Have you seen those tik-tok fantasy posts titled “Pack with Me for Across Two Different Oceans in a Carry-on”? That mythical endeavor is absolutely something for the childrens books, because I refuse to believe a grown adult can dwindle their two week life down to a carry-on. If you’re sensing some animosity, that’s exactly what it is. Matter of fact, I am purely jealous that those folks can accomplish the feat of avoiding baggage fees. But that's not to say, all carry-ons fly for free. Bear this in mind as I expand on the whole reason I’m writing this post.
Tokyo, home of neon-lit streets, anime, and opulent public scapes showcasing the imperial history of the country. The blogging besties can attest to this, this is a city that you will eagerly want to visit every year without a doubt. As we breeze past the lengthy introduction of the city, take my word for it or feel free to hop over to our Tokyo destination page!
After our amazingly active stay in Tokyo, we departed for more relaxation in the city of Phuket, Thailand. That morning we were frantically rushing to the airport. Solely our fault for waking up late, our commute to the airport was panic filled. Once the huddle of arrival was completed , our next mission was check-in. Now you remember that statement “But that's not to say, all carry-ons fly for free”. This rings true for a lot of major European and Asian airlines. If by chance your carry-on does fly free, more than likely your carry-on will have weight limits. Generally, carry-ons are 10kg so 22lbs. Personal items have stipulations, too. Usually no more than 7kg. If you're anything like me, you read this in advance, but are skeptical of the enforcement. Well I sit here today to tell you it is ABSOLUTELY enforced.
Flashback to the mission not yet cleared– check-in. At the check-in counter the agent weighed EVERY single bag and denied entry without payment to overweight baggage. We each had 1 checked bag, 1 carry-on and 1 personal item. Each, in which, were weighed. So here we are dressing our bodies with any articles of clothing we can find in our luggage. Dressed to not impress, we finally succeed in meeting our bag weights. Mission—-cleared! Pass security and now near our gate, we book it to the bathroom to undress the layers and re-pack our carry-on. Because who wants to wear 10 different outfits on the plane? Probably the worst decision I could have made because we still had one more feat to tackle–boarding the jet. “Konnichiwa, boarding pass please”. Agent in front of me, agent to the right of me and agent to the left of me. Surrounded by gate agents, I mindfully hand over my pass. Cleared it and proceeded to walk down the only aisle I wanna walk down more than once. The agent in front of me gleefully makes eye contact with me forcing me to a halt. In a thick accent “ you have too many bags, go back”. Playing the confused and ignorant traveler character, I ignore him and carry on bout my business. Again he physically stops me and escorts me back to the gate. Everything that follows suit after this was out of a horror film stuck on fast forward. As if they do this everyday with passion, all three gate agents tag teamed my luggage with a hand scale. Each one, overweight. Next thing I know the gate agent is hollering “ this is overweight you have to pay”. Snapped out of my daze by the threat of dollars fleeing, I launched an excuse campaign, hurling anything that would stick and get me out of paying. “I dont have my wallet, it's on the plane” (jai had my wallet and she was on the plane). The agent gladly escorted me on and off the plane to retrieve my wallet. Back at the gate, the boarding doors are pending closure and I’m now in hot pursuit with a rude gate agent that thinks he’s the CEO and just exceeded his yearly performance objectives by ensuring to get me up out of my yens. With an escaped accent “Listen, you can pay for the bag or you will NOT get on this flight”. The jig was up and he meant business. “Okay, how much?” “ twenty thousand yen”. Hand over the card and tearfully watched the magnetic strip glide through the terminal green lit signifying the point of sale. I just spent 20k on a carry-on bag. In 2019, that equalled 180 usd. But, it hits different when I say 20k.
Let me share a piece of advice from the famous Maya Angelou. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them”... So believe the baggage restrictions that each airline lists on their website. It's not a joke, those out of the country airlines don’t play those games. I say you have two options, pay for the checked bag or just leave the bag at home, sis!
Comments