I like what Rastagirl777 said - do carryon if it's not an obnoxious size - I can't tell you how many times I've gotten on a flight with an acceptable size carryon only to find someone has some huge piece stuffed into the overhang meant for 3-4 pieces - then I have to walk further back to put mine in the overhead - sucks when you land because then you make everyone mad by holding them up because you have to navigate back to get your sack before exiting the plane. I use a cooler on wheels as my check in - that way when I get to jamaica, I have a cooler to keep all of the Red Stripe in - can keep a lot more Red Stripes cold in a big cooler than a little refridge! Good luck!