Is it possible? Flying question..

[Scottiesmommy08]

We are going on a five day trip to the world in Jan. Is it possible to pack all of our clothes (myself, hubby, and DD age 4) into carry ons or am I kidding myself?
I've only flown once, and my luggage alone weighed almost 50 lbs, but I slightly overpacked . Flying Delta so we have allowance of 1 carry on per person and 1 personal item. Hoping to have each persons clothing in their own carry on. My personal item would be my backpack, which doubles as my purse/paper organizer. Hubby would have laptop/camera in his personal bag. DD would have toys of her choosing plus some extra surprises in her personal bag. Is this a joke, or possible??

Also, we are flying from NC, layover in ATL for 1.5 hours then to MCO. If we end up checking a bag, do we have to retrieve that bag when we land in ATL? Then re check? And on our way home MCO>ATL for 1.5 hours then flying codeshare Canada air back to NC. Will I have to retrieve bag there? And will they have the same bag allowances?
I'm sure this question has been asked a billion times. I read through some post and could not get a clear cut answer.

And is ATL as bad as my FIL tells me? He seems to like to scare me because he knows I'm terrified of flying. He tells me that it's super busy and a mess to get through...lots of other MEAN stuff. I tend to have panic attacks and it almost makes me sick to my stomach to even think about it. We got lost in MCO last year and I thought I was going to faint.

 

[mad madam mim78]

If you pack the bare minimum and do a little laundry while you're there I think it's possible. That's my plan. I'm not paying their stupid fees.

 

[holbie18]

Yes, it is very possible. We never check luggage. We went on a 10 day trip to Arizona/New Mexico last year. My kids were 3 and 5. We did laundry once during our trip. We bought these bags for my kids which are great. (Search for REI Wheelie PAcker Luggage - since I am new I cannot post links). We are actually going to Europe with the kids in the summer. The plan is that all of their clothes for the two week trip must fit in this bag.

We are only checking luggage on our trip to Disney because we are doing ME and flying Southwest where bags fly free. If you need to check luggage I would suggest only checking one bag and put as much stuff in there as you can.

Also - we will carry our luggage to the gate and then ask the airline to gate check the luggage. That way we don't have to worry about getting the stuff in the overheads. You pick up your luggage right outside the plane when you land. Airlines don't charge you (at least we've never been charged) for gate checking.

For your baggage question - I am not completely sure but I don't think you need to recheck. It is common for airlines to code share.

I was just in the ATL airport a few weeks ago. It was fine. It did not seem as busy as I know it is. You will be fine.

 

[kathie859]

If you check your bags, you won't see them again until MCO OR, if you are using ME, not until they show up in your room!! (Gotta LOVE that ME!!!)

ATL, while it's big and spread out AND a very busy airport, has GREAT signage. When you get off your first flight, just check for your new gate and get over there ASAP! If your first flight is on time, you'll have plenty of time to use the restroom and get to your new gate.

Have fun planning!

Oh, and to answer your other question about all your clothes in carryons---frankly you couldn't pay me enough to drag my bags thru ATL to get to the next gate. And I'm not that efficient of a packer--I need a full sized suitcase. Yeah, I'm an overpacker, too.

 

[elaine amj]

u'll be just fine. One of the advantages of flying through atlanta is that big airports typically have more to do to keep u entertained.

and yes, entirely possible to pack for 5 nights in carry ons...just pack for what u need. I plan what we wear for each day and then add one extra outfit. Keeps me to the minimum. we did a 10 night trip, in winter to Wdw with just carryons (we did laundry). Mind u, we each carried a backpack and a rolling carry on, all stuffed to the brim.

I've condensed since then, and have packed us for a 4 night island trip next week in just 4 carryons total. An amazing feat as one bag is entirely Christmas dress up stuff and presents.

Just be mindful when packing that you will have to drag all your bags with u throughout airports, so be careful u don't pack too heavy. On the plus side, u will have all your stuff with u, no losing luggage and no waiting at bag claim.

 

[elaine amj]

u'll be just fine. One of the advantages of flying through atlanta is that big airports typically have more to do to keep u entertained.

and yes, entirely possible to pack for 5 nights in carry ons...just pack for what u need. I plan what we wear for each day and then add one extra outfit. Keeps me to the minimum. we did a 10 night trip, in winter to Wdw with just carryons (we did laundry). Mind u, we each carried a backpack and a rolling carry on, all stuffed to the brim.

I've condensed since then, and have packed us for a 4 night island trip next week in just 4 carryons total. An amazing feat as one bag is entirely Christmas dress up stuff and presents.

