I get a lot of questions about how to travel with just a carry on bag to avoid the fees, fear and inconvenience of checking a bag. This week I wanted to share some of the tips we’ve put together in our newest brochure.

Tips for your carry on

#1 – If you’re booking your own airline ticket, make sure that you are not booking a BASIC ECONOMY ticket that does not allow you to use the overhead bin on the plane.

#2 – A small hard sided carry on bag provides enough room for the average traveler on up to a two week itinerary

#3 – When making your packing list – start with the shoes! Wear a pair, and pack a pair, but build your outfits around those two pairs of shoes – not the other way around.

#4 – Take an empty water bottle with you so you can fill it before you get on the plane and throughout your travels to reduce waste. This is also one of our #VacationForGood tips!

#5 – Keep your liquids, pastes and gels limited to three ounce containers and keep them all in a quart sized zip lock bag for additional screening at the security check point.

#6 – Carrying powder? There are some new rules – powders in your carry on luggage should be less than 12 ounces and if the substance can not be identified by TSA it may not be permitted

#7 – We all know how nice it is to have a snack on the plane and those tiny bags of pretzels aren’t always the most filling. It’s fine to take food with you through the security check point (adhering to the liquid, paste, gel rules) but keep all of your food items together in a large zip lock bag and currently they require separate screening.

#8 – If you find yourself on a smaller commuter plane the overhead may not be large enough to accommodate your roller bag. Should that be the case, the bag will be “gate checked” for you meaning you roll it down the jet way, they put it in the luggage hold, then when the plane lands you claim it again on the jet way, it does not go to baggage claim. When this happens you also need to make sure that you don’t have any lithium batteries in the bag, or you will need to remove them, the same goes for the battery if you’re using a smart bag.

When you’re ready to start planning your next adventure, click here, we’d love to help you get the best value for your vacation budget.

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