Anyone ever taken a travelcot/playpen abroad?

[BigHotMama]

Going to Portugal for 2 weeks with my nearly 1 month old ds, really want to take his travelcot as I feel its safer as cant crawl out and get up to mishief, also would be ideal for in the day in the shade next to the villa as having visions of him crawling near the pool.
Please tell me I am allowed to take it and its not counted towards my baggage allowance?

TIA

Depends on the airline . Most package airlines would allow it but low cost may charge. btw crawling at almost 1 month ?!

oops should read almost 1 year old. Will check out the airline when I get the tickets come through then, thanks.

I bought a samsonite travel cot which is like a pop up moses basket for my dd when she was 2 months old. It was fine and came with a toy bar to attach. The best thing was it was light and could fit inside hand baggae on the plane.

I sold it via ebay otherwise I would have passed it on. But if you buy a new one, you get almost as much back for it when you sell it on

We have one of those still brand new in box but ds will try to climb and crawl out of it so want something he cant escape from iyswim, may still take that though as its light and useful for daytime naps.

I have taken a travel cot on loads of holidays. It has never counted as baggage you check it in with your suitcases them take it to the part where outsized baggage goes like golf clubs/surfboards. At the other end it comes off with the strollers.

Blimey, I really couldn't be ar$ed to lug it there and back. I bet you can hire them (in laws have hired stuff for BabyDragon in Spain)

I've never taken one, but I don't think you will have any probs. You get a certain amount of allowance for him and the pushchair shouldn't be included in that.
I really wouldn't bother though. My dts slept on mattresses on the floor at that age, and if I needed them sat tight for a bit while gettign ready they were strapped into their pushchairs.

I have taken a travel cot abroad and it has never counted as baggage. Most of the tour companies we have travelled with the past have assured us we could have the use of a cot and we have twice had bad experiences, once we they provided us with a cot that had bars that were too wide apart and IMO were a safety hazzard and another occasion when they could not provide us with a cot at all.

I have and I just checked in with my baggage.

Ok thats great thanks girls.
MKG, your mumsnet name are my initials... bet you wanted to know that!

I always take mine. Even if the hotel does have a crib, it is unlikely that they use safe bedding for it. Every hotel I see uses non-fitted loose sheets in cribs. You get carseat and stroller for free, I think everything else counts.