Luggage Size Requirements for International Travel

Can You Get Away With Using a Single Bag for All Travel?

You might not think much about the bag you use for traveling, but the size of it can make a huge impact on your travel plans, especially if it’s a bag you plan on taking into the cabin with you. These days, many airlines have super strict standards for carry-on and personal item sizes, and they even have weight limits for items like backpacks and computer bags.

You wouldn’t think that a pound or two would make a huge difference, but a bag that’s too heavy or just half an inch too long can mean huge extra fees added to your travel costs. Some airlines will even tell you that you can’t take the bag on the plane at all, which may put you in a particularly difficult spot when you’re trying to catch a flight.

If you’re particularly good about packing light and minimalistic travel, you probably don’t have anything to worry about regarding carry-on luggage. However, if you’re like most travelers, you probably don’t pay too much attention to the weight and size of your bags. You assume that a bag sold as a “carry-on” will fit all the size requirements for your flights.

However, that’s definitely not the case these days. In fact, some airlines have become so strict and reduced the carry-on sizes of their bags so much that sellers have started advertising their bags as good for specific airlines. Like, you might see a personal item that would fit on Spirit Airlines, but it wouldn’t fit on the personal item sizer for some European airlines.

(note: some of the links here are to websites with which I am an affiliate, and your purchases help fund my website!)

It’s Not Just Small Airlines Who Are Strict About Luggage Sizes

Airlines like Ryanair have terrible reputations for strict baggage size and weight requirements, but these days it seems like it’s every airline that plays strict with the rules, charging you extra when you buy your tickets. They all have scales next to the check-in desks when you check your luggage, and many also weigh your carry-on pieces before you ever get close to the boarding gate.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to weigh your bags before you leave and to include your carry-on bags in your calculations. If your airline allows checked luggage up to 50 pounds, make sure you’re not leaving for the airport with a bag that weighs 52 pounds. The airline may slap a huge extra fee on your flight, or they might even reject the bag outright.

Now, fortunately, it’s not like you have to guess what the weight limits are for various airlines. All you have to do is go to the official airline website and do a search for luggage requirements. I’d recommend avoiding the AI results you might get from a search engine or the information you might see on a travel blog. After you purchase your tickets, always go to the source for your sizing information.

Once you have the specific weights for your flights, you’ll want to employ a luggage scale to weigh your fully packed bags. You can also stand on a foot scale to figure out the weight of your bags, but doing so is usually less accurate than using a luggage scale. I actually take my luggage scale with me when I travel, so I can make sure that none of my bags is too heavy on the return journey due to souvenirs or whatever I bought during the trip.

Get a Bag That’s an Inch Smaller Than You Need

Many bags are advertised as being the largest possible size for a particular set of airlines, but sometimes it’s actually better to find a piece that’s an inch smaller all around than you need. You never know when one of the sides of the bag will poof out just enough that the gate agent will tell you that the bag is too big because it poofs out a bit from their luggage size checker.

Yes, I’ve actually seen that happen to someone who was in front of me in line. Their bag was a standard carry-on size, but it was a bit too plush to fully slide into the size checker. It wasn’t like the passenger had to sit on the bag to make it fit into the sizer, either. It was simply a wee bit too fat and required a bit of an extra push.

The gate agent made the passenger check her bag, much to the woman’s chagrin. Now, if you get a bag that’s an inch thinner than you need, you can pack that bag reasonably full and not worry about having the bag rejected at the gate. If the size requirements say that you can’t take a bag that’s any more than 18 inches long, try to bring a 17-inch bag instead.

I also like to make sure my luggage is at least a pound under where it needs to be as far as weight limits go. Even though you might swear your checked luggage is exactly 50 pounds before you arrive at the airport, you just know it’ll read 50.5 when you put it on the scale during the check-in process. Honestly, I give myself a few pounds of wiggle room, just in case something changes, like I buy a pair of boots or something heavy during the trip.

Be Prepared to Check Your Carry-On Sometimes

One interesting feature of some commercial planes is that they don’t actually have enough room in the overhead bins for traditional carry-on bags. So, any small bag labeled as “carry-on” size is actually too big in these circumstances. These planes are usually the ones with just four seats in a row and an aisle between them, and all you can really fit inside the cabin are backpacks and personal items.

Sometimes, you won’t even need to pay extra to check your bag when you board one of these small planes, especially if that segment of your flight is just part of your overall journey. The airline will allow you to check your carry-on at the gate for free, and then you’ll get the bag back right after you land. If you’re unsure whether a flight you’ve chosen has restrictions on carry-on luggage, just read the terms of the flight before you purchase.

On some websites, you’ll see a little piece of luggage with a strike-through over it, indicating that there are no carry-on bags allowed on the flight you’re buying. This isn’t a restriction based on the class of fare you’re buying but is a restriction based on the size of the plane. You might actually have trouble fitting an over-stuffed backpack into the overhead bins of one of those planes.

Honestly, you should always be prepared to check your carry-on bag, even if you don’t think the size is too big or you’re over the weight limit. Sometimes, the airlines run out of room on their planes for carry-on luggage, and they make some passengers check their carry-ons, even though they’re the right size for the overhead bins. Don’t put anything fragile in your luggage, even if you’re taking it on the plane; keep those items in the bag you’re using as a personal item instead.

Always Pay for Obviously Large Luggage Up Front

One of the ways the airlines can really load up the fees on you is for oversized luggage that you haven’t paid for in advance. Virtually every airline offers you the choice of buying a spot for your oversized luggage before you ever get to the airport. Some of the fees charged at the airport when you haven’t paid in advance are literally double what they are when you pay in advance instead.

Also, bear in mind that your idea of oversized luggage and the airline’s interpretation of oversized luggage might be quite different. You might think it’s standard that anything over 50 pounds is over the weight limit, but some small airlines actually have a 30-pound weight limit, and anything over 30 pounds gets slapped with an extra high fee.

Always remember to look at the weight limits on the airline’s website before you start packing your bags. They’re never secretive about these weight limits or size limitations, so it’s not like you have to play a guessing game until you get to the airport to find out if your luggage is too heavy. Always be prepared with a quick look at the website and the purchase of your luggage allowance before you depart for your flight.

Also, you might find it less expensive to check two smaller bags rather than one giant bag. Some transpacific and transatlantic flights actually come with a checked bag allowance of two checked bags, so you might not need to pay extra as long as neither of your bags is too heavy. You can also spread out some of the weight and reduce the risk of having an overweight bag by taking one or two heavy items in your personal item (like your backpack).

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