Full disclosure: I prefer to travel carry-on only! That said (and bias admitted), I am the first to clarify that there are times and situations when checking a bag just makes the most sense. Maybe you can’t actually carry your own luggage due to an injury, age, or other special circumstance. Maybe you need to take something with you that can’t go in a carry-on, such as full-size liquids, a butterknife (funny story involving my mom), or a firearm for that hunting trip you’ve had planned with your buddies. Maybe you’re moving abroad to study for a semester. Whatever it is for you, there are good reasons to check a bag now and then. Here is the ultimate list of pros and cons of traveling with checked luggage!

Pros of Checked Luggage

1. Take What You Want

There are very few restrictions on what you can take in your checked luggage. Woohoo! Full-size shampoo? Check it! Extra shoes? Check it! Three outfit options for every day of your two week trip? Check it! Something’s heavy? Check it! Need to bring enough sunscreen for your entire family for a week in Hawai’i? Bring all the sunscreen you want in your checked luggage! You don’t have to be quite as strategic when checking a bag as you would if you were trying to make it work with just a carry-on, which definitely works in your favor if you’re indecisive or just need some things that can’t be carried on with you!

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2. Breeze through the Airport Unencumbered

Run to your next gate, weave your way in and out of foot traffic, or just go at your own, leisurely pace without breaking a sweat. That is certainly a benefit of checking your luggage. Nothing to tote (or heft) around with you all over the place, nothing to wrestle with in the bathroom stall, nothing to forget and accidentally leave behind. Checking a bag really takes a load off–in more ways than one!

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3. Let Someone Else Do the Heavy Lifting

This is a huge bonus, right? You hand over your luggage at the check-in counter or luggage drop-off, and you’re on your way! You don’t have to think about it again until baggage claim at your destination. Luggage handlers are taking care of your checked luggage for you the whole way. You don’t have to lift it into the overhead bin, plus you don’t need to worry about whether it fits (or if there will be enough room).

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4. Bring Back Souvenirs that Can’t Go in a Carry-on

When I traveled to Israel and the Dead Sea a few months ago, I brought back solid soaps made with Dead Sea mud. They’re really nice, make great gifts, and they went through security with no problem, because they’re solid. But you know what I wish I’d been able to bring back? Clay mud masks. You know why I couldn’t? Because they qualify as liquids and are not allowed in carry-on luggage. The same applies to olive oils from the Mediterranean countries, French wines, Balinese body oils, Japanese samurai swords, Swiss pocket knives… You get the picture. Checking your luggage means you can bring back just about anything to remember your trip!

Also helpful: Pros and Cons of Traveling Carry-on Only

Cons of Checked Luggage

1. Waiting at Baggage Claim

Ugh. This is the worst. Sometimes you’ll be waiting an hour or more for your luggage to fall onto the conveyor belt. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but for me, personally, it’s a major reason to try a little harder to go carry-on only. Waiting around is anxiety-inducing to me. Additionally, all that waiting time puts me further back in the taxi or Uber queue, and it severely cuts into my touring time. It’s a definite con for me!

Read on: The Worst Ever Time Wasters on Travel

2. It Might Get Lost

I’ll say up-front that the proportion of truly lost luggage is only around 0.06%. That’s a very low percentage, but that equates to around 5.7 million pieces of luggage. Some airlines are worse than others, but none is perfect. And even more frequently than getting lost forever, checked luggage can be delayed. The vast majority of luggage does make its way back to its owners, but it’s certainly something to consider. Want to do something about it? Put a luggage tag on your checked bag with your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Go one further, and put the same information inside your bag as well. Trust me!

One anecdote for the road: My husband once had to wait two weeks for all of his luggage to arrive when he moved to France in his 20s. (This is why you should always pack an extra set of clothes in a carry-on bag that flies with you!) And the only reason he got it back was that he actually went back to the airport and checked for it again. There is was, in a sea of other lost or delayed luggage, with no sign of anyone trying to get any of the bags back to the rightful owners. Who knows how long it would have waited there, and how long Steve would have waited for a phone call saying it had been found?

Keep reading: My Honest Review of Apple Air Tags to Track Luggage

3. Someone Might Rummage Through It

This happens more often than you think, and not by TSA. I’m hearing more and more about this lately. Often I hear about it happening to luggage coming from tourist-area airports in Mexico in particular, like Cancun, but it can happen anywhere. One thing you can do about this is to buy checked luggage with a TSA luggage lock built in, or you can buy a TSA luggage lock for your current luggage. Again, it’s not terribly wide-spread, but it’s something to think about. Never travel with your valuables, especially in your checked luggage! (Carry-on luggage at least has the benefit of staying with you.)

More here: Is it Okay to Watch Someone’s Luggage

4. You Might Need Something in it Enroute

This is something I’m always trying to remember when I have to check a bag. Your laptop, iPad, smartphone, and anything else that includes a lithium-ion battery cannot go in your checked luggage. The same goes for medications. But what about the other stuff? You finished your airplane book, but you still have three hours left to go, and your other book is in your checked bag! You spilled coffee on your white shirt during an unexpected bout of turbulence, but you put all your clothes in your checked bag, so you’re stained and smelling like coffee for the foreseeable future. My feet and ankles were so swollen on an overnight flight, I was in real pain inside my boots! Thank goodness I could just reach up into my carry-on backpack and grab my sneakers to wear instead!

This is not an insurmountable problem, but it is something to think about when packing!

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5. You Will have to Pay for It

Unless you have an airline perk credit card, have a high level of status with the airline you’re flying, or you’re flying Southwest Air, you will be paying $35 or more per checked bag. That really adds up, especially when you realize you’ll have to pay it again for the return flight! And if your bag’s oversized or over the airline’s preferred weight (usually about 50 lbs., but it depends on the airline’s policies), you could be paying hundreds by the time you’re done. Again, you can’t always avoid checking your luggage, but it’s something to consider!

Reconsidering? How to Pack the Perfect Carry-on

Want more? Get all your packing questions answered (and then some) on my dedicated Packing Page!

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