Travel baggage has always been a challenge for some of our fellow travelers. It became more challenging when you have to personally pack for your family.
Whether we like it or not, especially when you are going to have a long travel time with your family, you need to pack your travel bag wisely.
One of all traveler’s cost of travel is baggage allowance. Let’s face it, it’s not cheap to purchase your bag allowance. Sometimes, we were able to book promo fares but later, we realized that we have to add bag allowances.
But it’s okay. It’s really part of the travel cost.
However, can you imagine how much additional cost you will incur if you are traveling with your family?
Nonetheless, you can still opt to hand carry your bags for a maximum weight of 7 kilograms per person. But make sure to check with your airlines inclusion on this.
But here are some of travel scenarios and maybe you have experienced this as well:
- You have already paid for your baggage allowance but when you reached your destination, you were not able to carry extra pants. You have brought all your shorts with you.
- You have forgotten to bring your own slippers. Turned out, you still have to buy after.
- You have already packed your things inside your luggage but when you reached the check-in counter, you have exceeded 5 kilograms on the allowed weight.
- Because you know that extra baggage entails extra cost, here you are… opening your luggage in from of the line, while other people are looking, taking away any items that you might hand carry just not to pay that extra cost.
As much as possible, we would like to avoid this kind of stress when we travel.
Forgotten items and over baggage is the last thing you would like to experience during your travel. You would rather spend more fun and less stressful time with your family that dealing with these scenarios.
So, as the person-in-charge during travel, what can you do to avoid these mishaps?
1. Know what your airline's inclusions are
Airlines have different policies and inclusions regarding baggage allowance. It is very important that you know these. There are airlines, especially those full-service carriers, have already baggage allowance included except for tickets issued on a promo.
For budget airlines, usually, baggage allowance is not yet included. So if you have check-in baggage, you have to put add-on to your package.
The price of the baggage allowance depends on the type of airline and seat class.
2. Check the weather forecast of your destination prior to packing
I knew someone who thought that it was winter at Melbourne on December. Without checking the weather forecast, he brought a lot of winter clothes, for her daily outfits – OOTD which occupied his luggage mostly.
When he arrived there, it’s scorching hot!
Do not guess what is the weather on your destination. It doesn’t mean that when it’s cold in the Philippines, other places will also follow.
Check out the weather timely on your destination by using Accuweather on your mobile app or web browser.
3. Weigh your luggage prior to heading to the airport
Weighing your luggage prior to your flight is one of the crucial part in avoiding baggage overweight. Make sure you do this before heading to the airport. This will also avoid stress like what I have mentioned on my previous discussion.
It is also important that you remember the weight of your luggage during the check-in. Why? Just in case you wanted to buy something back home, you will have an idea how much more your baggage allowance can cover on your return flight.
Without doing this, you will have a stressful scene again at the airport. As much as possible, monitor the weight of your luggage and plan your shopping spree.
4. Ready yourself with travel packing list
Most travelers pack their things based on instinct or “feeling”.
“I feel that I will use this.”
“I feel that I need this.”
“I feel that this shoes will match my outfit.”
Some of us has our own lists but we manually list them based on our memory. But, let’s face it. Since they are based on memory, there are still times when we forget something.
It will be a great help if we have our own travel packing list. This will guide us on what to pack during our travel. Also, it will be less stress and hassle to memorize everything over and over again.
If you do not have packing list yet, I have created one that will surely help you. Let me know by posting your comment below.
5. Read blogs, books, or travel guides
It’s still important that you always have a travel plan. At the start of your travel until you get back from your travel, you should have a plan to relieve yourself from the hassle.
Read blogs, like this. There are a lot of available resources out there. What is important is that you are fully equipped when you travel. Remember, you are bringing your family with you. You wanted to have fun with them, not to spend your vacation in stress.
My Takeaways
Additional baggage allowance entails cost and can be expensive for some. That is why we have to be PRUDENT about it. If you know how to avoid forgetting or over carrying your baggage before your travel, do it right the way the first time.
There is no perfect travel, but horror travel stories can be avoided if you plan properly. You definitely do not want these things to happen specially when you are traveling with your family.
Hassle-free family budget tracking?
