7 Reasons You Should Check Your Luggage
7 Reasons You Should Check Your Luggage Transportation
Unrelenting long lines at airline check-in counters and kiosks make it a pain. So does the wait at destination pickup carousels. It’s a gamble because, though the odds are low, . In July, Delta flew an Airbus full of lost luggage — no passengers, just 1,000 bags — from London’s Heathrow Airport to Detroit’s Metro Airport, a Delta hub. The airline called it “a creative solution to move delayed bags.” It’s true that checking a bag also can add $30 or more per person per leg of the trip, though with some airline credit cards or a carrier like Southwest, you may find you can check bags for free. But all expense, chance and travel chaos notwithstanding, I choose to check almost every time I fly, particularly when I go solo. Shedding that rolling weight makes me feel free as the birds that zoom around inside of Denver International’s tented roof peaks. Generally, I have a backpack to tote, but without the added burden of my suitcase (no matter the size), I can move around, without awkward body contortions, to get into bathroom stalls, for example, or the tiny convenience stores. Here’s what else I do once I’ve jettisoned the baggage.
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
Forget Carry-On Bags 7 Reasons to Check Your Luggage
How your journey will be easier and more relaxed
Getty Images It is no secret that checking luggage at many major U.S. airports is a pain and a gamble.Unrelenting long lines at airline check-in counters and kiosks make it a pain. So does the wait at destination pickup carousels. It’s a gamble because, though the odds are low, . In July, Delta flew an Airbus full of lost luggage — no passengers, just 1,000 bags — from London’s Heathrow Airport to Detroit’s Metro Airport, a Delta hub. The airline called it “a creative solution to move delayed bags.” It’s true that checking a bag also can add $30 or more per person per leg of the trip, though with some airline credit cards or a carrier like Southwest, you may find you can check bags for free. But all expense, chance and travel chaos notwithstanding, I choose to check almost every time I fly, particularly when I go solo. Shedding that rolling weight makes me feel free as the birds that zoom around inside of Denver International’s tented roof peaks. Generally, I have a backpack to tote, but without the added burden of my suitcase (no matter the size), I can move around, without awkward body contortions, to get into bathroom stalls, for example, or the tiny convenience stores. Here’s what else I do once I’ve jettisoned the baggage.
I fly through TSA
It’s just me and my backpack. And with , Clear or Global Entry — all programs for which you pay to move to the front of the line — you may feel like a VIP. Purse or backpack on the conveyor belt, me through the scanner — done. Without any of the aforementioned programs, it’s still no big deal. Shoes slip off, computer slips out, and that’s it. No lifting a cumbersome wheelie bag onto the belt or pulling out a bag of liquids because the liquids are in the checked bag!I fitness walk
Long concourses are great for counting steps, but some airports, among them Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, have indoor fitness “trails” or “loops” marked for eager exercisers. At Phoenix Sky Harbor International, for example, go from Gate A30 to D8 and you will have walked a mile, plus seen the city’s skyline, Camelback Mountain and more. Join today and save 25% off the standard annual rate. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life.I shop
Among my airport treasures have been a now threadbare Detroit Motown T-shirt, a smart mustard color leather backpack, a personalized ceramic wedding plate for a friend (it had to be shipped), kids books with corresponding stuffed animals for my grandnephews, and local delicacies like Seattle’s Chukar Cherries to bring as house gifts or take home as thank-you presents. I take advantage of the MAC makeup stores, Tumi luggage, local clothing stores like Tyler’s Austin Warehouse at Austin-Bergstrom International, and duty-free shops everywhere! In Switzerland’s Geneva International, I wandered so long in duty-free stores that I filled a tote with the yummiest of Swiss chocolates, some of which didn’t quite make it home. I wouldn’t have wandered into any of those places — tight spaces most — with a suitcase the size of an Amazon delivery box alongside me. I relax in a spa
On a three-hour layover in on my way to Key West, Florida, I had a fabulous, relaxing mani-pedi. In Chicago’s O’Hare and Detroit’s Metro airports, I had an invigorating chair massage at the chain spas. In Denver I did some yoga in a now-departed studio that supplied mats and streaming videos. Each helped alleviate my anxiety about flying.I enjoy a proper meal
I stride right past the various fast-food or grab-and-go counters and find the real food, like sushi bar Chaya at LAX airport, or Vino Volo at Baltimore’s BWI airport, or Elways (as in the former Denver Bronco QB) at DIA, or any other good bistro or diner with hot food and a waiter. I savor the last real meal I’ll have for a while — which is easy to do when I do not have to squeeze in around a big ole bag. (Plus, I don’t eat the handout junk food on the flight.)I play the slots
Truth. I did this just once on my way out of , but I didn’t have to worry that my bag might disappear when I was jumping for joy over a big win (not!). My suitcase full of girls’ weekend fancy clothes was already snug in the luggage hold while I was losing the last of my money.I have zero worry about the overhead bin
As I start down the jetway I am at ease, even when I am in the last boarding group. I am confident there will be no embarrassment when I can’t get the roller bag into the tight space above my head, nor will I have to look in vain for space before or beyond my seat, only to be told I must gate-check. Rather, I sit, stash my backpack under the seat, buckle up, breathe deep and keep fingers crossed that we’ll leave on time. Lorrie Lynch is the former executive editor of features for aarp.org.More on Travel
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures