If you’re low on cash and are planning to travel by air, you may have to travel on an affordable budget airline. It’s an excellent choice at a fraction of the cost of a regular flight. There’s only one issue – you have to be careful when packing for your trip.
Travel restrictions have been lifted or relaxed in many destinations, and finally, you’re ready to go on a trip. If you’re on a tight budget, you may have opted for a cheap flight with hand luggage only.
Flying budget airlines don’t have to be stressful, especially if you have the right carry-on luggage. If you do, you’ll most certainly skip the unnecessary baggage fees that many budget airlines charge.
In the United States, the budget airlines include Frontier and Spirit. When it comes to luggage, no matter which budget airline you choose, most of them have strict luggage requirements and guidelines.
Your checked luggage and even carry-ons will cost you more with the budget airlines. In most situations, you’re allowed to carry just one personal item free of charge.
So, instead of paying all the fees, pack everything into one compact bag the size of a computer bag or a large purse.
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Weigh Your Travel Bag
Before you head out to the airport, you should make sure that you measure and weigh your luggage ahead of time. The worst-case scenario for you will be arriving at the airport only to learn that the airline will charge you a fee because your suitcase is too large.
Check your ticket for specifics regarding the size and weight of your carry-on and checked-in pieces of baggage. For this reason, a luggage scale is essential for you to have.
Keep in mind that luggage restrictions differ depending on the airline and also on whether your travel will be international or domestic.
Measure Your Travel Bag
If you plan to travel on an affordable budget airline, which carry-on luggage is the ideal one for you? You should opt for a bag with lots of compartments.
Traveling With a Backpack Carry-On Luggage
Any durable 30L travel backpack will be ideal for your trip. The backpacks usually come with a main compartment with storage sleeves, a front compartment with organizers, and a laptop compartment.
Traveling With a Rolling Carry-On Luggage
If you’re not into backpacks and you prefer rolling carry-on luggage, you should opt for expandable spinner wheel luggage. It will help you to travel through the airport quickly.
Always choose the lightest versions of whatever you’ll be bringing, such as smaller toiletries and makeup. Remember that you may always buy extra stuff when you arrive at your destination.
Pack Only The Most Necessary
When you have everything laid out to pack, ask yourself what you absolutely need to have on this trip. Remove any items that you feel are not necessary.
Use Smaller Bottles For Liquids and Shampoo
Because most airlines only allow a specific amount of liquids in hand luggage, this may be your only option for getting your shampoo on the plane. If you travel on an affordable budget airline, know their requirements and make a reasonable estimate of how much shampoo you’ll need for your stay, and take only that amount.
Your bottles must be less than 100ml. You can always bring multiple bottles if you truly want to pack for the entire trip rather than buying at your destination.
Utilize Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are travel luggage packing organizers that fit like a glove into most airline carry-on suitcases, totes, weekenders, backpacks, and duffel bags. They’re a great way to keep you organized for your trip, putting shirts, pants, and undergarments in their own cubes.
Compression packing cubes are ideal for maximizing as much space as you can. You should roll your clothes rather than folding them.
When you roll your clothes, you’ll be surprised how much extra space you have in your bag. You may also use small packing sacs for organizing cords and small electronics.
Put Socks And Small Things In Your Shoes
Shoes, unsurprisingly, are the ideal place to put your socks. Multiple pairs of socks can be crammed in without them taking up any more room than the shoes alone. Later when you get to your destination, you’ll know exactly where they are without having to dig through your bag looking for them.
Pack Basic Clothes
Despite popular belief, you do not require different outfits for each day that you’ll be away on your trip. You also don’t need to have multiple versions of one item of clothing.
Laundry facilities are available in most places you travel to, so you can mix and match clothes for different looks and a variety of styles. You can, for example, take a top that you can wear with either a skirt or pants.
You should pack shoes that can be both dressy or casual. Also, consider taking solid colors and patterns, as they’ll work best for mixing and matching.
If you travel on an affordable budget airline, you should bear in mind that while some airlines will charge you for each bag you check in, some others will allow you one free checked baggage.
This will allow you to pack your carry-on strategically knowing that you won’t have to worry about fitting everything in.
Wear Your Bulkiest Clothing For The Trip
If you’re going to a cold-weather destination you should consider wearing at least one padded jacket. If you put the jacket in your travel bag, it will most definitely take up more than half of your packing space, requiring you to leave other valuables at home.
You may be leaving behind a much warmer environment than where you’re traveling to. This means wearing the jacket will likely make you uncomfortably hot.
If that’s the case, you may wrap the jacket around your waist or string it over your arm while you go through the airport security checks. You’ll have more space in your travel bag and a lighter load as a result.
Empty Your Wallet Before You Go
Before you leave on your trip, check your wallets and get rid of coins, loyalty cards, and other items that you won’t need where you’re going. When you empty your wallet, you should put the items somewhere you’ll remember to look for them when you return. That way, you’ll travel with a light, nearly empty wallet.
Put Small Heavy Items In Your Handbag
Your reading materials and other essentials that you need to have close at hand should be kept in your handbag. In addition to a carry-on bag, handbags are usually permitted on flights. And the best part is that handbags aren’t normally weighed.
Your larger luggage is weighed separately from your handbag, which is merely scanned. This implies that if you have small items in your luggage that are tipping the scales, you can simply fit them into your purse.
Whenever you travel on an affordable budget airline, always check the airline’s regulations and make sure you don’t exceed the size restrictions for your handbag.