Serious question, is the 'never check a bag' rule always right?

I was talking to my friend who just got back from a month in Portugal. She said she paid $60 to check a bag and it saved her over $200. She packed a small rice cooker, some spices, and a few other kitchen things. She cooked almost every meal in her hostel's shared kitchen instead of eating out. I always thought checking a bag was a budget fail, but her math made me stop and think. Has anyone else found a case where checking a bag actually saved money on a longer trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_harris7817d ago

Wait, is this even a real rule or just something travel bloggers say to sound smart? Your friend's story makes sense, but that's a pretty specific case. Most people aren't packing a rice cooker. For a normal trip, checking a bag is still just paying extra to wait at the carousel.

lopez.simon17d ago

Oh man, I saw something about this. Some airlines have a rule about any bag over 50 pounds getting a crazy fee, even if it's just a little over. So maybe that's the real rule they're talking about? Idk, it's confusing.

oliver_morgan13d ago

I used to think the 50 pound rule was just a suggestion until Delta charged me 100 bucks for a 52 pound bag. The agent said it's a hard limit for safety reasons, something about the baggage handlers. Now I weigh my suitcase at home with a cheap bathroom scale.