1. It’s less stress
By far, the best reason of all. You won’t have to queue before the return flight at the always unbearably slow check-in desk, which always has that family about 4 people ahead of you who decided to buy life-sized marble statues and replica siege machines on their holiday and are now fretting about how to keep them within weight restrictions.
2. It’s safer – less chance of theft
Theft of check-in baggage is particularly common in overcrowded airports lacking sufficient security. Many European airlines (including a very famous British one which will not be mentioned here) seem to spend their resources almost professionally losing huge amounts of baggage, an occurrence which shows no sign of decreasing. While useful measures such as fitting padlocks to suitcases or covering them with a layer of plastic wrap can diminish chances of theft, this can lead to greater inconvenience if you need to take something out of the bags later on.
3. It can be cheaper
Even in economic boom times, the Airline Industry is a very competitive one always known for slim profit margins – and in these lean times, the emphasis with flyers really is on the price. In order to cut costs, many Airlines (particularly small, budget ones) are charging for check-in baggage, often at extortionate prices, forcing many to pay for something they used to have free (although, as they claim, it does lower the cost of the ticket). On the plus side, some now allow more weight (sometimes 10kg) on the hand baggage. Depending on the way you look at it, this new trend among airlines is either a blessing or a curse.
4. It teaches you skills
Do you just “bung everything in” like you did when you were packing at six years old or do you take time and fold everything with an almost mathematical level of precision? Some swear by rolling everything up to its fullest extent, while some say everything folded squarely saves the most space. Either way, only taking hand baggage is going to lead to cramming in some form or another, so you might as well learn some techniques. It can often help to write a list of the things you intend to pack and analyse how much of the stuff you’re taking is actually vital.
5. It’s easier to travel light than it used to be
Provided you’re not setting off for a getaway in Siberia in deep winter, there’s no reason why you will need a massive amount of space and weight for a short holiday. Laptops, mobile phones, electric razors, and all kinds of devices nowadays take up far less space than they would have even three years ago, with portability being the order of the day. Some companies even sell special lightweight clothes designed to be crammed into baggage.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your travels!
Photo taken at Geneva Airport, Switzerland, by Larsz
Topic: Top five Monday |
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Tags: packing
About the author
Paul Crompton is an avid reader and has a passion for cars and technology, primarily. He loves traveling to whichever exotic travel location which is cheap. His dream is to become an advertising executive.
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