Preventing lost luggage

[Jimsgirl]

I found it interesting that you use ships that have no real Formal nights (ie ships that ask for a tux/suit or full length gown) Obviously if you wear totally casual clothes all the time , you can pack less. For my next cruise the ship has 4 formal themed balls, 5 semi formal nights and 5 elegant casual. on a 13 night cruise. Men are asked to wear a jacket every night. No one could possibly use just a carryon.

 

By the way just how big is your carryon. Last Time I flew I saw a couple trying to stuff really HUGE backpacks and carryon into the overhead bins, they were just too big, in the end the air line cabin staff took the 4 bags and stored them, of course the couple caused chaos as no one could get past them,whilst they wrestled with bags they should have checked.

 

When I was young I camped in tents ,and dressed for camping, but cruising is not camping, and I no longer sleep on the floor of the airport if delayed or travelling on cheap flights.

 

I think most posters prefer not to travel the same way at 40+ as when they were 20 years old.

 

I worry every time I give up my bags, not just on air lines but at the dock also, all I can do is us locks, label them correctly, include my itinerary, and PRAY.

[Imagineer]

I found it interesting that you use ships that have no real Formal nights (ie ships that ask for a tux/suit or full length gown) Obviously if you wear totally casual clothes all the time , you can pack less. For my next cruise the ship has 4 formal themed balls, 5 semi formal nights and 5 elegant casual. on a 13 night cruise. Men are asked to wear a jacket every night. No one could possibly use just a carryon.

 

By the way just how big is your carryon. Last Time I flew I saw a couple trying to stuff really HUGE backpacks and carryon into the overhead bins, they were just too big, in the end the air line cabin staff took the 4 bags and stored them, of course the couple caused chaos as no one could get past them,whilst they wrestled with bags they should have checked.

 

When I was young I camped in tents ,and dressed for camping, but cruising is not camping, and I no longer sleep on the floor of the airport if delayed or travelling on cheap flights.

 

I think most posters prefer not to travel the same way at 40+ as when they were 20 years old.

 

I worry every time I give up my bags, not just on air lines but at the dock also, all I can do is us locks, label them correctly, include my itinerary, and PRAY.

 

...yep, you're 100% right, formal nights are definitely not our thing, if we had to go on a ship that had required dress for the dining room, we'd be dining on the Lido deck that night, everyone has preferences, we prefer to not bother with formal wear and all its accoutrements, so we look for cruise lines that offer what we like, so far Oceania and NCL fit the bill just fine...

...interestingly enough, take a look around at what many 'boomers' wear, you'll see that many of us dress fairly casually all the time, I wear jeans daily, my father, who would be in his 80's now, never wore a pair of jeans in his life - he actually did yard and garden work wearing his sport coat. My wife and I, we have a few items of 'dressy' apparel, but give us comfy casual any day...

...as for the young vs old thing, my wife and I are in our mid 50's, we no longer go camping, but that has nothing to do with whether or not you might have to overnight in an airport terminal at some point in time, these things happen...

...as for how we go traveling now vs when we were 20, well for sure, when I was 20 I used my thumb to get everywhere until I could afford a car. Obviously some things change as we grow older, but not all of us choose to travel in the front of the plane or on the top of the ship as we plan to spend the extra cash on other things that we feel have greater value to us, again its all personal choices and opinions. Not all of us are so wealthy that we have unlimited travel funds, so sometimes cheap flights are just fine, thank you...

...to finish off this interesting discussion, my dear old dad had a saying he quoted on such occasions: "...to each his own, said the farmer as he kissed his cow." I sincerely wish you the best in all your future travels, you can look for us, we're the couple dressed in our jeans with the bright blue carryons...

 

cheers,

 

the Imagineers

[TravlGrl]

ok, i have to ask those that say they can go 3 weeks with only a carry-on:

 

how many pairs of 'unmentionables' do you take? were you constantly washing them out?

 

someone said they only did laundry once in 3 weeks. don't you think you were stinky?

 

the thought of wearing dirty clothes over and over and over again makes my skin crawl. :eek:

 

Unmentionables? Is that underwear? Not sure what else it could mean, but to me, that's totally mentionable! :) On a 3-week trip, I probably took 10-12 underwear with me. We washed our clothes 2 times. (We actually did the washing on our own one time, and paid for laundry service the second time.)

 

Wearing dirty clothes? Yes, that would make my skin crawl too. Did someone say they wear dirty clothes? I must have missed that. If I wear a top or pants one time, they are not dirty (unless I obviously spilled something on them). The rule I learned when I took a packing class was this:

 

If you won't wear the specific item 3 times during your travels, don't bring it!

 

I live by that rule...and yes, I do laundry on a 3-week trip.

 

People pack differently, and I was a "checked baggage" person before I ever took a "Packing Light" class. I have been a "carry-on" person ever since!

[TravlGrl]

I take offense to your remarks. We bathed every day and took plenty of clothes to avoid wearing dirty clothes "over and over again." Yes, we did at wear some pants twice before washing if they were not dirty. As far as unmentionables--we took enough for one week (fresh daily), washed them out once and then did laundry once.

