What do you do with your luggage when flying?

[Dogdaycommeth]

Inspired by another thread...and as its holiday season...

Are you a cabin bags only or prefer everything in hold luggage? Does it change depending on why your flying? (Im hoping the poll posts by the way)

Me personally I am a hold luggage person irrespective of why im flying. I cant stand trying to get through a busy airport with a cabin bag plus a handbag. I travel a lot for work and colleagues get irritated as I always put luggage in the hold.

Or do you take no luggage and wear everything possible at once?

Also the number of times ive used the word luggage in the above has just highlighted to me what a odd word it is.

I do hand luggage only when going to visit DB and SIL in Scotland but that’s mostly because SIL is my size and they have a ton of spare outdoor gear to fit me.

For family holidays we tend to check 2 cases for 3 people. Much prefer that to us all having 10kg cabin bags to wrangle across airport and on and off plane. DS (8) is a liability with a wheely case and he loves the baggage reclaim anyway, he’d be sad if we cut out that bit of the holiday!

One hold, one cabin - cabin bag holds iPad and phone, as well as spare undies and change of clothes and toothbrush and pyjamas, so that if the hold luggage goes on a little holiday of its own (as has happened in the past), I’m not left absolutely high and dry.

I don't understand people who can do more than a couple of days with a rucksack.

I did it once for a cold weather weekend and it was crammed full with one spare outfit, underwear, water bottle, kindle, minimal toiletries, phone and charger. I only really managed it because I had a proper winter coat with many pockets so could get away without a handbag for days and evenings out.

I go for day trips and the same bag is just about full with water bottle, sunscreen, swimsuit and lightweight towel.

How are people getting a week or fortnight's worth of clothes in an underseat bag?

I cant stand trying to get through a busy airport with a cabin bag plus a handbag

Wtf do you have in your handbag so you can't pack it in your underseat bag?

Hate overhead lockers. Hate hold bags.

If I can possibly help it, I avoid both. Even if it means a warm return journey (yes I've done).

With practice and packing cubes.

You'd be amazed how much extra stuff you take and don't wear. If you think about it carefully you can absolutely do a week. A fortnight not so much.

Travelling alone: I travel light but if I need more than an underseat bag, it’s going in the hold. I hate wrangling with overhead bags.

Travelling with dh: two cabin bags which he will take charge of, find space for, retrieve and carry.

Travelling with our teens: cabin bags, underseat, bags in hold. None of my family share my travelling light gene.

Up to now I’ve always done hold. But having done a few holidays by train recently and used a cabin bag plus rucksack for that, I may be up for giving cabin only a go in future for shorter breaks.

It depends where you're going and what you'll be doing, but for a week by the beach I'd wear jeans, trainers, tshirt, light jacket or jumper to travel, and pack;

Denim shorts
Vest tops & tshirts x 5
Running kit x 2
Flip flops or sandals
Dress
Bikini
Underwear
Toiletries
Hairbrush
First aid kit.

The running kit can be worn during the day before it's used for running and is very easy to wash and dry if needed.

The tshirts and vests will be at the nicer end of casual and be worn in the evening with jeans or denim shorts, then during the day.

Everything rolled not folded, comes out less creased and you can fit more in.

It won't suit people who love their outfits, but I love being able to pack and unpack in 15 min and having practically no laundry when I get back.

I used to take just cabin baggage but after having to agree to put it in the hold on the plane steps a couple of times due to overhead locker space being over loaded.i now take hold luggage and a minimal personal item especially on shorter haul flights.

I pack for what I do in the destination.

Package holiday with a bus transfer? 1 hold luggage for two and underseat cabin bags.

Long weekend? Underseat only.

10 days trip using trains and different accomodation every three nights? Max allowed size soft rucksack going overhead, any underseat must fit in it, as we will walk a bit with all things and need to be able to carry it easily enough.

A seven night holiday and we have the biggest suitcase each, plus hand luggage carrying our ‘crap’. We have 22kg each and have to weigh carefully 😂

I always go hold luggage and an under seat handbag. Can't be arsed with minimalist packing and then the scrum to get space in the overhead lockers on the plane.

As I think a pp said, these days by the time you've cleared the passport control queues, the hold luggage is generally all out and waiting on the belt.

