What luggage to get for flying?

[River<3Mickey]

This might seem like a really simple question, but I'm a bit flummoxed with what luggage to get for our trip to Disneyland in December.

We've holidayed in the UK for the last few years so we've driven & just packed the car til it's busting & any previous flights I was single & just had a big bag on wheels.

I'm not sure what size we are allowed or anything?

We are flying with AirFrance & the cheaper one through their site - sorry the name escapes.

It's me, the husband & the 2 year old who has a trunk which I understand is allowed as her hand luggage. We'll also have a pram.

Anyone got any good recommendations or suggestions please?

 

[DLPdaft]

any bog-standard case will do for hold luggage - the ones I have are from Matalan and Argos. Both have been used in the hold on aircraft, and both are still in one piece.

 

[A Small World]

How long are you going for? We managed by just taking hand luggage - used small cases - which meant we werent hanging round waiting to collect it.

If you look on your airlines website it will tell you what size and weight you are allowed - this will be per person

 

[River<3Mickey]

Thanks for your replies

We're going for 4 nights.

I am officially rubbish at packing light, with it being winter we'll need to take more & heavier clothing. Plus I'm hoping to get DD stuff when we're over there, so hand luggage only is a definite no no, though I'm sure DH would much prefer it

 

[catkin]

I too am hopeless at packing light(my sister is so talented at it that she gets stopped at customs everytime as they never believe she can be a real tourist with such a small amount ofluggage) matalan sell a range of luggage which is meant to be the lightest available therefore freeing more space for stuff!

 

[daiseyirl]

i can not pack light!! I usually take a large case for myself and dd1. Dd2 uses her small dalmation case for herself! And we use dd1s mermaid case for hand luggage (there colouring books, dvd player ect).

 

[kizzabel]

Find the hugest case you can!!
My suitcase (€34 from Primark) is very light, very big and as a bonus we discovered DD and DS can fit in it. They werent so pleased when I zipped it and wheeled them around mind

Im hopeless at packing light too. At least you can wear the heaviest winter coats going and cut down on that taking up space in the suitcases.

Anyone else have to sit on the suitcase to get it closed?!

 

[Ware Bears]

They werent so pleased when I zipped it and wheeled them around mind

 

[emanlu]

I use one of these http://reviews.asda.com/1440-en_gb/...le-decker-wheeled-holdall-reviews/reviews.htm
(although mine is orange and pink - not as awful as it sounds). The bottom bit is hard like a suitcase but the top is soft like a holdall so you can pull it in tight if you dont fill it all on your journey out!

It is light and easy to pack and plenty of room to expand it out when you buy things there - I usually take this for me and three children - they take their disney store rollerbags (HSM and Toy Story) as hand baggage - last time I just took my handbag as hand luggage - getting a pro at this travelling lark!.

I think your hold bag can be any size but must not go over certain weight limits - Easyjet used to allow you to combine your weights if more than one passenger was travelling but only one bag was booked but now they restrict it to 20kg - a useful investment is a little luggage scale that you can take with you.

I have taken this one 3 times so far with no problems or damage - will be going for its 4th trip next month. I picked it up in the local Antler outlet store for around £25.

 

[IsobelJackmummy]

You should get the lightest suitcase that you can afford, you don't want your luggage allowance swallowed up before you have even packed anything!

Plus I wouldn't be tempted to get one that is very big, as you are likely to fill it and go over your allowance! (this will cost a fortune, as my sister discovered when her excess baggage fee coming home from Florida was £300 and that was nearly ten years ago!)

Due to the health and safety of baggage handlers, there is a limit that a single piece of luggage can weigh (even if its within your allowance), I think that is 25kg, but may vary from airline to airline.

I tend to take as small a bag as possible flying out, and flat pack a light holdall into it, then this can be filled to come home with any souveniers etc.

 

[Laura678]

This summer I used a hard shell case and fitted loads in it and wasn't over weight. I chose a hard case as I would be travelling on 2 flights and using a lot of public transport and felt it was safer than a soft case.

Last January I used a big soft shell Disney case. I found the soft shell more suited for this holiday as the case can bulge safely. Also I was using private transfers so didn't have to worry about escalators or metro stairs or just other people around me.

This January I will use the soft shell case aswell as it is very light in comparison to my hard shell case, and I will have bulkier and heavier clothes due to the sub-zero temperatures

 

[MazdaUK]

I'd say as light as you can and make sure it has good locks