Carry on or luggage?

[MissBlue]

if i'm traveling in the USA, I can do carryon-only and buy shampoo, lotion, etc when i get where i'm going.

but for international travel, (at least until they stop the stupidness about liquids), i always check bags cause i'm particular about hair and skin products - even two 3 oz bottles of each is not enough to last for more than a week when i'm in saltwater and the sun all day every day - and they can't be bought in the destination. AND I've also come to really despise the "overhead cabin wars", and inconsiderate people who carry on everything and the kitchen sink, expecting everyone else to squish up ourselves to accommodate their excess.

so I'd rather be hands-free on the plane, with only one small carryon that can go under the seat. plus I hate carrying a bunch of stuff so i'd rather have someone else deal with the main luggage, so i don't have to, LOL, and i'm not in any great rush when i get off the plane, i don't care atall about waiting for luggage.

[saeyedoc]

If I could do carry on I so would! It's so nice and easy to get off the plane and head straight for the exit

More like straight for the immigration line. Last two trips, by the time we got through, our luggage was there anyway. Between sunscreen and rafts on the way down and coffee on the way back, the room comes in handy.

[Scott and Janet]

Ed .......Am in same boat....me with a back pack...my dear Janet with two suitcases...Hey, but its all good!!!

[TizzyATX]

How likely for luggage to get "lost"? Anybody deal with that?

[marley9808]

How likely for luggage to get "lost"? Anybody deal with that?

I would say 1 in 10.....I have been to Jamaica 10 times, my luggage has been lost once
But they found it later that same day and had a driver carry it out to Negril and bring it to me at my hotel, wasn't that big of a deal.

[head in the trees]

We have been storing our things little by little down there every year. We are now looking at keeping clothes down there as well. Anyone ever go down with 2 bags and return with only 1? Any issues?

[MissBlue]

it doesn't matter headinthetrees- once you are cleared to enter the country, they're done looking at the minute details of your luggage (except of course for the standard security check on the way out to ensure no 'contraband') - but nobody compares how many pieces of luggage you leave with, to what you brought in.

tizzy - lost luggage is no more or less likely in JA, as it is in any other airport - i've never had luggage lost or damaged in 25 years going to JA.... on the other hand, it happened twice within 8 years when i lived in Hawaii and went back and forth from there a lot. It's no more or less likely in JA than anywhere else - and it's standard procedure for most airlines that if anything does get lost, they hand-carry it to you when it is recovered.

[rastagirl777]

We have been storing our things little by little down there every year. We are now looking at keeping clothes down there as well. Anyone ever go down with 2 bags and return with only 1? Any issues?

I store a household full of stuff in Jamaica over a period of 9 months when I'm not there. I have a secure/locked place at my godson's house and (knock wood) have never had an issue. Been doing that for 10 years. What I don't store however are linens and clothing. I don't like to deal with the mildew issue and I like fresh sheets to put on my bed when I get there. I do store a few beach towels though and I store those in those vacuum bags. They rock! First, they flatten to allow for space efficiency and they really do keep things somewhat fresh and away from the damp - but I still hang those items out in the sun for a day to freshen them up. The other items, all "hard goods" are stored in large coolers and containers that are sealed. I learned from experience about rodents and wet getting in there and it's not pretty when you open it up.

As years have gone by I've brought down less and less for the house, as has been the plan. Even still, I ended up with 6 checked bags and 4 carry-ons last year. I've never once gone back a bag short...it seems to fill up on the way back the way it does on the way down, and that includes the time I brought down a vacuum cleaner for a friend. I bring back anywhere between 30-50 lbs of coffee and a bunch of food items I can't get in the states so that's at least one bag in and of itself. And even with the lotions and potions I leave there (unopened bottles of shampoo, bug spray, sunscreen etc.) - I don't know, maybe my things expand?

My educated guess is that if you come back one bag short there shouldn't be an issue.

As far as luggage being lost or delayed, that has not happened to me once in 27 years (knock wood).

[northcoast]

Just curious....what food items do you bring back that aren't available in the States??

[rastagirl777]

The only food items I bring with me is Olive Oil and Matzah Meal. I bring the Olive Oil because I prefer cooking with it as opposed to the oils available in Jamaica - and its wicked expensive there. The Matzah Meal I bring for a friend and that's simply not available - but he makes kickin' maztah balls with it that we all enjoy

Other than that I prefer to shop and eat locally and seasonally. When I'm in JA, I eat JA.