Checked vs. Carry-On Luggage

There are lots of articles and debates over whether to check your bags or carry them onto the plane. Quite honestly, this is going to be a matter of personal preference and the type of travelling you are doing. I personally, only check a bag if I am going to be in the same location for a lengthy period of time.

I will go over the benefits of both checked vs carry-on luggage and some tips to help you decide which is the best for your situation.

---

The benefits of checking your bag:

You don’t have to carry your bag

It simply meets you at your destination and that is that. There is no need to carry your bag around the airport, it becomes someone else’s problem.

You are not limited by space

You can pack what you want. Not saying that it’s necessary to pack your entire life… but you can if you want. With extra room, you can buy things along the way and not have to worry about making it fit.

There is limited space in the overhead compartments and by checking your main bag, you can limit the size of the carry-on’s you do bring. There is no need to worry that your carry-on won’t fit, and you’ll be forced to check it last minute. Delaying the flight and making you VERY unpopular with the rest of passengers (I’ve seen it happen).

It’s Stress Free

You don’t have to worry that the airline will deem your carry-on too big or heavy and force you to check it in anyways. You also don’t have to worry about your tetris skills when trying to find a place to fit your bag in the overhead compartment.

---

The benefits of carry-on’s

The Airline Won’t Lose or Mishandle Your Bag

The airline can’t lose or mishandle your bags if they don’t have them. While quite rare, the risk is still there. This is especially true if you have a layover where your bags need to change airplanes.

The luggage could be thrown, get damaged during transport or while on the baggage carousel.

It Saves You Time

When you don’t need to claim your luggage, you can simply disembark the plane and be on your way to your accommodations.

AND, because you are taking your luggage with you, you can check into the airline 24 hours before departure, print your boarding pass at the kiosk and then head straight to security. What did we do in the days before online check-in?!

It Saves You Money

Most airlines have a checked baggage fee. I have seen it range anywhere from $20 to $50 and if your bag is overweight, they can charge you an additional fee. I weighed my luggage out of curiosity and discovered that my bag is 35lbs EMPTY! This is a completely optional fee if you are willing to do carry-on only.

It Forces You to Pack Light

When you’re limited by the airline imposed carry-on limit, you are naturally going to pack lighter. It’s amazing the things we pack that we don’t actually need. Get creative and challenge yourself to pack light, I promise it’s worth it.

---

Before you decide what makes sense for you; ask yourself the following questions:

What is the purpose of my trip?

Some things to think about are items you may need to bring with you. For example, if you are on a work trip; are you required to bring specific equipment that takes up more room?

Are you just going to explore a new city, so much of your bag is going to be clothes and toiletries? If so, then it would probably be easy to pair down what you bring.

This is something to consider, but it should not be the only consideration.

Will I have access to a washing machine?

When we travel, we almost exclusively stay in AirBNB’s with access to a washing machine and dryer. This allows us to travel with even less because we can wash our clothes every couple of days. We plan our trips so we have access to laundry every couple of days.

Will I be using any other modes of transportation during my trip?

Are you going to be travelling via trains and buses to different destinations? Train’s really are an efficient mode of transportation. A carry-on forces you to pair down what you are packing so it makes choosing different modes of transportation easy. Especially considering the lack of storage space on European trains AND the fact that the storage is OVER YOUR HEAD!

What is the duration of my trip?

This is one of the bigger considerations to drive your decision to check or carry-on your bags. I have successfully travelled for 3 weeks with only a backpack. I have also spent 5 weeks in a single location and decided to bring actual luggage which was too big to carry-on. Either way would work for both longer and shorter trips.

Will I be staying in the same location for an extended period of time?

If you are staying in the same location for an extended period, as in working or living in that destination, then it may be worth it to bring more items with you. In that case, an argument can be made that check luggage is the way to go. I personally don’t need much stuff and if I have access to a washing machine then I can make do with fewer articles of clothing.

---

The decision to check or carry-on your luggage is going to depend highly on personal preference. This article should help you decide which is best for you. I think it’s obvious which type of traveler I am and speaking from experience, travelling with less is just easier.