How do you prefer to fly with your bags? For me personally, I try to avoid checking bags at all costs. First of all, I don't want to pay the extra fees and I'd also hate to reach my destination and realize My Bag was lost! I can usually pack efficiently enough to only need a small suitcase and backpack on most trips anyway. The only thing I hate about carry-on is the limits on liquids and gels.
You must be a very efficient packer. I don't think I could do that packing for a family of 4. My brother has lost his luggage before and so has my sister in law. As a result they both try to pack light and only use a suitcase small enough to carry on. I think if I were to lose a piece of luggage I would reconsider but I'm one of those people that like to overpack. Once we were over the limit on one suitcase so I had to open it and start rearranging items so that the weight was evenly distributed between our 4 pieces of luggage. Luckily I was able to do it so I avoided any extra fees. I do carry all important items like medication, glasses, with me in my oversized purse.
Usually I'm traveling solo or with friends so I just have to worry about packing for myself. I try to be efficient with packing, I'll usually try and do laundry partially through my trip to save on how much clothing I have to pack. Luckily the only time I had to deal with lost luggage was when my brother lost his on the return flight home, so he was just worried about his souvenirs.
When I travel alone I like to have my bags as a carry-on. But since most of the time I travel together with my husband and 3 kids, there is no way we can actually only take carry-ons. There is a lot of convenience in only taking carry-ons. You do not have to worry about having to go through customs or risk losing them. However, in case you have lost bags you can always make a claim through the airline and possibly could get some kind of a refund. I also heard that there is something like a plastic bag that can store a lot of clothes but by using a pump and pushing everything together in a compatible size. Never used it before but I would consider getting one of those because ethey seem to be practical..
When we first traveled, we didn't know anything about baggage allowance. The tickets we bought already included baggage allowance for each of us (my husband and me) going to the destination and coming back. But in the later years, we learned that we can do away with the baggage allowance so the ticket price will be lesser. Now that is our default - no baggage for check in - and in case we buy a lot of items to bring home then we will just pay the baggage cost in the airport when we check in. PS. We are going to Hongkong on June 25 and our tickets are promo tickets with no insurance and no baggage allowance either.
I always keep my important things as a carry on, in fact my carry on is heavier than my checked in at times. I keep all toiletries in the checked in and bulky things likes shoes, but I never pack something that if I lost I would fret about. I just don't take it with me.
I absolutely loath checking my bags. That sounded a bit harsher than I intended, yes, but it really is a bad idea. I went on my first flight alone to London to see my grandparents when I was nine and I had my bags checked. Unfortunately for little me, the airport lost my bags and I didn't get it back until the afternoon I was returning home, a week after my arrival. I think the only good reason for checking a bag is if you genuinely need a lot of stuff in your bag and can't fit it in the overhead bins on the plane. Since then, I almost always carry my bag on the plane and just snag it off when I get off. It is so much easier!
It's usually not a question of what I prefer, but what I have to do. What you can have as carry-on is very limited, it's very rare that you can travel only with the carry-on. The only times I am able to travel only with the carry-on bag is when trips are very short. And those are very rare for me. Usually, if I'm traveling by plane it is a long trip and I need at least 2 checked bags + a carry-on!.
There are some people who go to extremes to save some money. One wore so many clothes that he passed out because he was too hot. But there's no need to take too much luggage with you when traveling when you could save some money by buying what you need when you get to your destination. All you need are basic essentials you don't intend buy but everything else you could buy. Who knows what you buy could even be cheaper where you are going!
