Cabin bags or hold for 6 nights?

[Silverpossum]

Will shortly be booking flights and am torn between taking two cabin bags, or a hold suitcase. In the past I've taken cabin bags only for 7 and 10 nights and it has been a squeeze, as well as a bit of a faff carting everything about in the airports. A hold case is an attractive option but will cost more and unsure if a bit of an extravagance for less than a week. Attending a wedding so will need naice shoes, bag etc. Thoughts appreciated as I'm at an impasse with myself!

Depends on the size of cabin bag since some airlines it is tiny. And what make up, toiletries etc you need

Why not pack the stuff you need and see how it fits?

A very sensible suggestion thanks! I must say when I've done that before I usually find I need to add another 10 essential items the night before the flights!!

For the sake of an extra £20 if you are flying with EasyJet I definitely would go for it!
Just back from 6 day holiday and the faff of taking hand luggage was bloody awful..admittedly with a toddler and buggy to factor in .
Three adults negotiating our luggage through security,passport control resulted in my son loosing his passport and having to stay in Majorca..bloody stressful and £600 later he got home 2 days later ! Absolutely not worth the stress and hassle 🤦‍♀️

I’ve had same dilemma when booking for a four night trip! We’ve always had good luggage ( never been with the kids before!) I missed out on cheap flights because couldn’t decide wether to take it or not, in the end we decided we need hold luggage as will defo be buying stuff to bring home and I can’t imagine what to do with all the stuff that you can’t carry in hand luggage, toiletries etc ….

That was supposed to say never been without the kids before!

check if the airport you're going to has been having issues with baggage handling. Post-covid staffing has meant some airports have been nightmares the past few months for this. I'd make my decision based on that.

I wouldn’t risk hold bag for a wedding outfit.

id take cabin bag and at least you don’t have to wait for luggage at the other end, you walk straight out of airpirt

Have recently returned from a weeks mini break in Europe. I would take a suitcase to put in the hold also because the overhead bins fill up quickly with smaller bags. Smaller bags are ok for three or four days worth of clothing, longer is really pushing it.

Did not wait overtly long for bag to arrive on baggage belt in U.K.

Paying £20 for putting luggage in the hold is not an extravagance if you are going for a week, it will be money well spent.

Whilst I would normally say just pay the extra and take what you want I think you need to check out the baggage situations at departure and arrival airport.

There's been lot of luggage not arriving this summer and staff shortages at airports been a big problem. I took hand luggage for a 7 night holiday for 1st time ever last month. Not sure I would risk lost luggage when going to a wedding

A friend of mine flew Friday for a Saturday wedding, checked her bag and it didn’t make the flight! The only saving grace was that the wedding was in London so it was possible although expensive to buy new stuff, I think she’s hoping to get some of it back but it won’t be the full cost. So carry on at least the wedding clothes would be my advice!

Thanks all, lots of helpful advice! Wedding is in a major city so if need be I could always replace a missing outfit.

I think for nearly a week it would be hold for a suitcase. If there are two of you you could just check in one case and then have a medium cabin bag each.

Depends on the airline. BA allow 23kg in the cabin but on other airlines (e.g. Iberia, TAP) it’s only 10kg. There’s no way I could last 6 nights with only 10kg of luggage! Personally, I would take both - I’d make sure my wedding outfit went in the cabin with me (plus at least one other change of clothes) and then check in the rest.

I never take a suitcase. Only ever carry on. Even if I do a couple of weeks

It depends if you’re going somewhere hot or not. I could fit enough in a cabin case if I’d mostly be wearing sun dresses and flip flops but not if going somewhere cold.

The answer is personal to you. What do you need with you?

How many electrical for your hair, how much make up and toiletries?

I travel with two children to Spain for the six weeks holiday every year, with only cabin baggage each, but I’m happy to go to the local supermarket for toiletries, don't need to style my hair ( hairdresser trip if I did) and can handwash items whilst there.

I plan a very neutral wardrobe so that everything matches.

I hate packing and more so unpacking. I hate making the effort, to find I bring back, with a large case, more clothes unworn than worn. Hardly any need to unpack at all with a cabin bag...🤣

But - what suits me, might not suit you.

Agree it depends on the airline. With Jet2 (and possibly BA and other flag carriers) you can take a large wheelie case and a rucksack/large handbag on as carry on within the base price and it will probably be fine, although you might struggle with liquid limits - you can buy at the airport after security, but you won't be able to bring back anything above 100 ml.

With Easyjet, Ryanair and possibly others, you only get the smaller cabin bag as standard, and you have to pay extra to take a wheelie case in the cabin, so in this case, especially if there's more than one of you travelling, one hold case for the whole party, plus your small carry on bags is probably the easiest and most cost effective solution, although you do risk hold bag delays, but I think that's not so bad now it's not peak season.

What’s the weather like where you’re going? Are you going to need jumpers and coats or just light summery stuff?

This is all a revelation to me. I take hold if I am going for more than 1-2 nights.

No wonder the overhead bins are always so rammed with stuff. Makes you wonder if airlines wouldn't do better to use the storage space and reallocate it per seat, giving everyone chance to keep all their luggae with them and have a bit of distance from neighbours. Like a two storey approach?

We've flown with easyJet and Ryanair a few times this year and have ditched the cabin bags. It was cheaper to have one hold bag between us than a cabin bag each so we picked that and it was so much easier.

If cabin baggage was included, we'd have probably stuck with that but definitely happy to have the weight and liquids a hold bag allows. Baggage reclaim waits were short and security was so much easier with just a rucksack each

I'd always do a hold bag for 6 nights, can't be doing with all the faff with liquids.

If it’s Easyjet the basic cabin baggage allowance is tiny but you can pay extra for a decent size bag (less than a gold bag)- I’d def do that.

however the whole situation is unsustainable IMO. On short haul cheap flights there is always…ALWAYS a complete bunfight for space in the lockers.

Wedding outfit in your hand luggage; checked-in bag for everything else.

I would pay for the extra cabin bag. Personally I've gone with just the single small bag allowance (cheapskate here )

Choose your wedding outfit wisely and possibly wear any jacket to reduce luggage