Life without baggage…

So you want to plan a quick weekend getaway for a change of scenery. Not having a lot of time or money you want to get the most bang for your buck. Years ago your biggest dilemma would have been to find the cheapest airline ticket on multiple travel search engines. But today airlines have taken an a la carte approach to what is included in your flight price and this can make what appears to be a steal for an airline ticket, actually a rip off. With an increase in baggage fees and lack of in-flight meals, it seems as though very little is included in an airline ticket outside of taxes.

When Spirit Airlines decided recently to add a charge for carry-on baggage they claimed that it was to give passengers a better value for their flight and to cut down on time at the gates. They also said charging only for what services a passenger uses will in the end save them money over other airlines base fares. Is it true?

I did a quick comparison of three airlines for a 2 night getaway from LaGuardia airport in New York over the Memorial Day weekend. I looked for flights that left on the morning of May 28th and returned May 30rd in the late afternoon or evening. I used the price selection option on the airline websites so that I could choose the least expensive option and not get any additional fees. For this length of trip, I would probably carry-on my bag but I also looked at the cost if I checked my bag. In the past, carrying my bag on would allow me to avoid the fee that most of the airlines are now charging for checked bags and assure my bags would be with me when I arrived. The airlines of choice for this little experiment*: Read more

What Do You Carry In Your Carry-On?

I don’t know about you, but I have definitely been stuck without luggage in a few places. I remember one family vacation we went on where we ended up without luggage for nearly a week. It finally arrived the last day of our trip! There’s nothing worse than not having a toothbrush, deodorant, clean undies, or your special face-wash.  Well actually, not having it and having to buy it all over again is much worse. If you just can’t get it all in one bag and you do have to check-in your luggage, make sure your carry-on is carrying what you need. These days, if I’m checking my luggage, I pack 2 carry-ons.

Read more