 

It was a matter of carefully planning clothes and actual needs vs. just packing all the clothes we might want (or 12 different outfits that couldn't be mixed/matched with other items). We knew that we would need capri pants and lightweight tops during the day for sightseeing (I actually had the Old Navy tank tops and lightweight t-shirts in every color they made that summer along with a thin long sleeve shrug to cover up with when necessary), a dressy skirt with 2 different dressy tops for formal nights, pants and nicer tops for dinner and 3 (total) pairs of shoes (touring, pool/beach and dress). We packed the clothing in a vacuum bag to cut the space needed (it also helped to prevent wrinkles).

 

You must have taken the same "Packing Light" class I took. I also use the vacuum packing bags and only pack what I "need" vs what I really "want". Mixing/matching is KEY to packing light.

[Globaliser]

...yep, you're 100% right, formal nights are definitely not our thing, if we had to go on a ship that had required dress for the dining room, we'd be dining on the Lido deck that night, everyone has preferences, we prefer to not bother with formal wear and all its accoutrements, so we look for cruise lines that offer what we like, so far Oceania and NCL fit the bill just fine...

If you're going to do that, it's easier not to check any luggage.

 

But I still find it hard to imagine how one can take enough for a week's cruise and have it weigh less than 15 pounds.

 

Be that as it may, it just goes to show that for the majority of cruise passengers, who don't want to deny themselves the pleasure of dressing up, carry-on only is just not a realistic option.

[Crusin6]

My family, me, dh a 4dd's will be traveling to Europe in July (HOT HOT Hot)3 night pre cruise and 12 night cruise. We will bring 2 checked suitcases and 4 carryon's. My 17 year old and myself will have good sized over the shoulder touring bags and one other dd will carry a backpack. Total of 4 carryon's, 2 purses and 1 backpack in the plane cabin. My kids travel well and will pack as follows;

 

pack for seven days and wear evrything twice.

pack 16 pairs of underwear bottoms

tee shirts (7)

capri's (3)

3 or 4 SIMPLE sundresses

walking shoes, flipflops and cute dress sandals (again simple)

1 bathing suit

2 sleep pants and big tee (that can double for the pool)

shorts (2)

 

BTW all the above WILL fit in the carryon's and anything extra will go in checked luggage.

 

Also in a carryon will be allowable amounts of medicine etc.

My eldest DD and myself will carry camera, batteries and travel docs in our reasonable sized touring over the shoulder bags.

 

The bottom line her is simple: We travel often, the kids are great travelers, with such a large family losing luggage would be devestating so we carry enough to get thru a week if needed. I have NEVER done laundry on vacation. Will I do it this time? Only if there is no other choice. Do we smell? Of course not! Some people just believe that if they claim to be so perfect in everyway, such as in bringing 21 outfits plus for a 3 week trip that they are just somehow just "keeping up with the Joneses" BTW we do not like the Joneses. Do we dress up on formal nights? Yes. The girls in nice sundresses (forget flowergirl dresses), I in my silk slacks with 1 of the 2 silk blouses I will bring, DH in slacks and sport jacket and tie. DH an I will pack this in the luggage. We are not worried about formal clothes, only the important stuff, like the daily living clothes anyway. I will wear the slacks over again. Let's be realistic.

 

Will we pack more than we need?Of course

Will we check luggage? Of course

If it were just Dh and myself or 1dd and myself, would we check luggage?No way.

Will anyone at all in Rome or on the cruise care or even notice what we are wearing? Maybe

Will we care what they think? Of course not

Will we look great for the ships fotog? We always have in the past

Will we have a great time creating family memories? Without a doubt;)

[Happy ks]

I've learned to dress from the shoes up, my last cruise (it was only a weekend) I had the shoes on my feet and shoes to wear to dinner. I packed in a rollaboard and actually had some of my husbands things in my 22 inch, he had a full sized garment bag. I could pack for a month in that garment bag, but I don't need to carry a suit.

 

I think a lot of people just worry too much about "what if" and are really a bit frightened to leave home. So, they take as much of home with them as they can! I read the packing lists with awe on these boards, wondering how I can manage to cut 90% of the junk off the list and others would fall apart at the seams at the mere thought of not having hilighter pens in two colors and a roll of duct tape.

 

It takes time and experience to pack well, there is absolutely no reason you can't look fashionable and neat for a multitude of events without hauling along 2 huge suitcases apiece. I think first you have to get over the feeling that you are making an entrance on a red carpet and you have to be willing to do a bit of wash in the sink.

 

The unmentionables??? No biggie, every few days just throw them into the sink with soapy water and allow them to soak while you are showering. Swish them around a few times, rinse them out and hang them up, it takes me no more than 5 minutes during the week. Then I don't have a baggie full of stinky underwear when I get home.

[missty]

We usually check our luggage. We also, cross pack. 2-3 complete outfits of mine go in my husbands luggage, and the same with him. Then, if by chance a suitcase is delayed or lost, we have a few days of clothes.

