Avoiding Ryan Air's baggage fees on 14 day trip in Europe
Apr 21st, 2012, 01:36 PM
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Avoiding Ryan Air's baggage fees on 14 day trip in Europe
I am hoping to avoid baggage fees in my upcoming trip to Europe this June. I am just curious if others have been able to as well on a 14 day trip, 10 days in Europe (Paris, London, Dublin). If you have been able to do so on a journey of this length, do you have any specific great tips, other than the obvious plan of traveling light.
I plan to have only one bag that I carry on of the proper dimension (less than 55 cm length), and be under 10 kg. I also plan to have a light empty bag in that carry on that I will use before and after the boarding process. I will wear my heaviest clothes and dress in layers and have a jacket with many pockets as well. Any other tips or just share if you were able to do this for a 2 week trip? (checking in a bag costs about 50 euros; I am a light and frugal traveler and just want to be able to do this)
I plan to have only one bag that I carry on of the proper dimension (less than 55 cm length), and be under 10 kg. I also plan to have a light empty bag in that carry on that I will use before and after the boarding process. I will wear my heaviest clothes and dress in layers and have a jacket with many pockets as well. Any other tips or just share if you were able to do this for a 2 week trip? (checking in a bag costs about 50 euros; I am a light and frugal traveler and just want to be able to do this)
Apr 21st, 2012, 01:51 PM
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Just curious.. when you travel Paris-London-Dublin, when will you take a Ryanair flight?
You probably will take the train from Paris to London?
Prices for first checked baggage with Ryanair vary, €25-30 for 15kg or €35-40 for 20kg suitcase.
If you need/want to fly London-Dublin you can still check Aer Lingus or other airlines for fares and usually lower fees for checked luggage.
www.whichbudget.com
Or take the train/ferry from London to Dublin.
You probably will take the train from Paris to London?
Prices for first checked baggage with Ryanair vary, €25-30 for 15kg or €35-40 for 20kg suitcase.
If you need/want to fly London-Dublin you can still check Aer Lingus or other airlines for fares and usually lower fees for checked luggage.
www.whichbudget.com
Or take the train/ferry from London to Dublin.
Apr 21st, 2012, 02:04 PM
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I was in Europe for seven weeks last summer, dressing for work weeks as well as vacation, with the amount/arrangement of luggage you are describing here and it worked fine - it's a welcome simplify your life thing in a way. I took several EasyJet flights with similar tight baggage rules and had no problem. Enjoy!
Apr 21st, 2012, 02:12 PM
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Glad to hear you did it easily, Texastrips! I have to remind myself I left for a 6 week around the world trip with the equivalent of a gym bag....but I had accumulated two more bags by the end of that trip.
My son just wants to figure a way to haul home half a luggage bag of Walker's crisps (potato chips) from London. That is what my light empty bag is for; I will wear most of my clothing on the ryan air flight and put the chips in the luggage and then once off, I will use my second bag for the chips and repack what I wore.
I already bought my ryan air tickets, cowboy, so it is a done deal. It is London (or Stansted, somewhere near London) to Dublin. I am flying Aer Lingus NY to Paris, train paris to London, and then Aer Lingus back to NY. I think the flights were about 39 euros each, less than the baggage check fee.
My son just wants to figure a way to haul home half a luggage bag of Walker's crisps (potato chips) from London. That is what my light empty bag is for; I will wear most of my clothing on the ryan air flight and put the chips in the luggage and then once off, I will use my second bag for the chips and repack what I wore.
I already bought my ryan air tickets, cowboy, so it is a done deal. It is London (or Stansted, somewhere near London) to Dublin. I am flying Aer Lingus NY to Paris, train paris to London, and then Aer Lingus back to NY. I think the flights were about 39 euros each, less than the baggage check fee.
Apr 21st, 2012, 03:56 PM
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So, actually, this baggage fee is just an issue on ONE single flight?
BTW.. you should check the fees again. A SECOND bag may cost 50, but a FIRST bag would be 25 or 30 GBP. And you could take 15kg plus the 10kg of your cabin luggage.
As TG said.. isn't that a bit too much trouble for still a rather small amount of money?
BTW.. you should check the fees again. A SECOND bag may cost 50, but a FIRST bag would be 25 or 30 GBP. And you could take 15kg plus the 10kg of your cabin luggage.
As TG said.. isn't that a bit too much trouble for still a rather small amount of money?
Apr 21st, 2012, 04:15 PM
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My religion doesn't allow me to incur baggage fees.
