How do I pack my luggage for a plane flight?

A longer stay in another city or country may mean that you need to take your checked luggage with you on your trip. This is usually a larger suitcase that you cannot take with you on the plane. The items placed in your baggage are subject to certain restrictions, whether they are carried in the cabin or in the cargo hold. How to pack well for a flight? Check.

Hand baggage or checked baggage?

Hand luggage is a bag, backpack or small suitcase which you can take with you into the cabin of the aircraft. Each carrier determines individually its allowable dimensions and weight. Before you pack such baggage, you should also find out about other specific restrictions set by the airline. Hand luggage may not contain items that pose a threat to the safety of other passengers and crew (e.g. sharp objects such as a file). There is also a restriction on the amount of liquids or similar substances that can be carried on the aircraft.

The situation is different for checked baggage, which is checked in at the airport and collected from the baggage conveyor belt at your final destination. Normally this is a larger suitcase, which needs to be well protected against possible damage. Each airline determines the maximum size and weight of baggage that can be checked into the hold. You can find out more about this at: https://rankomat.pl/turystyka/bagaz-rejestrowany-do-lotu.

What can I pack? – Allowed and prohibited items

Even though the contents of checked baggage are not as strictly restricted as those of hand baggage, you still have to follow certain rules. You may not pack the following items in your suitcase, which is to be placed in the hold

• devices with lithium-ion batteries, e.g. smartphones, powerbanks, laptops;
• explosives and flammable substances, e.g. alcohol above 70%, lighters or fire extinguishers;
• explosive devices and their dummies;
• chemical and toxic substances;
• car parts, as they may have previously come into contact with fuel.

Some airlines additionally impose their own restrictions and, for example, set a limit or ban on items carried.

Standard checked baggage includes:

• clothing,
• cosmetics and personal hygiene products,
• medicines,
• items that may be considered dangerous on board, e.g. nail files,
• appropriately protected bottles with beverages, etc.

Such baggage may also include special items such as skiing equipment, bicycles, musical instruments or baby carriages.

Is it possible to insure luggage?

If you want to survive your trip in peace, it is advisable to buy travel insurance on rankomat.pl and choose an additional extension in the form of a luggage insurance policy. Then you can be sure that in case of unforeseen situations like delayed or cancelled flights, damaged or lost luggage etc. you will get help and compensation from the insurer.

Therefore, it is worth not only to pack your suitcase well, secure it with straps, padlock or combination lock against opening, mark it with a distinctive identification mark, but also insure it.

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