You know what it is like. You have over-packed your suitcases, stuffed your carry-on within every inch of its flexible fibers and prayed all the way to the airport that either 1) your luggage won’t be overweight, or 2) there will be a nice, generous, Christmas-spirit-filled person taking your bags.
While I can’t help you combat unfriendly airline employees I can offer you a suggestion that will help you verify your luggage weight before it is too late.
Last summer a fellow travel-obsessed buddy bought me a hand held luggage scale that saved me from over-packing and paying hefty airline fees or from under-packing and not maximizing my return-back-to-Italy-with-everything-American weight allowance.
I love it. And I think you will, too.
The Travelon® Luggage Scale with Tape Measure costs around $10.00 and is perfect for easily weighing and measuring luggage before heading to the airport.
I love that it is compact and easily slides into my suitcase, so I can carry it with me and use it to weigh luggage for both ends of my flight. It can hold up to 75 pounds and the scale locks so you can easily read the exact weight of your bags. There is also a tape measure that checks dimensions up to 39 inches.
This will be extra handy this year when we fly – for the first time ever – Ryanair, who apparently is rather stingy with their weight allowances and baggage sizes.
Do you weigh your luggage before you arrive at the airport? If so, what kind of scale do you use? If you have any other recommendations, please share them with us!
Be sure to come back next week for a review of the top holiday gifts for the traveler in your life.
What a great idea especially with airlines charging more and more overweight luggage.
Exactly! Don’t want to spend more than you have to!
nyc/carribbean ragazza’s last blog post..Photos from Piazza Navona’s Christmas Fair.
ooops that should be “for overweight…”
He he… I didn’t even notice!
nyc/carribbean ragazza’s last blog post..Photos from Piazza Navona’s Christmas Fair.
Nice Christmas gift idea… thanks.
Prego!
Judith in Umbria’s last blog post..Tilda and the fashion scene
where do you get those from? I want me one of them! I never weigh my bags, don’t usually need to, i am VERY good at guessing what the weight is. And I am an underpacker! Nothing delights me more than using every single item in my suitcase and taking the bare minimum. Mind you i try to avoid flying ryan air, is not that convenient from here, extra costs and hassle usually make the true ticket ‘costs’ around that of a regular one anyway.
Ryan air – poor you – you know you get charged for ANY bag you check in? Hand luggage they are also strict on, but i am trying to remember which budget airline it is (i think ryan air??) that now just has the size (not weight) restriction for handluggage.
I am a good packer, too in normal travel situations but when I come back from America – I load up! At least RyanAir’s restrictions will keep me from going crazy with the shopping in TX!
Great idea. I have been meaning to get one. I always weigh my bag(for an airline trip) and I do it on a bathroom scale 😉
I used to use a bathroom scale, too. A few years ago I got to the airport and was 10 pounds underweight. I’d have liked to have that 10 pounds of American stuff to bring back to Italy!!
My Melange’s last blog post..On Missing Paris
I’m definitely getting one of those scales.Two years ago,we brought back 18 bottles of wine from the family winery.We even bought an extra piece of luggage to distribute the weight so none of the bags would be over 50 lbs(the limit on most US carriers at the time).We didn’t know that the weight limit on our European carrier was 40 lbs, so each of our bags was 10 lbs overweight. That was some VERY expensive wine.
ps. hope you guys have a safe trip.Can’t wait to hear about RyanAir.
Oh no that is horrible!! Yes, get a scale. I love mine! I hope I have good things to report from RyanAir!
OMG…..I forgot to say Mille Grazie for the suggestion.
Prego!
Awesome gift idea! Only a couple of weeks until you are stateside! Are you closing Il Cedro while you are in the U.S.?
I know. The time will definitely fly by! We have to close (legally) for at least a month, so yep. We will be closed from mid Dec-mid Jan. Perfetto!
City Girl’s last blog post..I Got A Blog Award!!
That is a great present, and very handy for when you are coming home from your holidays. I don’t have one of those, so I weigh myself, then weigh myself and suitcase and subtract my weight, and there you go. But you could put this in your suitcase for your return. 🙂
I’ve done that, as well. I am obsessive when it comes to weighing my luggage though and do it at least a dozen times. Plus it didn’t work well when I subtracted the 5 pounds for clothes and shoes! lol
anne’s last blog post..Portofino and Sante Margherita Ligure
Sorry didn’t realize My Melange had put about the bathroom scales LOL
That is ok. I used to use them, too. This is better, I think!!
anne’s last blog post..Portofino and Sante Margherita Ligure
Luggage scales are very handy for people who travel a lot. It is small useful tool which could save some money on luggage excess. Don’t forget to take with you in next flight.
I want to buy one, please let me know where I can buy this luggage scale? How to pay for it? Thanks!
Just click on the link and it should take you to a site where you can buy one! I love mine.
For information: these scales are quite inaccurate and leaving you guessing the nearest half kilo or more (eg 1.5kg potatoes = ~2 kg). (Also we had to repack at the airport so it may be more inaccurate with greater weights like luggage).
It’s quite difficult to get baggage to stay on the ‘hook’ (which can bend) and also the screw down lock on mine doesn’t work. The only zero adjustment is by taking the face and indicator hand off and repositioning it (with ~.25kg loose leeway). It’s also quite bulky and using bathroom scales before each flight may be better.
Having said that it’s cheap and quick to use and anything that saves on baggage costs has got to be worth it but a digital scale may be a better investment?
Hope this is usefu info.
I’m sorry you don’t like yours. This was a legitimate review-I don’t think the company even knows about it. I suppose I had better luck with mine. I’ve had it 4 or 5 years and still use it.