Assuming you’re not traveling alone, spread your items among several suitcases.
Rather than put the kids’ stuff all in one suitcase, parents’ in another, general items in yet another, etc., pack each suitcase with at least one outfit for every member of your family.
That way, if any of your luggage is lost, you all still have some essentials, which can hopefully tide you over until the missing bags are located.
I always toss a couple plastic zipper bags in my suitcase and carry-on.
They come in handy for everything — from wet bathing suits after a hotel swim, to a dirty diaper on the airplane. They also keep souvenirs dry and unscratched, and come in handy for muddy shoes or liquid gifts (like maple syrup or olive oil) that might otherwise ruin clothing in a suitcase if the glass breaks.
Don’t be sad if you can’t find a zippered bag: any plastic bag will work. In fact, larger bags are great for containing muddy shoes, or can be used as an impromptu “day bag” in a pinch.
When coming home from a tropical destination, a jungle, or a developing nation, never bring your suitcase home immediately. Instead, take it to a laundromat and wash all your clothing — and the bag — in HOT, HOT water. Some places will even steam your bag for you.
Do this and you might avoid the horror that my sister encountered upon her return from a tropical country: upon pulling her favorite jeans out of her suitcase, she discovered a native spider had taken residence inside her bag … and given birth!
I’ve traveled with my cats a few times while making some cross country moves. I hated cramming them into squat cages to fit them under my airplane seat and I really hated having to pay a few hundred dollars for their own “tickets” plus the vet checks and paperwork that certified them as healthy enough to fly. But never would I have considered trying to smuggle them on a flight inside my luggage. Yet that’s exactly what a man traveling from Madrid to Dublin did with a small Chihuahua dog.
Somehow the man was able to get the dog, which was in a cage inside his luggage, through security in Madrid. When he got off the plane in Dublin after a 2.5 hour flight, customs officials noticed a strange outline as they X-rayed his bag. They thought it was a stuffed animal until they opened the bag and found the live dog.
The man, who is originally from Bulgaria, has been arrested. The dog was reportedly in fine condition and is being held in quarantine after which, I hope he will be placed in the care of someone with a little more common sense.
[via Telegraph]
Airline baggage fees just keep going up, and there seems to be no end in sight. With few airlines left that don’t charge for checked bags, travelers who can’t manage to get everything they need into a carry-on bag could end up paying some hefty fees. One Canadian company has come up with a plan to help.
Zero Baggage promises to provide travelers with an “environmentally responsible, anxiety-free way of living and traveling”. How? By renting clothing. Travelers select the clothes they need to rent (either pre-worn or, for more money, brand new), Zero Baggage delivers them upon arrival, and the items are returned when no longer needed. Travelers have access to a wider variety of clothes, at less cost, and without having to pack a larger bag and pay checked-luggage fees.
Or at least, that’s the plan. The company says it will begin offering service in early 2010 in Toronto, Canada and Gold Coast, Australia.
As someone who has, over time, learned to get by with less and now rarely takes more than one carry-on for a trip of 2 weeks, I don’t think I would use the service. And even in an emergency (a fashion emergency), I’d probably just run out and buy something new. But it is an intriguing idea. What do you think?
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