"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home"
Drink Eat be IRIE!
we do the same thing Greg....we have never been to Jamaica without a suitcase full of stuff for the kids....even our first trip, we brought for the kids...we bring a few items for the adults, but mostly children stuff...we also would feel a little guilty without giving a little back...we also bring dog and cat food....I dont but as many beers for the locals like some of my friend do...we carry a 50lb bag of stuff to give away...to the kids...
2009 trip http://www.negril.com/cgi-bin/discus.cgi?pg=prev&topic=196641&page=272185
2010 halloween---no TR
trip 2012
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.php/5589-Trip-report-sept-1-14-including-pelicanbar-catcha-legends-samsara-pubcrawl-etc
trip 2013
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.php/8323-gettin-my-groove-on-quot-TRIP-report-quot-boardie-bash-style-april21-may11-2013
.trip 2014
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.php/11962-Trip-report-Boardie-Bash-2014-best-trip-yet
Heads up if your only option is AA. While double checking baggage limits yesterday, end of February, $25.00 fee for using the overhead bin!
they are getting really unreasonable with that stuff. it makes no sense. i might suck it up and pay $25 to use the overhead bin IF i could bring on full-sized bottles of liquid, but i'll just continue to suck it up and check bags when i travel to the caribbean- i need to bring full-sized bottles of bug spray, sunscreen and conditioner and prefer to bring it from home.
we're flying first class on american next month, so best believe the three of us be taking advantage of the 2-per-traveler luggage allowance.
i don't think we'll get crazy and actually check in six bags and bring six carry-ons (we save that type of insanity for when we go back to haiti), but i'm not curtailing the amount of floaties or balking at the gigantic size of the bottle of bubbles my 10 year old wants to bring.
i might even take down some cooking-related items that i don't feel like paying inflated prices for at the hi lo. the cottage we have for the last 5 days of our trip has a nice, full-sized kitchen. i want to make some lobster pasta while watching the ocean out my window!
If we are traveling non-stop both ways we check luggage and bring more. If we are having flights where we have to change planes then we often go carry on.
On a non-stop I don't have to see my luggage until I reach my destination, but when we fly with a layover to change planes everything is different. We have missed flights in Charlotte going home because when you land you have to do Immigration, wait to claim your luggage, wait to go through customs, then recheck that luggage for the next flight, then go through TSA Security to get on the the gate for the connecting flight. So... either nonstop or carry on only is our current method.
Good for you Groove16! Glad to see others giving back to the country we love so much . One Love!
July 1993*, Feb 2003, Aug 2005, April 2007, Feb 2008, Feb 2009, April 2010, Nov 2010, Nov 2011, Nov 2012, March 2013*, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, March 2015*, Nov 2015*, April 2016*, Oct 2016, Nov 2017*, May 2018*, Nov 2018*, Oct/Nov 2019*, Dec 2020*, Dec 2021*, May 2022* (Portland), Dec 2022* (Irish Town/Strawberry Hill), Dec 2023*, Dec 2024*, Dec 2025*, Dec 2026
I'm carryon all the way, especially since I use a backpack for my extras that I slide under the seat in from of me on the flight down. I brought my daughters in Dec and just the hair products alone guarantees that they have to use check-in (even though they were smart and only had one large check-in bag that they shared). The 'quart ziplock bag for liquids' is a killer for women, though, trying to do carryon for a week!
Last edited by ukran1ans; 02-02-2017 at 03:39 PM.
I just heard a news story stating that at least one airline, Spirit, will begin charging for bags checked at the gate. I would not be surprised if other airlines follow suit. Personally, I wish the airlines would just stop with all the fees that nickel and dime you to death and just charged one rate for everything.