Just kidding..... I generally travel light so it is an ouch to pay 30-40$ for possibly being just 5 lbs over. I won't sweat it if I have to check it in but would prefer to avoid it. It is not an affordability thing; more of a challenge.
I certainly don't want to be penny wise pound foolish and will willingly pay the fee if it compromises what I want to buy overseas and my trip in general. Thanks for the thoughts.
Just kidding..... I generally travel light so it is an ouch to pay 30-40$ for possibly being just 5 lbs over. I won't sweat it if I have to check it in but would prefer to avoid it. It is not an affordability thing; more of a challenge.
I certainly don't want to be penny wise pound foolish and will willingly pay the fee if it compromises what I want to buy overseas and my trip in general. Thanks for the thoughts.
Apr 21st, 2012, 10:27 PM
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Hmm.. understand.. sort of 
I often had Ryanair flights where the CC fee was higher than the fare.
But, seriously, a total of 61 GBP (fare+ 1 checked bag) still would be a pretty good deal for going London - Dublin by plane.
Even if you managed to get all your belongings in your checked luggage wouldn't that make you somewhat inflexible during your travels when you could not buy whatever item en route cause you were already travelling at 100% of the allowance?
Anyway.. as you mentioned restrictions in your OP, you probably have seen on Ryanair's website that they exist for length, width and height. They do measure that at the gate frequently with a carton cover that must fit all around the carry-on with no tolerance for wheels etc.
Happy gambling
P.S: I've seen old Ryan's mansion in Ireland.. you don't get such an estate from losing the game ;-)
I often had Ryanair flights where the CC fee was higher than the fare.
But, seriously, a total of 61 GBP (fare+ 1 checked bag) still would be a pretty good deal for going London - Dublin by plane.
Even if you managed to get all your belongings in your checked luggage wouldn't that make you somewhat inflexible during your travels when you could not buy whatever item en route cause you were already travelling at 100% of the allowance?
Anyway.. as you mentioned restrictions in your OP, you probably have seen on Ryanair's website that they exist for length, width and height. They do measure that at the gate frequently with a carton cover that must fit all around the carry-on with no tolerance for wheels etc.
Happy gambling
P.S: I've seen old Ryan's mansion in Ireland.. you don't get such an estate from losing the game ;-)
Apr 21st, 2012, 11:03 PM
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It is definitely still a great deal, cowboy. I just would like to try to do this just as a challenge.... I think I can, I think I can. There are 3 of us traveling. One option is that we travel so light that all our clothes together fit in one bag, all our nonclothes (entertainment, ipad, nook, toiletries) fit in another, and the third suitcase is left empty for purchases. I was looking for tips I may not have thought of to achieve this.
If it was meaningful for me to have a lot of stuff with me, I wouldn't even try since as travelgourmet and you pointed out, what is the big deal? The cost is small. It is just that I like the challenge of minimalization without compromising my travel experience as texastrips was able to do as well.
If it was meaningful for me to have a lot of stuff with me, I wouldn't even try since as travelgourmet and you pointed out, what is the big deal? The cost is small. It is just that I like the challenge of minimalization without compromising my travel experience as texastrips was able to do as well.
Apr 22nd, 2012, 03:22 AM
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The answer is yes, it is perfectly doable if you are willing to do a bit of washing in your hotel bathrooms during the trip. Take basic garments and a few blouses, t-shirts and scarves so you don't get bored. Limit shoes severely and wear the heavier pair.
Mu husband and I do the method you described of putting all clothes folded flat in one case, everything else (shoes, books, chargers, toilet bags, etc) in the other. Make sure you can get your handbag into one of your carryons just for boarding.
Mu husband and I do the method you described of putting all clothes folded flat in one case, everything else (shoes, books, chargers, toilet bags, etc) in the other. Make sure you can get your handbag into one of your carryons just for boarding.
Apr 22nd, 2012, 03:37 AM
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1. It can be done. I certainly have. Be prepared to do some laundry or to use the same unwashed clothes two or three days in a row.
2. When Ryanair says one piece of carry-on luggage they actually mean ONE piece. Not a backpack plus a laptop bag, or a backpack plus a large purse.
3. You say there are three of you travelling. Please keep in mind that Ryanair does not allow you to combine the total luggage weight and divide by three to magically get under the weight limit. Each bag must be under the limit, by itself. Most airports have luggage scales (although they do cost money to use) so you can make certain.