Just be mindful when packing that you will have to drag all your bags with u throughout airports, so be careful u don't pack too heavy. On the plus side, u will have all your stuff with u, no losing luggage and no waiting at bag claim.

 

[awoogala]

Yes. We did it for an 8 day trip once. Pick soft, easy to pack clothes (no jeans- or one pair per person!) lots of cotton. I like the hanes drawstring pants, t-shirt weight, takes very little room.
We do not do laundry, (although I do bring tide sink wash just in case we have a chocolate accident)we do re-wear. (except underclothing!)Roll everything tightly. January is warm to cool, so most of the clothes will not get horribly dirty/sweaty (july august would be a different animal!).
We each wore our bulkiest outfit on the plane, including one warm zip up fleece or sweatshirt, which was out main top layer in the parks.
For kids clothes, I pack each full outfit (shirt, underwear, socks if wearing them, shorts) in one 2 gallon ziplock, then squeeze until flat.
Now we drive, and I still try to pack light, except I have added my keurig, because good coffee was worth the extra bulk.

 

[Scottiesmommy08]

Yes. We did it for an 8 day trip once. Pick soft, easy to pack clothes (no jeans- or one pair per person!) lots of cotton. I like the hanes drawstring pants, t-shirt weight, takes very little room.
We do not do laundry, (although I do bring tide sink wash just in case we have a chocolate accident)we do re-wear. (except underclothing!)Roll everything tightly. January is warm to cool, so most of the clothes will not get horribly dirty/sweaty (july august would be a different animal!).
We each wore our bulkiest outfit on the plane, including one warm zip up fleece or sweatshirt, which was out main top layer in the parks.
For kids clothes, I pack each full outfit (shirt, underwear, socks if wearing them, shorts) in one 2 gallon ziplock, then squeeze until flat.
Now we drive, and I still try to pack light, except I have added my keurig, because good coffee was worth the extra bulk.

Could I strap my Keurig to my back and call it a carry on???


My main concern with using only carry ons is having to carry/roll my DDs bag too, plus hold her hand because she typically sticks to me like velcro. I even thought about about a trunki, but being as she's a giant.. 46.5in and just turned 4, I don't think that would work well with those lanky legs of hers. I could get her a smaller suit case to carry herself, but I will probably need the biggest size allowed for packing purposes.

 

[bumbershoot]

He seems to like to scare me because he knows I'm terrified of flying. He tells me that it's super busy and a mess to get through

Flying is one thing. Airports are another. Don't let fear of flying move over to fear of airports.

Airports are pretty cool. Most have great signage. They have maps. They have websites. You can print the pdf maps ahead of time. you can look at websites like flightaware and flightstats to see where your flights generally land and take off from, so you have an idea of where you will be and where you have to go.

YES Atlanta is crazy. But if you try to think of it as FUN, it can feel better.

Oh, and to answer your other question about all your clothes in carryons---frankly you couldn't pay me enough to drag my bags thru ATL to get to the next gate.

I agree!

I'm a very experienced flyer, but I don't do carry-on-only unless I have to. Especially if I'll be trudging through a huge airport. I once had to run through Atlanta on a work trip, and I did it with my normal carryon and personal item, and it was HARD. Even then I was experienced, but it's never any fun to arrive at your gate sweaty and winded.

I would call a baggage fee or two a "convenience fee". You are paying for someone else to haul your stuff, and that sort of fee is OK sometimes, especially when you are doing something new. YOu are doing something new! So let them help you, even though you have to pay them to do it.

Later, once you have more flights under your belt, THEN do carry-on-only.



Don't freak out about getting lost in an airport. There is ALWAYS someone to ask. If you don't know where you are, find a store, and ask someone where you are. It's like Disney. And if you are paying attention to signs, it's nearly impossible to go somewhere you aren't supposed to be.

 

[Caseheidi]

We have also flown with our DD3 and gate checked our stroller. The reason I mention this is that it really helped us keep our daughter contained, and we were able to get many our our bags on it as well. It depends on your stroller (if your daughter is like mine and gets overwhelmed in large crowds, then I highly recommend bringing your own as it is comforting to then) but we were able to stack a few on top to push. And we had 6 bags that we were flying with. Just something else to think about.

 

[nurse.darcy]

I would NEVER try to do carry on when trying to control a toddler. I cannot imagine the stress of trying to get the carryons out of the bins, hang on to the child and make a connecting flight. I would rather check my luggage, bring one carryon with a change of clothes and other necessities for everyone and enjoy the flight and the trip without the added hassle of luggage control.

