My best tips if you need to check in your luggage

Most often I try to travel with only hand luggage because in my opinion it is much smoother and simpler but of course it happens that I need to check in a suitcase or two depending on where I am going or who I am traveling with. That’s why in this blog post I want to share my travel hacks when it comes to checking in my suitcase as luggage.

Here are my Travel Hacks if you need to check in your luggage

1. Wear some extra clothes

I have previously written about how I usually pack my suitcase by rolling my clothes, organizing and structuring my suitcase where everything has its place and it feels like I’m playing a Tetris game, turning things around so as much as possible will fit. In addition, I put hard things like shoes along the outside of the suitcase as a shock absorber if it will be thrown around and hit against walls and floors so it protects my more fragile things that I have in the middle of the suitcase. However, one of my absolute best tips is to wear an extra layer of clothing when traveling. This way you create more space in your suitcase for things you want to carry with you and may not really fit in.

Don’t forget to put socks in your shoes, as you fill the airy spaces that are available. If you want to bring a thicker sweater or jacket, put it on the day you travel, it minimizes the weight of the suitcase and it also gives you more room for something else. The same applies to jeans, boots or heavier shoes as well as rock, or down jacket. Don’t forget, bring a foldable down jacket and wear it because you can even use it as a pillow on the flight! 😉

2. Use all surfaces and pockets

As I mentioned above, you can fill all empty surfaces with small things, such as filling the shoes with socks. You can also use a jacket or trousers that have many pockets, where you can fill the pockets with as many things as possible, which creates more space for other things in the suitcase. The more things you can have in your pockets, the less likely you are to pay for having overweight when checking in your suitcase.

3. Add a suitcase as soon as you book your flight ticket

If you are traveling with a suitcase and need to check it in, I recommend booking it at once when you buy your flight ticket. Some airlines include suitcase but in others (many low cost airlines) you have to pay extra to check in a suitcase. Usually, it costs more to do it afterwards than when you choose to add it to your booking while purchasing your flight ticket.

Tip! You can also buy the service to check in a suitcase afterwards to a better price if you didn’t choose to buy it in the same time you booked your flight. You can get that by checking yourself in online and at the same time add that you need to buy a “check in of a suitcase”, which is usually cheaper to do online than at the check in counter at the airport 🙂

4. Upgrade your flight ticket instead of paying for overweight

Depending on what flight ticket you bought (there are usually different ratings on them) or the airlines’ different baggage rules, your trip may be more expensive than you initially thought if your suitcase weighs more than you thought. If you are at check in position and it turns out that you have to pay lots for the overweight, check with the check in staff what it would cost if you want to upgrade your flight to Business Class instead.

It might be worth the difference it costs from how much you need to pay extra for the overweight and what an upgrade costs. Is it worthwhile to also get all the extra benefits that Business Class brings, such as a fast track, lounge before boarding and free food and drinks on board the entire flight? Think about it next time, if you end up in this particular situation 🙂

Happy Travels!
// Charlotte