I come to the US for 3 weeks so obviously have to have a hold suitcase and a carryon. I recently did three days in Spain with just the personal bag and that was a challenge, but it was what everyone was doing and I didn't want to be the only one with a hold bag.

I would prefer to just throw everything in the hold but I am nervous of bags going missing so always have a carryon with essentials and meds and all that stuff, just in case. But it makes me nervous about having space for it on the plane!

I’m genuinely baffled by people who insist cabin luggage is so much better and huff about people using hold luggage! Can’t be arsed getting minis of all my toiletries/skincare/make up. I also travel with a decent camera and lens that takes up a backpack.

However, we fly BA 90% of the time and have a loyalty status that means we get 2 x 32kg bags per person without paying extra, which seems a ludicrous amount! I’ve never had to wait to drop off or collect my luggage, it’s usually waiting for me and never lost a bag (we airtag them so can see they’ve got on the plane with us). Also a lot of our holidays are hiking/outdoorsy and not always hot so we usually need plenty of layers.

Someone on the other thread has just posted indignantly “Literally what do you need on holiday that you can’t take in hand luggage?”

For a single-hotel/resort holiday with transfers I very much take the approach that it’s nice to bring not just the minimum things that I need, but also a few things I just want. Oh, and nail scissors.

We always have hold luggage. So many people have cabin bags only and hold us up getting off the plane. Our bags are always waiting for us. I personally know it is very dangerous to put luggage in the overhead lockers as I have just about managed to dodge bags hitting me on nearly every flight. If people use the overhead lockers then they should be made to wait until people without bags in the lockers have left the plane.

I have to take cabin if we’re going for 5 days or more as I take 17 tablets a day - my prescription is rather long - plus I carry EpiPens and all my drugs have to be carried in hand luggage

hold luggage depends as my drugs take up a lot of room as they all have to be in original packaging with pharmacy label on so if we’re going for more than 5 days I need a hold bag

were doing 4 days in Rome in October and we’re doing hand luggage only (we have three different ‘budget airline’ compliant bags each as they all vary 😳) as we have the correct size backpacks. We did hand luggage only in Sydney late last year (city break from another part of Australia) and managed fine with our backpacks only but had to buy sunscreen then dump before return flight

I travel a lot via public transport (train) for long weekends to see dd & only take carry backpacks

If for a week or less I just take the free small bag option and take very little.

A weekend I’m ok with a cabin bag , well two as I need one free medical bag but a week I’d take a hold case

Of course depends on where when and how long! A weekend to four days trip I can get away with a cabin bag, but EasyJet/Ryan Air don’t allow a handbag plus cabin bag and dimensions aren’t big so as long as it’s just one type of clothing (so not packing a formal dress for example ). I’m usually travelling with my children though so need a checked in bag, but I also want to have one change of clothes just in case it goes missing so always take a cabin bag. I hate it though with easyJet I can’t seem to book three seats but only one checked in bag unless I’m missing something. What I had to do last time was book two seats then a separate reservation for the third.

If it’s just me and my partner we take hand luggage. If we take the kids we have 2 hold bags.

Depends - short city break - cabin baggage, longer holiday - hold. The last two flights I took were for 4 days in Porto - took cabin baggage and for 8 days in Boston and NYC - took hold baggage.

Our usual longer summer holiday is generally in France and we take the train, so the only restriction is being able to carry it on and off the train and between destinations.

Short haul = 1 cabin bag only
Long haul = 1 cabin bag & 1 hold bag

Our trips vary from a long weekend style city break which need cabin bags only, to a two or three week holiday in the sun which requires a cabin bag and a suitcase in the hold each. We plan for a cabin bag that will hold a laptop plus a second small personal bag. For the longer holidays we usually launder our stuff half way through. If I'm going for a city break 3/4 day stay, a wheeled small suitcase style cabin bag is required. For a weekend a barrel bag is fine.

I travel a lot for work and always check my case into the hold - then I can bring all my toiletries and pack my work clothes/shoes and wear something comfortable. I can then use my work backpack for my laptop, headset, mouse etc and it fits under the seat in the plane so no overhead locker dramas.
Work pay for the checked bag so why not?
I’ve never had to wait more than 5/10 mins for it at the destination airport, also I travel alone so no holding anyone else up.