Some of us are guilty of over packing for our holidays. At least I know I am. I took 6 pairs of shoes with me when I went to Italy last year and came home with 2 more pairs! As we pack, we suddenly realize that we need a few more pairs of high heels, a hair dryer, flat iron, some guidebooks …  need I go on? We end up jamming our bag so full of stuff that it becomes a heavy burden we shoulder for the duration of our trip. Or we bring along a second piece of luggage. But how much will the weight of that loaded suitcase or backpack cost? Will you need to sell an arm and leg to check an extra piece of luggage? What are the luggage restrictions anyway? Lucky iflybags.com is here to help a Travelette in need.

How Is A Girl Supposed To Choose Just One?
How is a Girl Supposed to Choose Just One Pair of Shoes? Via Ribbon Box Events.

iflybags.com has a couple of really handy tools that allow you to check baggage allowances and determine the exact costs of your baggage fees. You can do this from the comfort of home and find out the bad news before you even get to airport!

Will it cost you a million dollars to transport that heavy bag or second piece of luggage? Common sense can now prevail and you’ll know that it’s a good idea to scale back. Do you really need those hot pink patent leather sling backs anyway?

How about the hang gliding equipment you wanted to bring along? Or those musical instruments? What are the airlines’ policies towards these items? If you were flying British Airways for example, you’d know that hang gliding equipment does not qualify for check-in but musical instruments do provided they meet certain specifications.

The site is incredibly easy to use. To find out what baggage restrictions you may be subjected to, you need only to enter where your journey begins and ends, select an airline and a cabin and then click on Check Allowances.

iflybags.com
Via iflybags.com

For example, when I wanted to find out what the baggage restrictions would be for an upcoming visit to my home in Toronto from Berlin with British Airways economy, I found out I’m allowed one checked piece of luggage. Subject to certain restrictions of course!

I then took it a step further to find out how much it would cost for me to check one extra bag (remember I’m a chronic over packer). I opted not to specify any frequent flyer information, which you can certainly do if you’re a jet setter loyal to one particular airline. But really? Most frequent flyers are exempt from paying extra baggage fees anyway.

I found out the extra bag would cost me a whopping $65 Canadian.

iflybags.com
Via iflybags.com

One thing you should know is that iflybags.com pulls all of it’s data directly from the airlines themselves. Should it not be accurate, this is due to the airline not updating their new policies or pricing information.  iflybags.com encourages you to email them should you encounter any “errors or irregularities”.

So $65 to bring along all those extra high heels and other items home? No thanks! Glad I found this out before I arrived at the airport. Now back to packing.

*post written by Cheryl Howard.