yikes - 2 suitcases!

[heidik]

I'm traveling solo on a 14-day Caribbean - I'm also going down to FLL a couple days early to unwind at a resort before the cruise :). Uh......I'm ending up with 2 suitcases! I know I'm bringing too much stuff, but..........:o. Plus with the airline now charging for checked bags, it'll cost me $45 to check 2 bags as opposed to $90 they charge for 1 overweight bag. Here I go rationalizing.....does anyone else pack 2 suitcases or am I the only one that struggles with the 50lb weight limit for the suitcase....

[cb at sea]

I bring as many as I can....I LOVE options! And yes...it's quite easy to get more than 50 lbs into a bag!

[STARFISH*4]

I'm traveling solo on a 14-day Caribbean - I'm also going down to FLL a couple days early to unwind at a resort before the cruise :). Uh......I'm ending up with 2 suitcases! I know I'm bringing too much stuff, but..........:o. Plus with the airline now charging for checked bags, it'll cost me $45 to check 2 bags as opposed to $90 they charge for 1 overweight bag. Here I go rationalizing.....does anyone else pack 2 suitcases or am I the only one that struggles with the 50lb weight limit for the suitcase....

 

if you can pay it and want to do it...do, who cares how many you pack or how little...go with what you want and feel good about ...i personally pack more than enough and am always HAPPY with what i take:)

i have a 2 week coming up and between hubby and i we might have 3 checked bags...just how we travel and are fine with it...we just factor our baggage price into our tickets.

[hrhdhd]

I don't think that packing is a competition or that carry-on only types are somehow more enlightened than the rest of us. People who can travel for six months with only a change of underwear and some deodorant are welcome to do that. I want to have as much stuff as I might need.

 

I do try some tricks to bring less, such as wearing the same bottoms to dinner and changing only the tops. I also bring an old pair of athletic shoes that I can throw out on the last day and not have to pack.

 

As long as you can handle your luggage, it's your trip.

[soozles]

Just be sure you can handle all your luggage, although your situation is likely a bit different htan mine. I spent 2 months in Paris, and this was when each person got 2 checked bags free. So I checked 2 bags, and let me tell you, it was a huge pain getting all that stuff to my apartment. I was too cheap to pay for a cab, so I took the train with 1 suitcase and a huge duffel to my apartment, which happened to be on the 4th floor of a 5 story walk up. Needless to say, it wasnt' easy. Although if you're going on a cruise, you likely wont be managing your bags yourself anyway.

[heidik]

I learned the hard (painful) way years ago to travel as light as possible when using trains - I threw my back out slinging my bags around traveling from Switz. to Bologna, Italy - spent a week in Bologna hotel room not able to move in excrutiating pain......and I was alot younger then! I'm thinking with a cruise, it's just getting the bags from the airport to the ship - it's going to be a bit tough, but as this is such a special time, I want to have lots of clothes choices so I'm packing the motrin too :o

[Shak]

There is a lot of freedom in packing less as well as cheaper on most airlines. It is much easier to manage your luggage the fewer you have. While most times you can pay someone to take your luggage but there are times you will have to move it yourself and if you have two pieces of luggage, a carry on, and a personal bag that can be a real pain.

 

With the clothes cleaning services on-board makes carrying less much easier. Most people will not notice if you wore the same outfit more then once but if they do who cares.

 

Shak

[Happy ks]

We pack lighter, not because of any charges since we started doing it long before they started charging for luggage.

 

Laundry for a week for the two of us costs around $25, an extra bag is about $35 each way, so there is a bit of savings involved. So, you really have to decide for yourself if you want to pay the extra $70 luggage fee and hassle with 2 suitcases, or pay the $25 laundry fee and travel easier. For some people $50 isn't a deal breaker, for others it's a complete waste.

 

I have no idea how people continue to pack more than 50 lbs. in a suitcase. Fully packed my cases weigh between 38 - 42 lbs. 50 lbs. is more than many people can lift. I can only think they are carrying full sized toiletry bottles instead of travel sized and way too many shoes. My thoughts are that the heavier the bag, the worse treatment it will get from the luggage gorillas.