Baggage Allowances

Airlines have variable luggage weight restrictions. International trans-ocean flights are the most generous, usually allowing two 50 lb checked bags for each person. However, because we didn’t book all our flights at the same time and on the same ticket, we had to comply with Air Canada’s baggage allowances for Canada to U.S. flights, only one 50 lb bag per person. Since we were traveling for three months, and it’s business travel at that, I thought we didn’t do too badly packing to that limit. We were slightly over, but Air Canada let us through.

Now, however, we are flying internally on Air New Zealand to the South Island for a week-long lecture tour. Their baggage allowance on internal flights is only 44 lbs per person. They only allow one 15 lb carry on per person, and your computer case is not exempt as it is on most North American airlines. My carry on bag weighs 7 lbs empty!

So we have found ourselves with extra weight. We’ve been here for 7 weeks, and we bought a gift or two. We have groceries, we have laundry detergent, and we have wine. We have a chilly bin (cooler). We have extra books to read. We have folding lawn chairs. We had to buy an extra duffle bag to hold all the stuff. And now we can’t take it with us.

I have given away the extra books and I have tossed the perishables. I am doing some hard pruning and will leave the extra stuff in the trunk of the Jaguar at our friend’s house, until we rejoin the Jag in mid November.

I can hear my children snickering now.