline baggage policies before shopping for a ticket. After all, an airline that allows you to check two pieces of luggage, no questions asked, will save you $100-150 from what you will have to pay when using a low-cost airline where every checked luggage piece has a fixed cost. Take into account this difference when booking because the low-cost airlines may not be the lowest cost alternative after all.
• Join the frequent flyer programs of the companies you fly. Nowadays, with the

  

  The largest airline alliances.

  existence of global airline alliances, you can sign up with one airline’s frequent flyer program and validate miles from a variety of airlines, and these flyer programs usually have discounts on excess or checked baggage fees for those in the frequent flyer program.
• Consider shipping your luggage ahead of you. This is an odd choice but actually a huge time saver if you are willing to give it a try. You can ship your luggage 3-5 days ahead of time with carriers such as UPS or FedEx; it costs you about the same -or

  

  All these carriers ship luggage.

  less- than a checked bag, it arrives before you do, and it allows you the flexibility of not having to check in baggage or wait for it at your destination’s airport. 

And that’s it. I’ll remind you that our blog also has several handy travel guides for when travelling alone, with family, or as a volunteer. Check them out!