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You know us, we live the carry-on only mode when we travel, or at least that’s our preference. However, for a few different reasons, which we discuss below, that doesn’t always happen. On the rare occasion we check a bag, it’s important to move things around to make sure certain things stay in our carry-on/personal item and are not checked. We should also note that we don’t typically check bags on the way TO somewhere. Instead, this typically happens at the end of a trip when we’re packing to come home. Then we’re less reliant on what is in those bags since we’re headed home.
Scenario 1: Souvenir shopping
A trick we’ve learned over the years is to bring a third, lightweight bag that can fit inside one of your other bags when you’re packing at the beginning of your trip. For example, we like our ultralight, packable duffel bag from LL Bean. This packs down into one of its own pockets, which makes it easy to pack in a different bag (even a backpack) on the way out. If you’re anything like us, we tend to pick up things along our journey, and sometimes (usually) we don’t pack well on the way home. When that happens, we use the duffle bag for our lightest items since we have to carry it through the airport. The heavier things go into what was our carry-on bag to be checked all the way home.
Scenario 2: The Duty-Free paradise
If you are familiar with the Duty-Free Scotch selection like Jason, this way of packing can be particularly helpful. In this instance, if he’s planning to purchase alcohol duty-free, we keep as little as possible in our carry-on bags, leaving room for the alcohol to be taken onto the first plane. Trouble is, after we land back in the US, TSA will make us put the alcohol in a checked bag because it’s more than the allowable 3.4 ounces currently allowed in carry-on bags. To do this as safely as possible, we transfer the goods into our hard-shell rolling bag. Usually this is one of our carry-ons, but even if it was checked on your route home, you’ll still have to collect it in US customs and re-check it for the rest of your domestic itinerary. We’ll also take this opportunity to shift the lightest things to our backpack and the duffle. Remember: it’s all about staying light and efficient so you glide through the airport. Fun fact: if you purchase alcohol in the Duty-Free shop and have to check it when you get back to the US, most airlines won’t charge you to check the bag from your point-of-entry in the US.
What’s the point?
Why does all this matter? It’s all going to the same place, eventually, right? Well, hopefully. Once a checked bag leaves your hands it’s never 100% certain you’ll get it back again (been there, done that). Case in point: there were more than 2 million bags lost in 2021 (in the middle of a pandemic). That sounds like a big number – and it is – but it was only .5% of all the bags handled by airlines that year (nice job, airlines!). So, the odds are you’ll see your bags again. Still, a quick Google search tells me that percentage is growing as travel increases again, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. I for one kind of like my stuff and don’t want to have to buy it again.
Our suggestions
Things we DO check
- Clothes (unless the clothes aren’t easily replaced…like a wedding dress)
- Shoes
- Toiletries
- Some souvenirs, if they’re not breakable
Things we DON’T check:
- Sentimental Items
- Jewelry
- Money
- Electronics
- Cameras
- Medications
- Glasses/Contacts
- Lithium Batteries
- Passport & Other Travel Documents
Here is a complete list of things that are and are not allowed in each type of baggage from TSA. Some of them are pretty wild. Even on page one, it says antlers are allowed both checked and as a carry-on. You do you boo.
One other point to keep in mind is your checked bag might not actually cost you anything. For example, we get one free checked bag per passenger with our United Plus Infinite Card. We still value our flexibility and certainty on the way to our next adventure, and so we almost always use carry-on bags even though a checked is free. But, if we find ourselves in any of the above-mentioned scenarios on the way home, having a card that pays for your checked bags can make things a little less painful for your wallet.
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Happy traveling!
