Is Discount Travel Really Possible in Todays Economy?

If you are anything like me, you probably pack more than enough clothes, shoes, and other necessary items when you travel. My luggage is usually packed to the brim and very tricky to get zipped up. I usually travel with at least at 5 piece luggage set and trust me, I use every single piece of luggage.

After paying for overweight luggage one too many times, I started seriously considering how I could get some weight out of my suitcase. Eliminating various pairs of shoes was not an option for me (I like lots of variety) so I started looking at the other items weighing my luggage down. I stopped taking my hairdryer saving myself at least a pound or two, and then I started packing travel,trial, and sample size bath and beauty products. It was amazing how much weight I could save when I wasn't packing the entire full size shampoo and conditioner. It didn't stop there. I started buying sample travel size lotions, nail polish remover, mouthwash, eye drops, cough syrup, and many other trial size items I found in the store. It was amazing the amount of room I gained by just switching to these smaller items, but the real surprise came when I didn't have to pay for overweight baggage any more.

If you've traveled recently, you know that your first check bag is going to cost you at least $15 on most airlines, and you'll pay $25 for the second bag. Do you really want to be paying another $50 or more because your bag is too heavy? I didn't!

Another thing I started doing was finding better carry on bags that would not only carry my laptop, but also left me more room for some other items. I like to have at least one change of clothes in my carry on just in case my suitcases don't make it to my destination. On a recent trip I took to Rome Italy in April, a huge group of people ended up spending a week in the romantic city with none of their bags because the airline sent them to another city. Imagine having to buy clothes and beauty products in a foreign city because you had nothing of your own.

Not only will you reduce the weight of your checked in luggage, you can also carry most, if not all, of your bath and beauty products with you in your carry on bags if you have travel size/ trial size products. As you know, TSA restrictions only allow 3 oz of lotions, gels, etc and they must all fit into a quart sized bag as you go through airport security check points. Sample size products work great for this because they are only big enough to maybe get you through a week so they aren't typically any bigger than 3 oz to start with.

Here is another tip! If you are traveling with your family of 4, and you want to avoid checked bag fees for that much luggage, why not purchase a 5 piece or even 8 piece luggage set with most of the pieces being carry on size.  Each person is permitted on carry on bag and one personal item.  With most luggage sets these days, you can get the majority of your bags to be carry on size.  I like to take my laptop in a computer case or carry on bag and then I carry another smaller carry-on as my purse, or even put my purse in the bag.  If each person in your party does this (yes, even the kids), then you've basically eliminated the need to check too many bags, if any. 

Remember to pack light and consider looking for a place to wash your clothes in your destination city instead of taking a set of clothes for each day.  You can even purchase travel size/trial size laundry detergent and fabric softener.  Are you really going to be wearing much more than your bathing suit on that trip to Hawaii?

For examples of the items I've mentioned above, and even more great discounted travel items, be sure and visit my Online Discount Travel Store.  

It's beginning to get very expensive to travel and take luggage with you.

In my local newspaper today there was an article titled "Pack light or pay up: Fliers cling to baggage-check fees." The story goes on to talk about how airlines started charging some passengers $15 or more to check their bags and they blamed it on soaring fuel costs. Price of oil has gone way down since then, but are the baggage fees going away?

The answer is no! Airlines are still charging passengers to fly with a suitcase that isn't carry on size and can fit in the overhead bin or under the seat. So what does a family of 4 need to do when they travel since your first bag on most airlines will cost you $15 and the second bag is $25?

My suggestion is to get as much as you can into your carry on, without violating TSA restrictions of course. You'll need to be very careful about the lotions, shampoos, and other bath and body products you decide to carry in your duffel bag. Travel size products and trial size come in very handy here. Most are less than 3 oz and won't cause you any problems as you go through security. You can even pack these in your checked luggage which will help alleviate having to pay for the "Heavy" bags that exceed the 50-55lbs. I recall being charged $50 one time for having a bag that was less than 5 lbs over the permitted checked luggage weight.

Most travelers can find tons of great deals on 5 piece luggage sets and 8 piece luggage sets and suitcases. Some set size most pieces at carry on size and since each traveling member of your party is allowed 1 carry on item with one personal item, this makes avoided the checked bag problem a possibility. It doesn't appear that the airline are going to stop charging these fees any time soon because they are still loosing money because of the recession and the airlines are finding these fees to be a reliable source of income for them. So not only are you going to pay for a meal on your trip, a pillow, blanket, headset or drink, you'll be paying luggage fees to for quite some time.

One way to get around this might be picking an airline you like to fly with and achieve one of their Elite, or at least, Preferred members status in their frequent flier clubs, or you can travel first class. Right now, the only airline not charging baggage fees is Southwest Airlines but they don't fly to some major cities like Boston, Atlanta and/or Miami. One wonders how long Southwest can continue like this though, it could change in the near future.

Now more than ever, travelers are shopping around for the best vacation deals and packages they can find and the term "Discount Travel" has become more important than ever. Since you can't avoid airline fees for luggage and food, you can at least shop around and get the best discount airfare possible. Please be sure and stop by my store and see what special deals we have going on for luggage and luggage sets that might just help you avoid the fees.

Happy Travels!