Since we were flying Norwegian, we would definitely have to pay for our luggage. When I purchased the tickets I pre-paid for 2 checked bags in each direction. Since we could also each bring a carry on we could plan for that if we needed extra room.

Positioning Flight Luggage

Like me, my dad can pack pretty efficiently. Though he had to pack for 10 days in London plus 3 extra days staying with us before and after the trip, it was going to be a challenge. To avoid having to pay for a checked back on his positioning flight he managed to get everything into his carry on suitcase. Unlike on the Pebble Beach trip, he did NOT bring the worlds largest hardcover book on this trip. He had something much more travel-sized to read!

London Flight

For the London flight we had purchased 2 checked bags in each direction for a total of $100. Rather than trying to each take a carry on roll aboard, we wanted to consolidate so that we could more easily navigate the city with our luggage.

The original plan was that my dad would pack his stuff into part of one of the large suitcases. As we began to realize how many clothes we’d need for the 10 days that plan quickly fell apart. We had too much stuff!

Since my dad could bring a carry on with no extra charge we decided to have him use that and keep his stuff separate from ours. In the end this worked out well because he was in his own room the whole trip anyways so it simplified the transfer between the hotels as well.

We still had to stuff the clothes for all four of us into the suitcases as well as the soccer ball, frisbee and other toys we always bring with us into the two suitcases. It was a challenge I was up to and it fit rather comfortably with room to spare in case our clothes “grew” during the trip.

We were packing for cooler weather and the pants and sweatshirts took up a lot of space. We also packed swimsuits as the second hotel had a pool. London has a reputation for being rainy/foggy/drab or all of the above and we were prepared, especially after our experience getting rained on in Rome a few months before.

The boys brought their backpacks and I brought my laptop backpack with my work laptop and the iPad for my wife to do some consulting work on if needed during the trip. This was the first trip we had been on since she had switched to a consulting role. While she usually got sucked into work on previous vacations, at least on this trip if it happened she’d be getting paid for it!

We were finally packed and ready to go.