I have a silly question!

[Mommy2cody]

Hey everyone. I am totally new to traveling by airplane. Both my husband and myself haven't been on an airplane since we were small!! So my very silly question is....I am trying to figure out how many suitcases I need to buy for our upcoming trip (we have none!!) It will be my husband, myself and my son (who will be 7 when we travel!) We will be gone 8 days 7 nights. Also are duffel bags for carry-on or for checking in? Disney.com has really cute personailized duffel bags I thought it would be nice for us to each have our own duffel bag then maybe one actual suitecase for leftover stuff. But im not sure! Any ideas would be great! Thank in advance!!

 

[Jestocost]

What time of year will you be traveling? If you are going when the weather is cold or could go either way, you'll have to pack more, so that will be a factor.

In general, our family tends to use one full-sized (26") suitcase for every two people for clothes, shoes, etc. Any larger than that and you risk that'll they be too heavy and you'll get hit with airline overweight baggage charges. We'll pack another suitcase with any liquids/gels (shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, etc.) that are over 3 oz. and can't be carried on the plane, plus miscellaneous stuff. If you take two of those larger suitcases for three people and pack like we do, you should have enough room left for a fair number of purchases to bring home.

Duffle bags can be used as carry-ons provided that they meet the airline's size requirments (generally 45 total inches, length+width+height), so check with your airline to see what their rules state. Usually they're posted in an FAQ or travel information section on their Web site. You also can check duffle bags, but you'll want to be certain that they are sturdy enough to handle the not-so-gentle treatement they are likely to receive from baggage handling personnel.