How to Avoid Additional Baggage Costs When Traveling

Before, the best way to save money in traveling is to have a cheap plane ticket. However, as flight fares become affordable to the masses, airline companies have increased their baggage fees.

It is dreadful for travelers to pay for expensive additional baggage costs. The best way to get away with these expensive fees is to become informed about how you can pack less.

How to Lessen Baggage Costs

Know Airline Policy

The first step is quite simple to do– go through the airline’s baggage policies. Baggage fees from one airline to another varies. They change frequently by date of travel, destination, number of bags, bag weight, and bag size.

Even if you have secured a cheap plane ticket, you can end up paying a lot because of the additional baggage costs. Thus, the best thing you can do is read your airline’s policy before you book a flight. 

Use Carry On Suitcase

When you look for luggage to use for your travel, consider its weight class. If you want to avoid additional baggage costs, you have to consider the weight of your suitcase. There are 22-inch carry-on suitcases that are considered lightweight. You can tell if it under the seven-pound mark.

Whichever suitcase you plan to use, ensure that it is small and has enough pockets or compartments to help you in the long run. Compartments will help you organize your essentials and have more room as possible without exceeding the airline’s requirements.

Be Strategic

If you are traveling with family, you can take advantage of this method. Since you know the policies of the airline and you know how much your luggage weighs by now, maximize the effect of free checked bags. Distribute heavy items to each family member so no bag will exceed the weight limit. By then you will avoid the additional baggage cost and the need to have an extra bag!

Weigh In at Home

How do you know if you did not pack more than the weight limit of your luggage? Weigh-in at home. There’s no other place to do it. If you will weigh your bag at the airport, it will be too late to remove some items if you have packed too much.

Get an electronic hanging scale for a cheap price and weigh-in your luggage. You can leave your home at peace knowing that you do not have to throw some of your packed items at the airport.

Use a Packing List

You are probably used to going through your closet when packing–well, that’s a bad habit in packing. Sometimes you overpack because you do not anticipate your trip. Try your best to pack what you will actually use for the trip, use a packing list to guide you on what to pack. 

If the item is not on the list, then it’s not going inside your suitcase. You have to convince yourself that you do not need to bring several outfits. Prepare outfits that you can wear on casual occasions and make you feel comfortable walking around. Do not bring delicate fabrics.

Do You Need to Pack Toiletries and Laundry Essentials?

To be honest, you can pack none for the toiletries and laundry essentials. It is expected that hotels and accommodations offer basic toiletries for their guests. Instead of packing toiletries and laundry essentials to wash your clothes on travels, buy them at your destination instead.

If you plan to launder your clothes in your hotel room, you can buy pocket-sized laundry essentials. Do not use the free bath soap in your hotel room, it is not good for your clothes. You can also have your dirty laundry washed and folded at laundry shops near your hotel. 

Wear the Bulky Stuff

Most of the bulky stuff you pack are jackets, sweaters, and shoes. If you wear them, they will not be counted as carry-ons. Even if you depart from or land in a warm climate, wear your bulky cold-weather clothes if possible. It will help you save weight and space from your luggage. You can take off your heavy sweater or jacket once you are inside the plane. 

Pack Light Clothes

You do not have to pack a week’s worth of clothes for your travel. Pack clothes that have light fabrics and easy to mix and match. If your destination has a cold-weather, use clothes layering than bringing several jackets. If you cannot tolerate the cold well, bring one pair of a jacket if possible. 

If you are worried about how you can maximize your clothes for several days, you can keep them fresh and clean by doing laundry while on travel. There are several ways you can wash your clothes while on travel– at a laundry shop, in your hotel’s bathroom, or acquire the laundry services of your hotel.

Do Not Bring Bulky Laundry Items. 

If you are new to doing laundry while on travel, it’s a cheap and convenient way than doing your laundry in the hotel room. Worse, bringing a dead weight back home. It is not hard to have your laundry done overseas. Look for a laundry shop near your destination before your travel date. There are several outstanding laundry companies you can find on the Internet, or you can ask some locals if you haven’t found one. You can drop your laundry at the laundromat in the morning and pick it up washed and folded by the afternoon.

Laundry services are the best option for those who are on a budget and do not have the time to handwash their clothes or the luxury to pay for additional baggage costs.

Final Thoughts

You do not have to leave some of the things you want at home just to avoid additional baggage costs. Travel light and enjoy more of the destination. You have to figure out how to pack lightly and apply a few tricks to satisfy your personal comfort level during your travel. Beat the airlines with their hefty baggage fee game!

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