Natalie Wynn has been trending after she wore 4kg of her cloths to avoid paying $85 overweight baggage fee at an airport in England.
Natalie didn’t have enough money and wasn’t in a position to throw her wears away so she had to wear nearly half of her cloths; seven dresses, a skirt, two pairs of shoes, two pairs of shorts and a cardigan.
Credit: KENNEDY NEWS AND MEDIA
Many travelers, like myself, have been forced at some points to device all means to make sure we get our belongings on board without paying the extra charges.
If you are traveling with friends who do not carry enough baggage, they can assist you carry them on board but if you are alone, it becomes tough as no passenger is in a position to carry item of a stranger at the airport.
This is what I have done in the past …
I was forced to throw some cloths away when catching a flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol. I have forgotten how much I had to pay to carry the items but KLM was charging me more than the cost of the items. So it was wise enough for me to throw them away (and they were not mine).
On Emirates from Dubai to Accra, I had to keep wearing more shirts to meet the required carry-on baggage allowance.
From Frankfurt to Paris, it was cheaper for me to keep my luggage at a store room than carrying them to Paris. I only took the few items I needed for Paris and left the rest behind since I still had to return to Frankfurt to catch a flight to Accra.
What you can do …
It’s good to always travel light but this doesn’t prevent you from checking a luggage in. Trying to carry all your items in a carry-on bag without checked luggage will leave you crying should you be required to pay at the last minute to carry the overweight hand luggage. Pack everything in your checked baggage and only carry the excess in your hand baggage.
Weigh your bags at home. Ask your travel agent or airline the luggage allowance permitted by your ticket. Weigh them at home first to avoid additional costs at the airport.
If you have no means to weigh at home, go to the airport hours before your flight. In this case, you will have enough time to take any action; either calling someone to come for the excess or even send them home yourself.
Some airports have courier services that can deliver the excess to you at your destination or even send them back home for you.
Don’t always wait for the last minute, you will be forced to pay the extra fees or throw them away. If you are lucky and they are cloths, you will be able to wear them. You can’t wear two shoes but Natalie did lol.
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