 

[Elleshoodat]

OP, I haven't seen anyone mention it, but remember you will have souvenirs to carry on the flight home. Do you have a plan for those?

My thinking is this: It stinks that some airlines charge for something that used to be free, but if I'm paying all that money for a vacation, I'll pay the extra $50 or so and enjoy my vacation from the start. Which means no wrestling luggage *and* my toddler through the airport.

 

[Iforgetmypassword]

You can try mailing a box to yourself at the hotel, and then mailing another box home at the end of the trip.

We flew down with just carry-on late November/early December. We didn't mail anything, but one thing I did, was bring clothing that I was ready to discard. You know, the shirt with a spot that you just can't get out? I wore it, then at the end of the trip, left it behind. I tossed out a half dozen items of clothing this way!

 

[bear_mom]

I would NEVER try to do carry on when trying to control a toddler. I cannot imagine the stress of trying to get the carryons out of the bins, hang on to the child and make a connecting flight. I would rather check my luggage, bring one carryon with a change of clothes and other necessities for everyone and enjoy the flight and the trip without the added hassle of luggage control.

This. You are talking about getting 3 carry ons and 3 personal items: through your home airport, on the plane, off the plane, through ATL, on the plane, off the plane, and then through MCO. One parent will have to wrangle 2 carry on bags plus their own personal item while other parent wrangles the other carry on, their personal item, and dd.

It would be worth it me to spend the $25/$50 to check my luggage as soon as I got to my home airport and not see it again until it got delivered to my room.

My other thought: it depends on the weather. We were in WDW one December where it was in the 40's. It was COLD and required lots of layers (jeans or skirts/leggings, long sleeve T, short sleeve T, hoodie, fleece, hat, and mittens). We were there for 9 days and I still had to do laundry because there wasn't enough room in our checked luggage for all the clothes we needed.

Emily

 

[sskem96]

Don't forget about liquid restrictions in carry ons. If we're only going for 2-3 nights, I can get away with travel size toiletries, but for 5 nights I find it easier to check a bag and just throw in the full size bottles of everything. It works best to pack bottles that are about 1/4 full, then just rinse them out and toss them in the recycle can at the end of the trip instead of bringing them home. That frees up quite a bit of room for souveniers.

It's also quicker to get through security if you can just toss your bag on the belt instead of having to remove a baggie of liquids, laptop, camcorder, etc. We stopped taking anything that has to be removed from the bag to get through security just to make things run more smoothly.

 

[holbie18]

I just wanted to reiterate that it is possible to do it as carry ons. We have flown once a year with our kids. Each of those trips involved car seats too. We still did not check luggage - and our kids sat in the car seats on the plane. I use an LL Bean Expedition Travel Pack. That goes on my back and then I have both hands free for the kids. The kids pull their REI luggage. Your daughter is four too, correct? I think there is a big difference between a four year old and a two year old.

I flew with my daughter once when she was a baby. I did not check luggage. I put her in a child carrier, used the stroller to push her car seat and then I fit all of our clothing into another bag that when around my shoulder. I had no regrets.

 

[pjacobi]

Check out packing tips from Rick Steves at:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/tips_menu.htm

This works for Europe or Disney!

It doesn't work so well for curises were you need to bring formal attire.


-Paul

 

[megan10310]

We do not check unless we HAVE to. I pack myself and three kids (6,4,1) into a big carryon. I have a separate bag for toiletries. And one for entertainment. Dh packs a carryon and a personal bag. We gate check our stroller and all is well. We do laundry on day 4.

We don't have a layover though. And I really dislike Atlanta. Gl!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Also - we will carry our luggage to the gate and then ask the airline to gate check the luggage. That way we don't have to worry about getting the stuff in the overheads. You pick up your luggage right outside the plane when you land. Airlines don't charge you (at least we've never been charged) for gate checking.

This isn't correct. When you gate check a bag, you pick it up at the regular luggage carousel. The exception would be if you are flying on a small plane with tiny overheads where everyone must gate check everything except small items.

 

[letsgoreds]

Look into the Delta Amex. We signed up for it a year ago when booking a trip to MCO and the incentives were GREAT (including $75 annual fee waived first year). This will grant you one free checked bag/person in your reservation. I LOVE this. No more carry on woes. I like to overpack ; )

For us, the $75 annual fee is now worth it, because it pays for itself in 2 people's checked bags on one trip. We fly more than one time a year, and almost always Delta (only direct flights to MCO).