Please advise--we will be traveling with a National Geographic tour inside China in October --we have never done this before--they advised us that the baggage restriction for flying inside China is 44 pounds--is this true?? my purse i carry everyday to work must weigh that much--i know i know you dont need to take that much if you pack correctly --but i better start working on "correct packing" if the weight limit is truly 44 pounds--out go the shoes and makeup--thanks in advance--jan

For flights not originating from the USA, or with final destination outside of the USA, the baggage allowance for economy is 20 kg or 44 lb. You can get away with 50 lb. and should have no problem.

Thanks for your advice---does the 44 include carryon--or is carryon considered separately???jan

I am quoting from my Pacific Delight Tour instructions: "Baggage restrictions are firmly imposed within China. You are allowed one piece of checked luggage that does not exceed 44 lbs. (including whatever purchases you may add along the way). You should be prepared to pay on the spot for any excess weight or for extra pieces of luggage at each destination if you are not in compliance with this regulation." I experienced the same thing in Africa last year. My advice--pack light, light, light. I hope that this helps.

Having laundry done in China is very reasonable, take 4 or 5 days worth of clothing and have the laundry done in the hotel every 4th or 5th day. The clothes come back beautifully clean! One suggestion, if you are going on a Yangtze River cruise, don't do any laundry on the boat--the clothes come back an interesting shade of gray! Have a great trip, we were there in Oct. and had beautiful weather, we would go back in a heartbeat!

Does this retriction also apply to Bangkok Air coming into Xian? If so, would it also include carry on luggage?
We're going in February and we'd love to know. Because we would probably leave some bags at the Bangkok Airport.

Thanks!

Your baggage allowance (44 lbs) is for your checked bag. The carry-on is separate, but needs to be small - they enforce the rules more rigorously than they do in the US.

If I were you, I'd leave some luggage at the Bangkok Airport. I've done so myself, it's 70 baht per day per piece of luggage. So obviously, you are best advised to leave one large piece rather than several smaller pieces.

Your INTERNAL BAGGAGE restrictions should NOT apply to the FINAL FLIGHT(S) CROSSING THE PACIFIC.

the trans-Pacific part should allow PIECE CONCEPT the only trouble is some cheap tour operators get deals that even limit this part of the journey.

Take minimal amounts of clothing and buy clothing in destination - there are ALWAYS local handwash laundries in every destination who will be happy to give you same day (same morning/afternoon) service for LOW VALUE items (T-shirts, under pants, etc).

REMEMBER to take contact lenses solution, condoma and birth control pills - either not available or low quality.

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Actually I've found enforcement of carry-on size/weight to be very lax on intra-China flights. I generally use a 22" rollaway and I've seen quite a few bags larger than mine onboard.