Packing to go away on holiday can be stressful enough in itself, but when it comes to meeting baggage allowance restrictions, it’s often the return flight journey which causes the most problems where excess baggage is concerned.
Although you might be able to ditch some of the toiletries you left home with or splash out on a bigger suitcase, you may find your suitcase heavier and slightly harder to close than it was when you left home. Perhaps you’ve treated yourself to some new fragrance or toiletries in the duty-free store, or maybe you’ve armed yourself with souvenirs to hand out to your nearest and dearest when you get home; whatever the reason, we’ve probably all ended up with an overweight suitcase at some point or another.
So, what can you do when you exceed your baggage allowance?
Check-in your bags online
Did you know it can be significantly cheaper to check your bags in online? If you book additional hold luggage in advance online, it can cost as little as £20. When you compare this to the charges of up to £160 you could receive for going over your limit at the boarding gates, it’s clearly worthwhile looking into this before you fly.
Post it home
A clever way to save on excess luggage costs is to post your baggage home. It often costs less to send your luggage via parcel delivery than it does to pay for additional luggage costs at the airport.
However, there’s a few things you need consider when deciding whether post your baggage home. Obviously, the postage costs depend upon the weight and size of your luggage. If you’re sending a whole case, then it might not work out as cost-effective for you. You might wish to simply post the excess items you bought on holiday that are pushing you over your baggage limit; that way, you won’t have to pay extra for bulky, heavy parcels.
Pool your luggage
If you’re feeling a little cautious about sending your luggage through the post, why not pool your belongings with someone else? Spreading the luggage out into two different suitcases can help to lower the overall weight and potentially let you avoid excess baggage fees
There’s also the option to buy additional baggage by weight, rather than per piece. So, you could buy an additional 40kg of luggage and then spread it out into two suitcases. That way, you won’t get charged extra and you can share the luggage space with someone else.
These are just some of the ways you can get around the luggage weight limit if you’ve gone over your allowance while on holiday. The key thing to remember is not to simply turn up at the airport with lots of additional weight; it’s much cheaper to book the additional weight in advance. However, if it’s not possible to plan ahead, posting parts of your luggage and pooling it with other people’s luggage in your travel party will also help to reduce the excess weight.
What are your top tips for handling excess baggage? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below.
I’ve never thought about posting items home before, that’s a genius idea!
Me neither; I’ve heard people talking about it but I’ve never actually done it myself. Definitely worth considering if you have lots of stuff to take home with you, though!
Great tips here. I’ve certainly been stung by excess baggage costs before!
It happened to me once in India, but luckily the fee wasn’t too excessive.
These are great tips – it is my biggest fear when flying! Kaz
It’s always a worry of mine too!
I think sending items in the mail is . great idea. We always unpackage everything too to make as little weight as possible.
Ooh, removing the packaging is an excellent idea 🙂
Posting items is such a great idea! Also, not bringing heavy things with you (ie: too many shoes) can help.
That’s very true. I have been known to travel with far too many pairs of shoes. I can never decide whether to leave things at home or not – not the best at pre-planning my outfits.
We have scales at home that we use, but i tend to pack light so it has never been a problem before
I wish I could pack light! I seriously need to improve my packing skills.
I’ve never looked into posting excess baggage and stuff back after a holiday – definitely something to remember!
It is a great way to save on the costs of excess baggage 🙂