I know most business people won't check a bag. But for vacations and international travel do you check a bag?

No... I am a true a.netter, and when I go on vacation it is usually no more than 2 nights because I am on a trip to fly some obscure airlines or aircraft types. Time at a new airport should be spent exploring the airport, not waiting in a queue
Bag fees for all those flight sectors quickly add up

I just spent 3 weeks in Europe touring Christmas markets. I had 3 checked bags. One for my clothes and toiletries - two of them went over empty and came back full of souvenirs from the markets and clothes I bought at most of my favorite Euro retailers.

For me it usually depends on the length of the trip. Generally if I'm traveling for less than a week I can get away with just carry on, however, if I'm traveling for longer I generally do need to check a bag.
Of course, if I'm planning on having stuff to bring back (IE carrying frozen custard back from Wisconsin), I'll check a bag even if I'm only traveling for a few days.

Only if I’m traveling for more than a week which pretty much never happens

The last time I checked any luggage must have been something like 15 years ago, that was for a 2-weeks trip.

Usually my trips are way shorter than that so there's no need to check any luggage, hand luggage only is sufficient. It's a great way of saving on your travel expenses and it saves time at the baggage reclaim which you can walk straight past. For anything up to a week or even slightly longer I don't need checked luggage.

davidjohnson6 wrote:

No... I am a true a.netter, and when I go on vacation it is usually no more than 2 nights because I am on a trip to fly some obscure airlines or aircraft types. Time at a new airport should be spent exploring the airport, not waiting in a queue
Bag fees for all those flight sectors quickly add up

I surely miss that...

It all depends on the length of my trip - less than a week and I can usually manage with a carry on and a secondary small piece of hand luggage.

For a week or more then I would take a larger bag and check it in.

I do prefer to check my bags in as I love the freedom of walking around the airport unencumbered by anything other than a small over the shoulder bag for my phone, my book and my tablets ( both technological and medical).

However to avoid delays on arrivals I tend to forego that pleasure when my journey length means a carry on is practical.

I agree with many of the variables that others have mentioned, but there's one more: the predictability of the length of the wait for a bag. My former home airport had a particular UA terminator that I took a lot because I was flying on a contract that required it. Without fail, the bags from that flight were circulating as I walked past baggage claim to exit the airport. So on a leisure trip involving that flight, I'd be a lot more likely to check a bag than on a flight, say, to DEN.

Very rarely if I'm travelling alone - only if I'm travelling for a week or longer

But if I'm travelling with the other half, then we'll usually check for anything more than a single overnight. She apparently needs to travel with more than just jeans and a T-shirt...

I am very fortunate to have a wife who travels very well with a roll-a-board even for a week in Europe, so we don't check bags. The only time I check anything is traveling to play golf then must check the clubs.

Usually just taking a carry on or a backpack, unless a trip *centers on* shopping OR involves items that *require* checked baggage, in which case it's *up to* 3 bags at 70 lbs each *per person* plus occasional oversize items.

It's not just the bag fees that deter many people, it's also customs, as well as rental car and airport ingress and egress on either end of your trip. It's not like they have lots of Tahoes and Suburbans in Europe. You'll need a full size van if you have four people on the PNR.

3 days or 3 weeks - carry on only. My leisure time is too valuable to haul unnecessary items around.

Everything depends on the length of the trip, how many people are in the group, the time of year, and the airline's "fees".

A week or more at a busy destination? We probably will check at least one bag.

For example, when my husband and I travel to New Jersey in cold weather, we most definitely are checking bags. We need the heavy coats, gloves, and other things to keep us warm. For a few days in Arkansas in summer, probably not.

If it's a group of 3-4 of us going, we will put all our liquids in one bag to check, and then use our carry-ons for everything else.

If we are flying Southwest, we definitely will check everything. That's just less to deal with.

The fees add up, regardless of airline. Either we're paying for a checked bag OR early-bird check-in OR "Economy Plus" OR seat assignments (our upcoming trip on British Airways). One way or another, the airline will be receiving ancillary revenue from us, and it all depends on the circumstances.

My last checked bag is over 10 years ago. I will do anything to not check in a bag, after having seen countless of friends and work colleagues losing their bags or waiting for hours at baggage claim
To me, checked bags are lost bags They would never catch up with my flying schedule as I fly so many different airlines in a short time.

