Most travellers succumb to checking in their belongings and as a result, they lose a significant amount of precious time waiting at the luggage carousel and are unable to take public buses or trains with their bulky baggage. It is honestly hard to convince people to ditch the idea of check-in baggage but trust us, the privileges on travelling without check-in bags are awesome.
From saving money on budget carriers to the ease of changing flight itineraries, here are 7 Practical Reasons On Why You Should Not Check In Your Luggage the next time you go on a relatively short trip under 10 days.
You will feel beyond liberated with less on your hand and you will never want to check in your baggage again after understanding its perks.
#1 AVOID THE HASSLE OF LOSING IT
We are not promoting paranoia but losing your baggage is actually a very frequent occurrence in all airports. Even though it might be insured or eventually returned to you, the process of actually waiting for your checked-in luggage is utterly painful. So why not reduce the risk altogether by bringing along only what you need onboard?
#2 FLIGHT ITINERARY CAN BE CHANGED EASILY
When experiencing an unfortunate connecting flight cancellation or some unforeseen delays for a flight, the most unfortunate thing would be that you are now stuck with the original flight as you have already checked in your luggage. However, if you didn’t do so, you could ask to be transferred to other partner airlines or purchase other tickets etc.
#3 LEARN TO LIVE WITH LESS
Packing everything into a carry on baggage will force travellers to scrutinise what they really need to bring along. When every tiny space matters, you would not be cramming in unnecessary items. This analogy also teaches you on how to live with less baggage in life, literally.
#4 RID OF UNNECESSARY ATTENTION
Upon reaching a foreign destination, all eyes will be on you (and not the light traveller who can walk easily with just one mini baggage) as you struggle with your bulky luggage and other bags etc. While humans are inherently good by nature, there will be lurking pickpockets, robbers and touters that would want to take advantage of you.
#5 SAVE MONEY FOR BUDGET CARRIERS
If you are flying with a budget airline, chances are that you actually have to top up additional amounts to check-in your baggage. You could save a fair bit of money by ticking off the option to check-in your luggage. In the long run, that sum of money would tally to a significant amount.
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#6 SKIP THE WAITING TIME
Every traveller can relate to the annoying procedure of waiting seemingly forever at the luggage conveyor belt. Watching every baggage pass by and yours just seems to be the last of the last. That is when you start envying those with zero check-in baggage, traversing pass you like a breeze. A lot of time is lost waiting for your baggage and remember, time is money.
#7 YOU CAN TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Most people with large check-in baggage will skip public transport options as it just doesn’t seem too feasible. But with just one light carry-on, you could easily take the public bus and/or train when exiting the airport. Sometimes taking the train is the best option to beat the traffic – and more often than not, cheaper too. It’s a win-win situation.
About the writer:
Hui Jun Ng is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She previously worked in the food and marketing industry. She loves traveling and enjoys exploring underrated destinations. In her free time, you will find her indulging in coffee and her all time favourite local dish – bak chor mee.
So many good pieces of advice – I always try to save time by not checking in luggage! x