When you fly, do you like to check your luggage or carry it on?
This isn’t usually a choice I have—with small children along (i.e. two little people who seem to need an awful lot of stuff but who don’t carry their weight)—so it seemed like such a luxury to fly carry-on when I took a quick trip to New York for My Austrian Evening last month. It seems like the preference of most less-encumbered travelers: no baggage fees, no risk of missing bags, a quick exit when one gets to skip the carousel… etc. But Aron loves to check our bags, and I get why. The upshot is walking through the airport with only a jacket and a tote (with true essentials—like a bathing suit for a beach trip), and boarding at the very last minute because ‘who cares about overhead space’? It’s really freeing.
I was surprised to read here that Anthony Bourdain prefers to check. “I do not want to be one of those annoying people who can’t fit their carry-on into the overhead. …[But] I’m prepared for things to go wrong because they do go wrong all of the time.”
However, I loved rolling through the airport with nothing but a carry-on this time. (It was a bit dangerous to go to a city with such great shopping and no kids—but, thankfully, Madewell actually shipped home the sweaters I bought at no charge).
What’s your preference?
P.S. My Carry-on essentials and What to Pack for a toddler.
Pictured: Henley and Coat from Anthropologie; Shoes (past season, similar) and Denim from Madewell.
Lipault Foldable Packing Case (courtesty of Lipault): Lipault had offered that I try one of their featherweight foldables (that slides even under our very, very low bed once collapsed)—verdict: very nice!
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