I can manage up to 2 weeks out of my trolley bag. In hot destinations I sometimes plan for a laundry stop at a friends place.
Up to 4 day biz & leisure trips I even manage our of my smaller shoulder bag.

Regards,
Loran

No I do not. There are few compelling reasons to check one. I do not carry liquids ever. It is a scam.

727tiger wrote:

Because of status, we don't pay DL's checked bag fees, so we always check our bags.

Would you still check them if you didn't have status and therefor they wouldn't be free?

Personally the first thing I look at when deciding to check a bag or not is if I need to. If I take so little stuff with me that it fits in my hand luggage, which is mostly the case, then I don't check a bag. Of course checked luggage fees are a good reason to try traveling without but it could be free and I still wouldn't check any luggage if I don't need to.

That being said, free is subjective of course. There could be no additional fee for it but that doesn't make it free, it's just part of the ticket price. That's why I prefer airlines that charge for checked luggage, it allows them to charge a lower ticket price. And you don't need to pay those checked luggage fees if you don't have checked luggage.

Pretty much if its a work trip yes, I don't want to run to a store and buy a bottle of sunscreen each weekend and TSA won't allow it as a liquid. I have status so the bag is free

It depends. For domestic trips I usually carry on unless I'm carrying something I can't bring on the plane. For international trips I always check a bag because the bag I take on such trips is too big to carry on, and I usually end up bringing something like a bottle of wine, or fancy olive oil, or something along those lines home with me.

I guess I'm the opposite of most. I nearly always check a bag unless it's just an overnight, which is rare. I hate playing overhead roulette, and it's annoying watching the last 5-10 minutes of boarding being taken up by a small handful of people who are losing that game. I also hate being saddled with my carryons through a connection, and probably 90% of my flights involve a connection.

I've had bags lost exactly twice, and both were at IAD during a short connection. Both happened maybe 20 years ago and only a few months apart. One was to BGI and the other was returning from BGI, both business trips.

blandy62 wrote:

davidjohnson6 wrote:

No... I am a true a.netter, and when I go on vacation it is usually no more than 2 nights because I am on a trip to fly some obscure airlines or aircraft types. Time at a new airport should be spent exploring the airport, not waiting in a queue
Bag fees for all those flight sectors quickly add up

I surely miss that...

Ditto.

I almost always check a bag, I'm no longer willing to deal with the hassle of carry-on.

All those people lining up at the gate 30 minutes before boarding? They're all preparing for the Great Luggage Compartment Battle. You can see the stress on their faces. I go straight to my seat, put my bag under and watch it all unfold.

And all those travel sized liquids? I don't have those at home, so I have go out specially and buy mini bottles of everything.

I'm often curious by people who carry-on to avoid bag fees....but have no hestitation to eat hugely overpriced meals at airport restaurants and then on their vacation don't even think twice about spending far more than that on overpriced food, drinks and cab fares!

If I'm going to spend hundreds or even thousands on a trip, a few extra few dollars and a few extra minutes at the carousel is worth the lack of stress. And if I'm travelling for work, it's not even on my dime

alan3 wrote:

I almost always check a bag, I'm no longer willing to deal with the hassle of carry-on.

All those people lining up at the gate 30 minutes before boarding? They're all preparing for the Great Luggage Compartment Battle. You can see the stress on their faces. I go straight to my seat, put my bag under and watch it all unfold.

And all those travel sized liquids? I don't have those at home, so I have go out specially and buy mini bottles of everything.

I'm often curious by people who carry-on to avoid bag fees....but have no hestitation to eat hugely overpriced meals at airport restaurants and then on their vacation don't even think twice about spending far more than that on overpriced food, drinks and cab fares!

If I'm going to spend hundreds or even thousands on a trip, a few extra few dollars and a few extra minutes at the carousel is worth the lack of stress. And if I'm travelling for work, it's not even on my dime

Personally I found that luggage compartment battle never to be a problem. Of course I make sure I'm one of the first to board so there's still plenty of space in the overhead lockers, if you want to have your trolley on board you just can't be late. One of the benefits of my trolley is that it's fairly solid so I don't need a chair, I just put down my trolley wherever I am and sit on it. Often that's first in line at the gate.