 

missty

[Stoneyard]

The great majority of lost bags are checked in at curbside. Very few counter checked baggage is actually lost. Might be delayed but hardly ever lost.

[ILVMM]

...yep, you're 100% right, formal nights are definitely not our thing,

 

...My wife and I, we have a few items of 'dressy' apparel, but give us comfy casual any day...

...as for the young vs old thing, my wife and I are in our mid 50's

...as we plan to spend the extra cash on other things that we feel have greater value to us...

...we're the couple dressed in our jeans with the bright blue carryons...

 

All Right! someone with my kind of thinking. We just got back from a 10 night (over Christmas & New Year's) cruise to Panama Canal on HAL. We brought 2 sets of "nice" clothes to wear. 1 set for midnight Mass & second set, just in case we decided to do the dining room one evening.

 

We didn't. We ate at Lido Deck every night or had room service. We don't dress grungy at all. We dress comfortable and our clothes are respectable.

 

We are a retired couple (he is 62 and i'm 51) and we enjoy cruising. Like you, we enjoy spending our money on things that are more appealing to us (inside cabin cus we're rarely there, etc.) We're cruising 3x this year, well 3-1/2 if you count the one over New Year's, and they are paid for - not on a charge card.

 

Yet, when I travel with my girlfriends (once a year we get together somewhere) we always bring some dress-up clothes and enjoy the ambience!

 

Each to their own & enjoy your travels - that's what vacation is all about!

[Globaliser]

I think a lot of people just worry too much about "what if" and are really a bit frightened to leave home.

For cruise passengers, this is so true!

 

My favourite jazz singer, Stacey Kent, has a song on her new album, called I wish I could go travelling again. The lyrics are by Kazuo Ishiguro (who wrote The Remains of the Day, amongst other things). Here's a selection:-

I want to sit in my shades sipping my latte

Beneath the awning of a famous café

Jet-lagged and with our luggage gone astray

I wish I could go travelling again

 

I want a waiter to give us a reprimand

In a language neither of us understand

While we argue about the customs of the land

I wish I could go travelling again

 

I want to sit in traffic anxious about our plane

While your blasé comments drive me half insane

I want to dash for shelter with you through the tropical rain

I wish I could go travelling again

 

I want to be awaked by a faulty fire alarm

In an overpriced hotel devoid of charm

Then fall asleep again back in your arms

I wish I could go travelling again

How many CC members would be sanguine about these things happening to them? :D

[FlyerTalker]

My favourite jazz singer, Stacey Kent, has a song on her new album, called I wish I could go travelling again. The lyrics are by Kazuo Ishiguro (who wrote The Remains of the Day, amongst other things). Here's a selection

Nice voice, at least on the sample at Amazon - will have to pick up some of her works.

 

I travel "heavy", using every bit of allowance that my status and/or upgrades let me have. My luggage rarely gets waylaid, for several good reasons:

 

1) Quality luggage - the handles will stay on, so no lost tags due to a missing piece of the bag.

2) Timely check-in - I make sure that there's plenty of time for the luggage to make the initial departure, going through whatever TSA screening is needed as well as the airline's own processing.

3) Accurate claim tags - I double check the flights and airports, making sure they match my itinerary

4) Reasonable itinerary - I don't book tight connections unless absolutely necessary. Why stress the tolerance of the luggage connect - yes, I might be able to run the length of the terminal, but can the tug with my bags match my time? I will pay for a longer connection time to help insure smooth connects.

5) Identification galore - I have plenty of personalized ID on my bags (and no, not colored pompons, but real ID tags), along with a detailed itinerary sheet in an outer, unlocked pocket. That sheet includes contact information, as well as what the intended flights were AND where I head next after the flights (hotel, ship, whatever).

 

Now, this won't guarantee that somehow the bag won't be misrouted or left behind. But it goes a long way to reducing the possibility that I'll be at my destination and the bag will be in Bombay or the like. (FYI - that was the infamous destination of many a bag in the handwritten tag days. When you truly ticked off a ticket agent, your bag went to BOM, never to be heard from again.)

[Capsu78]

5) Identification galore - I have plenty of personalized ID on my bags (and no, not colored pompons, but real ID tags), along with a detailed itinerary sheet in an outer, unlocked pocket. That sheet includes contact information, as well as what the intended flights were AND where I head next after the flights (hotel, ship, whatever).

 

Bingo... I have said this before, but it is also worthwhile to redo your ID before a big international trip, simplyfying everything, and promonently featuring ONE contact phone number- the one you are carrying, (being sure it will work in country) and using multiple layers like Flyer sez. Before our last trip, I found luggage tags with business cards from offices that had moved, phone numbers that had changed, jobs I no longer had!

 

I am convinced my bags found me in Paris in under 18 hours mostly because of strong, redundant, consistant and real time labeling. Giving them foreign numbers for your voicemail in the US from your previous position is setting yourself up for failure.