Should I use carry on instead of checked in luggage? - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

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Should I use carry on instead of checked in luggage?
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Posted by: royalpalace774

Hi guys,
As you know I am off again to Ukraine in 9 days. I am thinking of getting a smaller bag to bring on the plane with me instead of the usual suitcase that gets checked in and possibly gets lost and doesn't arrive when you do.

I was in the mall today and I asked a salesmen what the dimensions were for international flights to store in the overheads. HE said 21 inches. Is he correct?

And also, what do you think about taking a carry on instead of checking in a suitcase that is bigger?

If I take a carry on my only problem might be fitting the jewelry box that I got for her mom. I think it will take up alot of room.

Posted by: Pin Boy

it's up to how much clothes you like to take when you travel. for me it's not so much clothes, but shoes that are the space killer. personally, i could never make do with just a carry on.

pb

Posted by: Ade

Hi,

It really is down to how much space you need, but I wouldn't work on the possibility that a suitcase may get lost. On that basis you'd need to walk to Ukraine because, you know, your flight may crash.

Like PB says, shoes take up a lot of space.....

Adeski

Posted by: Pin Boy

check the airlines website for the carry on limitations

Posted by: Spakoyna

LMAOROTF! 99% of the time I where the same shoes. Here anyways! I wear better quality black tennis style shoes. They are quite comfortable and even pass the restaurants that require dress shoes. The problem with the FSU in the winter is they are not warm enough. I wear well insulated hiking boots when I go there. I did bring nice dress shoes... I wore them a total of 2 times in 4+1/2 months of living in Russia!

Sounds like you are close to being able to bring what you need in a carryon. Bring Both! That's what I do. Pack as much of the stuff you need as you can get in the carryon. The lower priority stuff pack in your checked baggage. No way to loose that way if your checked baggage disappears! Try ta be in the earlier group of borders or they might try to make you check your carryon into regular baggage. Crowded flights nowadays are always fighting for carryon space.

Best of luck on your trip...maybe ya have a keeper this time!

Posted by: BluesTraveler

United Airlines is pretty standard in these regards:

Carry-on bag dimensions should not be more than 9" x 14" x 22" (length + width + height) or 45 linear inches (the length, height and width added together).

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1032,00.html

You can always have 2 carry on bags. Standard carry on bag -- and a laptop bag. no one ever says that you have to have a laptop in your laptop bag. You can also get those space bag things. They make ones for traveling, where you can roll it up and it squeezes out all the air. Saves some space, but you will then need to iron all your clothes when you take it out of the bag. But the space bags work really well for putting blue jeans in. Since you don't need to iron blue jeans.

Posted by: GentleGiant

The airlines all have slightly different size regulations, also, check to see if a laptop counts as hand luggage, I managed to take gifts etc in with the laptop as well as a back pack and a potted plant :-).
There is a weight limit for hand luggage, so check that as well, for Lufthansa it is 8kg.

I keep gifts, high value electricals and a spare set of undies etc, in my hand luggage and low value electricals and cloths in my suitcase.

Posted by: Longfellow

Both myself and Subcom117 failed to receive our luggage on trips to Ukraine.

We did have the same basic flight routes - connector to LA on one carrier who was supposed to transfer our luggage to Aeroflot, Aeroflot to Shermetyevo 2 and fast switch to Shermetyevo 1 for flight to Simferopol.

For both of us, we were told the problem was the transfer of luggage from the original flight over to Aeroflot. Maybe it was just our luck - with travel and women! LOL

I suggest definitely taking a carry-on with a couple of clothing changes, simple hygiene items and those gifts you want to have on arrival.

Have a great trip and best wishes in your adventure!

Posted by: Chrismc

In the last year I have flown three times into Kiev via Amsterdam and Paris, and KLM/Air France have lost my luggage each time.

I have recently sent them an official complaint after the last debacle in December/January which took 6 days to get my luggage back.

I am going back in March, it is a big decision whether to check in my luggage ever again with them, despite their reassurances it won't happen again. They are starting to relax the carry on rules a little bit, so I will see what they are in March, then decide.

Posted by: Raspberry

Some places do have apartments which have washer/dryers. This may eliminate the need for extra clothes(and extra baggage).

For most of the world, and its carriers, it's 1+1.....bag and personal item
(i.e. camera bag, diaper bag, laptop, etc.)

There are two notable exceptions......

