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Packing Light to Avoid Lost Checked Baggage and New Fees

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

With many airlines enacting new baggage restrictions this summer and baggage handling becoming one of the major areas of customer complaints at airports nationwide, it’s time for the average traveler to start considering their luggage a little bit more. Even if you find cheap airline tickets, the new surcharge could effect you. American Airlines recently announced that every bag that is checked on their flights will now be subject to a small fee, and many other airlines are expected to follow up by doing the same thing on their flights. This is in large part a response from the airlines to rising fuel prices and other costs that are hurting profits. So how can you find ways to beat this extra cost? A few simple tips can help you conserve space and save money on these annoying surcharges.

Lost Checked Baggage

One of the best ways travel experts advise is to pick the right carry on bag. Making an investment in one good piece of luggage that conforms to carry on size bag standards but also leaves enough room to compartmentalize and fit everything you’d need is the best way to beat the charge, since carry on bags don’t cost a dime on flights. Typically a business traveler who needs their clothes to be in good condition is going to want to buy a standard rectangular suitcase with wheels. But if you’re going on a recreational trip, taking a soft dufflebag can be a better way to fit more stuff in a carry on bag. Also, rolling clothes into tight tubes instead of folding them can be an excellent way for many travelers to conserve space.

And instead of buying complex bags with lots of compartments, experts suggest getting a simple style piece of luggage and compartmentalizing yourself using plastic bags. Extra compartments, flaps and zippers actually only end up taking up more space, and also add extra weight. Going simply means maximizing your space for vacation airline travel.

Packing the right clothes is also key. For example, packing a different outfit for every day is a terrible idea, because it’s going to mean that for a week long trip, you’ll have seven pairs of each type of necessary clothing. Instead, bring neutral, blendable colors that you can mix and match to make many different outfits out of several pieces of clothing. Rely on standard favorites, such as black pants or khakis, because they tend to be staples of outfits people don’t notice. Also, try to avoid bringing too many toiletries and instead buy trial sizes once you get to you destination. Conserve space, and you’ll conserve money!