Check Your Bags–or Carry On?

Got baggage?

So my fellow solo travelers, how about a little discussion about the pros and cons of checking one’s luggage for a flight?  There are certainly arguments for each point of view. Personally, I always check my suitcase.   Why?  First of all, I can’t seem to pack lightly enough to get everything I want to bring with me into a carry-on size suitcase. (Sad, isn’t it?)  The second reason is that almost all of my flights by necessity are connecting flights.  I have had to run to make those connections more times than I care to remember.  It’s hard enough running with my knapsack on my back, imagine how difficult it would be toting a 50 lb. suitcase behind me.

Even when I have plenty of time to catch my connecting flight, I usually need to use the bathroom at the airport.  If I had my suitcase with me, I’d have to jam it into the stall with me.  (Remember, I’m traveling alone; there’s no one to watch it for me while I dash to the restroom.)  And if I wanted to grab a bite to eat, I’d have to drag it to the restaurant with me.   It quickly becomes cumbersome.

I could see the expediency of carrying a suitcase onto the plane if I were a lighter packer than I am, and I had a direct flight. No sidetrip to baggage claim could definitely save some time at my destination airport.  And if the airline had ever lost my luggage permanently or even for a few days, there might be enough mistrust on my part to want to keep my things close to me at all times.

But in all my travels, I have only had the airlines misplace my luggage twice.  Once, they had someone drive 2 hours to where I was staying to deliver it within just a few hours of when I landed.  The other time was coming home, which wasn’t a big deal, and I got it within an hour of landing.  According to TSA statistics, the odds of luggage being lost is very, very small.  So why do people act as though it’s the reverse?

It’s hard to overcome the trust issues, though, of leaving your precious cargo in the hands of strangers.  Baggage handlers do not exactly handle our luggage delicately, and we’ve probably all experienced or heard stories of personal items pilfered from checked luggage. I get around this by not packing anything valuable (or breakable) in my checked suitcase.  Anything I pack in checked luggage I can either replace or live without.  My valuables stay on my person.  I carry a change of clothes in a knapsack that goes on the plane with me and gets stowed under the seat in front of me.  Problem solved.

Then there’s the overhead bin space in cabins.  Overhead bins really do not have enough space to allow every customer to carry on suitcases of the maximum allowable size, and yet so many do.  The amount of time lost during the boarding process due to people trying to rearrange the contents of those bins to cram in their own luggage (and blocking the aisles while doing so) is ridiculous.  Is there any wonder planes have to board half an hour before the scheduled departure time?

This past year, as airlines have create baggage check fees for second bags (and sometimes first!), the number of people carrying their bags onboard has increased, for obvious reasons.  I don’t blame people for wanting to avoid those fees.  And it’s definitely something I take into consideration as I’m pricing flights for my trips.  I’d choose to fly an airline that doesn’t charge for 1st checked bag if at all possible, that’s for sure.  Ultimately, though, I just think it’s easier and less of a hassle to check my luggage.  Let someone else worry about it until I land, while I relax and try to enjoy my travel experience.  But maybe there’s something I’m not thinking of–are there reasons other than the ones above for carrying luggage onboard with you?