4. Ryanair does not always weigh or measure every bag. I've seen them do spot checks and they usually look more closely at the larger roll-aboard bags.
5. If you do get caught with a too large or too heavy bag they will force you to check it and that gets a lot more expensive than if you had paid to have it checked when you did your booking.
2. When Ryanair says one piece of carry-on luggage they actually mean ONE piece. Not a backpack plus a laptop bag, or a backpack plus a large purse.
3. You say there are three of you travelling. Please keep in mind that Ryanair does not allow you to combine the total luggage weight and divide by three to magically get under the weight limit. Each bag must be under the limit, by itself. Most airports have luggage scales (although they do cost money to use) so you can make certain.
4. Ryanair does not always weigh or measure every bag. I've seen them do spot checks and they usually look more closely at the larger roll-aboard bags.
5. If you do get caught with a too large or too heavy bag they will force you to check it and that gets a lot more expensive than if you had paid to have it checked when you did your booking.
Apr 22nd, 2012, 04:05 AM
#17
I totally relate to the game--and consider myself an expert ;-). I always travel with carry-on only. After having all my luggage fail to show up during an 8-day trip I learned how very little I really needed.
My greatest achievement was four days in Rome--followed by a ten day cruise--with carry-on only ... although I admit, I didn't have Ryan Air's size and weight restrictions. I wore a wrinkle resistant sport jacket on the flights--and that jacket was worn on the ship for all the "dress-up" dinners. I specifically chose the lightest shoes.
Some additional tips ...
If needed you can buy a sweater or jacket in a thrift store -- and leave it behind. (I love rummaging through thrift stores anyway--especially in Europe.)
I have been known to have my very heavy laptop & batteries tucked under my arm--inside some of those layers of clothing--along with a book. I've since purchased an exceptionally light laptop.
I don't care to go to fancy restaurants so I'm able to avoid the weight of extra shoes (which tend to be the biggest challenge) by wearing sneakers and not taking any additional shoes. But I realize this is not everyone's style.
In addition to the game, it really does become an issue when I travel in New Zealand and Australia every year. These trips include multiple short flights, and with two of us traveling, we're talking about hundreds of dollars in savings.
Good luck!
My greatest achievement was four days in Rome--followed by a ten day cruise--with carry-on only ... although I admit, I didn't have Ryan Air's size and weight restrictions. I wore a wrinkle resistant sport jacket on the flights--and that jacket was worn on the ship for all the "dress-up" dinners. I specifically chose the lightest shoes.
Some additional tips ...
If needed you can buy a sweater or jacket in a thrift store -- and leave it behind. (I love rummaging through thrift stores anyway--especially in Europe.)
I have been known to have my very heavy laptop & batteries tucked under my arm--inside some of those layers of clothing--along with a book. I've since purchased an exceptionally light laptop.
I don't care to go to fancy restaurants so I'm able to avoid the weight of extra shoes (which tend to be the biggest challenge) by wearing sneakers and not taking any additional shoes. But I realize this is not everyone's style.
In addition to the game, it really does become an issue when I travel in New Zealand and Australia every year. These trips include multiple short flights, and with two of us traveling, we're talking about hundreds of dollars in savings.
Good luck!
Apr 22nd, 2012, 08:51 AM
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Great tips, thanks!
I also did the 14 day triip to Rome with cruise with my son with carry on only, songdoc. That was easy, lol. The Ryanair restrictions are more severe and a bit of a squeeze. I've got to step up my game. It is as they describe above, absolutely ONE bag only (I had a backpack in addition to my carry on before); so it practically cuts my capacity in half.
I am planning on each bag being under 10 kg and self-imposing the severest interpretation of their guidelines so I don't get caught unawares. I have high hopes of not being a contributor to Mr. Ryan's mansion!
I also did the 14 day triip to Rome with cruise with my son with carry on only, songdoc. That was easy, lol. The Ryanair restrictions are more severe and a bit of a squeeze. I've got to step up my game. It is as they describe above, absolutely ONE bag only (I had a backpack in addition to my carry on before); so it practically cuts my capacity in half.
I am planning on each bag being under 10 kg and self-imposing the severest interpretation of their guidelines so I don't get caught unawares. I have high hopes of not being a contributor to Mr. Ryan's mansion!
Apr 22nd, 2012, 09:54 AM
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On the right is Ncounty arriving at the airport. On the left is Ncounty boarding the plane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Russian-Matroshka.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Russian-Matroshka.jpg