Obviously I never bring any liquids with me except for mini toothpaste, deodorant, etc. I'm not interested in any other liquids to that's no reason for me to check a bag. Of course meals at the airport are more expensive than at home but mostly there's something affordable to be found. And compared to the prices which some airlines charge for food on board, it can be cheaper to eat at the airport. Back when Norwegian still flew long haul they charged €35 for a meal on board, needless to say I opted for no meal (free) and had a good meal at the airport prior to departure for about €10. On top of that, I had a few homemade sandwiches in my hand luggage to eat on board. Some airlines hand out "free" meals at home, imagine what all those meals cost and what it does to the ticket price.

Even when I'm at my destination I'm cost-conscious, it's not uncommon for me to visit a local supermarket and buy some food there. I don't eat much in restaurants, at most it's McDonald's which isn't that expensive either. And when I do, I always look for the local dishes that are unique to that country. Like for example I've had delicious rösti at McDonald's in Vienna. I don't use many cabs at my destination, only when there's no other option. Usually public transport is good enough and a lot cheaper. You could just see me arrive at a foreign airport where I've never been before and get on a bus to wherever I'm staying.

I'm usually not spending hundreds of Euros on flights and certainly not thousands, that's way too expensive. I don't have to fly. I may if I like the price, otherwise I can just stay at home. I think the most expensive flight I've ever taken is around €250 or something like that, certainly no more. And that was long haul! For a short haul flight I find €100 expensive, usually €50 is the most I'm willing to pay for it. Many of the flights I take are way cheaper than that, around €15. On such prices the checked baggage fee can certainly make a difference, it's not uncommon to pay more for your baggage than for yourself. That's the reason I don't take baggage with me.

Besides, it saves me the time for standing in line for the check-in counter and at the baggage reclaim. I usually check-in online and use my phone as a boarding card. So I arrive at the airport and go straight through security and to the gate, and upon arrival at the destination I walk straight past the baggage reclaim to the exit. That's what I call lack of stress. The carry-on is no stress at all, in fact I like to keep an eye on my belongings so checking it only causes stress.

Depends on how much I have with me - but sometimes I just will check it. Given, I'm usually starting out of BWI, so most of the time I'm on WN - so no cost for it. On other airlines I try to avoid it if I can.

No, because carry-ons are a hassle. I bring a personal item with me, with all the basic, smaller stuff (cameras, book, phone) and everything for the trip (like clothes) goes in a checked bag, even if it costs extra. Plus, if I have a tight connection I don't have to worry about getting my carryon out of the overhead bin- I just get my backpack, wait for everyone in front of me to disembark, and go. And when flying on regional jets, I don't have to worry about gate-checking and all that. I find checked bags more stress-free when flying.
I'd like to add that I've never had a lost bag incident, but if that does happen, it might change my opinion on carry-ons vs. checked bags. For now, though, checked>carryon.

Yeah, my wife and check on all flights no matter the length of stage or length of trip. Just don't want to bother with hauling stuff through the terminal/club. And we always have priority tags so the wait at the carousel isn't usually that bad. Worst case we just get a cocktail airside when we get off the plane and the bags are almost always waiting on us by the time we get there.

AusTexFlyer wrote:

Yeah, my wife and check on all flights no matter the length of stage or length of trip. Just don't want to bother with hauling stuff through the terminal/club. And we always have priority tags so the wait at the carousel isn't usually that bad. Worst case we just get a cocktail airside when we get off the plane and the bags are almost always waiting on us by the time we get there.

That must cost a fortune. Nothing wrong with that, if you can afford it. But keep in mind, many people can't and these are exactly the things they scrap in order to save money.

I have a free bag benefit on AA and DL, so I try to take advantage of that benefit when flying those airlines. Otherwise it depends on the length of the trip.

Always. That said, checked bags aren’t a big coat in Australia, and are included when travelling overseas. Having larger bags on our US visits means we check bags there, but it’s not a big cost.

56 days, 26 flights from the US through Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand and back via Hawaii with one carry-on backpack and one small backpack between my partner and myself. And it was tricky since it was winter in South Korea, tropical in Thailand, and summer in NZ. We had friends join us for a week in Vietnam and they took one of our larger carry-ons filled with jackets/sweaters home for us.

Any travels under two weeks I have personal item only. The only times I have checked a bag was when it was cheaper than paying for the carry-on, or when I got gate-checked after the overheads filled up.