EasyJet ... weight of suitcases etc.

[Snowstorm]

Do you know it's been about 7 years since we've had a summer holiday abroad and so now I'm packing for the 4 of us (now that it's not just the 2 of us) for 1 week self-catering in Mallorca, and I think that I deserve a really good pat on the back for getting all our stuff into our 4 hold bags (am usually a 'lets take the kitchen sink just in case' kind of girl!

The only thing is that this is the first time that I've flown with EasyJet and I've read that each case has a maximum limit of 20kg. This is the first time that I've had to weigh my luggage and I was astonished to see that even when I've made a big effort to keep the weight of the cases down, the DD's cases are spot on 20kg each and mine is 24 kg ... is it just me or is 20kg a bit on the mean side?

And how on earth do people end up packing food etc. in their bags for self-catering apartments with just a 20kg allowance??!!!!!

Stress .............

It's more generous than Ryanair, who allow 15kg, with a £15 charge per kilo for excess (Easyjet's is £9 per kg over the 20kg). But yes, still crap.

Don't bother with food etc - you'll get everything you need in Mallorca. And at Superdrug etc you can get tiny plastic bottles to decant shampoo, conditioner etc into. Are you sure you haven't overdone the clothes/toys?

Wow - 15kg - one of our wheelie suitcases is around 8-10kg ... have had to swap that one for a roll bag!

Undoubtedly have packed a bit of excess with regards to clothes compared to most but for my track record I've done really, really well!! We are going to a new build self-catering apartment and so there'll be nothing for the DD's, and so I've allowed them a few things but it looks relatively modest to me. Have decanted shower gel into Superdrug stuff. We are all book worms but have limited us all for the week in order to try and keep the weight down. Think also that the suntan lotions/mosquito repellents/beach towels all add up.

DH is muttering about staying in the UK next year as he can't take the stress of my packing/weighing. I think we might go abroad (depending on finances/circumstances etc. etc.) but I'm going to chose somewhere that doesn't involve flights with such tight luggage allowances as it's quite stressful and not a nice way to start a much longed for holiday.

They'll just send you over to the excess baggage area to make a quick £60!

Good thing with easyjet is that there is no weight limit on your cabin baggage, only a size limit - as long as you can lift it into an overhead locker without toppling over, it's fine! Any liquids of less than 100ml can go in your cabin baggage & liquids are heavy - also books.

Wear your heaviest shoes & as many clothes as you can stand.

Have you weighed all your luggage empty? Many cases weigh 5 kg or more...worth investing in lightweight luggage for all 4 of you.

Don't take beach towels, buy them there, it's cheaper than excess baggage.

(Buy backpacks that are within easyjet's size limits for all of you, & leave room in each for a much smaller daily bag, as officially you can only have ONE cabin bag - that includes a handbag.)

We've just flown Ryanair and Monarch to and from Spain and managed to get a family of 5 there and back with four cases. If you check the allowance for the cabin bagage it's normally about 10kg which unless you are packing bricks is almost impossible to fit in to the size of bag they allow. So like Ponders says get 4 bags that are up to the max size allowed for hand luggage and pack them full. As long as there are not bottles (like suncream) in them you can take them on to the plane. Our hand luggage was full of books, towels etc! The other thing I found was our two hard suitcases were obviously heavier to start with and I wish I'd bought some lightweight ones.

Here you go - weight 1.7kg, capacity 83 litres, £8.79. Probably not the most robust in the world but could save you quite a bit!

Or this one - no wheels though - weight 1.2kg, capacity 124 litres, £15.99

Does your accom have any laundry facilities? You don't need loads of clothes anyway in Spain in August but if you can wash stuff you'll need even less. The kids can wear crocs all the time whatever the weather (& so can you if you don't mind dressing down ). If it happens to rain it'll still be warm, so you don't need coats, only brollies, or else very very light waterproofs.

We used easyjet, and they allow 2 items extra for children. We had a travel cot and a pushchair. May not be relevant, but just thought I'd mention it. Enjoy!

And we've done ryanair with 2 LOs, one 4mnths old, it was a nightmare making sure we were below 15KGs

If you are flying from a major airport there is usually a branch of Boots after you have cleared check in.Go through check in then purchase things such as shower gel,mouthwash etc the prices are the same as on the high street. It saves us a couple of kilos each time we fly, plus the Meal Deals are much better value than the inflight snacks