(1)Although the UK has lifted the 1-piece only, across the board, and most are back to the standard 1+1, Gatwick locally only allows ONE. Period.

(2) Lufthansa will allow 1+1 in business class, but NOT in economy. However, if you transfer from a carrier that allows 1+1 in coach, LH will check it for you at the gate, or on the remote operations, planeside as you board. Either way, you will see the bag actually get on the plane.

When in doubt, consult the airline.

Posted by: Raspberry

Also, bring items that you can use for double-duty. I find black pants are the most useful item---you can wear them with dress shirts, Hawaiian shirts, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and they don't look out of place.

An extra pair of sweat pants can be use for sweats and/or thermals.

Posted by: GentleGiant

I was flying economy and I was allowed to carry a laptop and a back pack, the LH website says ONE piece of hand luggage for economy but does not class laptops as hand luggage, at least on the flights I took.
There is also a cheap way around the weight limit (I think) the site says that you may take your weight limit PLUS a ski bag, which they charge Ł15 for, a lot less than the charge by weight for excess baggage!!! Anyone tried using a ski bag to pack their cloths in and use the normal weight allowance for gifts etc??

Posted by: Raspberry

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentleGiant

I was flying economy and I was allowed to carry a laptop and a back pack, the LH website says ONE piece of hand luggage for economy but does not class laptops as hand luggage, at least on the flights I took.
There is also a cheap way around the weight limit (I think) the site says that you may take your weight limit PLUS a ski bag, which they charge Ł15 for, a lot less than the charge by weight for excess baggage!!! Anyone tried using a ski bag to pack their cloths in and use the normal weight allowance for gifts etc??

Some airlines will let you check a suitcase, and TWO pieces of ski gear, at no extra charge. The reason for this is you have a bag for your boots, and a bag for your skiis......if you bundle them together(i.e. duct tape, etc.), and they somehow get separated......then one piece has NO destination tag. And of course, it often will go to where it's not supposed to be....or more often, sit there for a day.

So, in actuality, there is a provision for a ski bag on some airlines at no extra charge.....

Posted by: subcom117

I looked at www.onebag.com and bundle wrapped 90% of my clothes in my carry on bag (including a sports coat) and had my toiletries. Non essentials went into my checked bag, including some extra gifts, shoes and extra jacket. (Which did not make it to Simferopol.) So I easily lived for a week from my carry-on. If I had washed clothes, I could have lived for two weeks. (Yes, my black jeans went a long way!) A second, laptop sized carry-on could have contained the non-essential gifts.

My checked bag finally showed up five days after I returned home.

Posted by: deccie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raspberry

(2) Lufthansa will allow 1+1 in business class, but NOT in economy. However, if you transfer from a carrier that allows 1+1 in coach, LH will check it for you at the gate, or on the remote operations, planeside as you board. Either way, you will see the bag actually get on the plane.

That's strange. I almost always use Lufthansa and quite often have more than one carry on.

Posted by: Manchester

We use Lufthansa from UK to Samara usually, they are manic about excess baggage weight charges we find. I have been nailed a few times by them.

Posted by: royalpalace774

I went into a TJ Max store and as I waked in there was a sale on Samsonite luggage. Right before I walked in that store I was on the phone with a delta international flight spokeswomen. I asked her the size allowed for carry on. She said as long as it is 22x14x9 you are fine. She said as long as it adds up to 45 inches all around it is fine.

So I found a nice samsonite carry on for about half price of what it used to be. The funny thing is that 2 doors away is the real samsonite store. I went in their and the prices were way to high compared to TJ MAX.

So I'll bring that carry on and also my laptop in it's bag and thats that.

Posted by: deccie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manchester

We use Lufthansa from UK to Samara usually, they are manic about excess baggage weight charges we find. I have been nailed a few times by them.

Thankfully I have not had to pay excess baggage charges yet. QANTAS tried to get pay them when i moved to the Middle East but instead i just unpacked crap at the airport and handed it to my brother who was there to see me off..

Posted by: GentleGiant

I have found that the airport weigh-in machines "read" heavy anyway, I checked my bags on two different sets of scales before I left; and they both agreed I was just under 20kg; but the check-in desk said they weighed 22kg. on the way back it was more obvious the airport scales were wonky; the weight kept changing!! I watched go up and down by over 2kg without anyone touching a thing!!
I was annoyed they were being so tight about my weight limit when I discovered the plane was less than 1/3rd full; we could all have sat in Business Class with room to spare.