The first measure of travel complacency is simple; dont try to squeeze on a carry on that you know is not really a carry on. You will get yourself into the frustrating position of trying to argue your way onto the airplane with an large bag that just wont do. Youre not going to succeed. Once upon a time you would, but not anymore. Now, you will simply be forced to check it and risk being charged an additional fee for having too many luggage items. Plus, youre going to end up travelling without your usual band of comfort items that you could have had if you just scaled down into standard sized carry on luggage. The simple fact is that there used to be wiggle room, and now, there is none.

World-wide flights often hold the same code, two pieces of checked in luggage and one or two carry on pieces per person. Again, the child may not be granted such grace if they are particularly little. If you havent purchased a seat for your small child (which is legal up until the age of three) then dont expect to have them counted in the luggage count. No ticket, no luggage. Most people who are taking a long term trip out of the country, or a permanent trip out of the country, find this limit a little exasperating. However, from experience I can vouch for the frustration of arriving in a foreign country for the first time, negotiating language barriers and awkward gestures, while trying to lug around three hundred pounds of belongings packed carefully away in small and large luggage cases. Even with the help of carts on wheels (assuming the country you land in has them) eventually you have to talk over all of this material up a flight of steps or into a narrowed passageway. This can become a little more than merely discouraging. It can become downright risky. Again, the best thing to do if your luggage exceeds the international flight limit is ship everything that you can bear to part with in advance. Some nations take as long as 6 weeks to deliver your goods. If your trip is short, try merging. If you have to, purchase what you need to while youre there and then ship it back to your house. Youre not likely to end up waiting helplessly for your underwear from Australia or your pajama bottoms from Costa Rica.