Darn! My Bag is Too Heavy! – Packing Tips for Airline Travel
On January 27, 2019 by ClairePacking for a trip can be quite arduous and nerve racking, especially when flying. One arrives at the airport counter and to their surprise, finds out that their luggage is over the weight limit! There is a way to avoid this dilemma of paying the penalty, if you use this helpful hint.
When packing for a flight, one thing that I find very useful, which a lot of people still don’t know about, is a travel luggage scale. It a small scale that you hold in your hand and it has a hook or strap attached to it, for lifting your bag. It will tell you the weight of it at any point when you are packing or when you are finished. Then you can remove items if it is over the weight limit, or add more items! (Which I tend to do!) But this small investment (about $10.00) can save you from paying a lot in over weight baggage fees.
If your bag is over the weight limit, you can also shuffle items between your checked luggage and carry-on bag to meet the limits. I pack the small but heavier items in my inflight, and put the bulky, lighter items in my checked bag. I also find that using the mesh packing cubes, or travel cubes, help to keep me more organized with packing. You may use just a few or many in your suitcase. Overall, this is an efficient way to pack all the items you want to take on your trip. Of course, there will be times when you’ll either have to reduce what you pack, or decide if you want to check another bag!
It’s best to do this at home, otherwise you might find yourself at the airport counter having to spread your personal items on the floor while you shuffle things around. It tends to be rather embarrassing and others may be waiting behind you, all the while possibly having to look at your underwear and other things! I personally don’t care to watch that!!
Keep in mind when packing at home, that you might want to leave some space and weight available in your bag. This is in case you plan on buying things on your trip and bringing them home in your luggage.
Also be sure that you take your small luggage scale with you on your travels, so that you can weigh your bag when packing to return home. The luggage scales and packing cubes can be easily found in online and in many stores.
Listed below are some links for items which you might be need and be interested in for your next trip. For an even more specific search, where you are looking for an exact item name and brand, type it into the search box of the page that appears when the link is clicked on, and it will then come up immediately.
Happy Travels!
For a FREE general packing list, click here.
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Packing Cubes for Travel on Amazon
Other Travel Gear and Accessories on Amazon
On a trip to Australia, we carried maximum-dimension suitcases filled with clothes we didn’t want anymore. Over three weeks without having to wash clothes. We gave them away or threw them away as we wore them. Plenty of room left for things we acquired and plenty of room in the closets when we returned.
Great tip!