141 – Rookie flying mistakes
February 7, 2010 in Flights
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It’s the start of our next epic journey – we’ve left our home city of Auckland and are spending a few days in the South Island of New Zealand before heading to South America. We’re a little rusty on the travel front, and have already managed to make a rather spectacular mistake.
When we booked our tickets to South America, Europe, and Asia we booked and paid for one check-in bag between us, more than enough for the stuff we’re carrying. However, at around the same time we booked tickets to Christchurch for a week, and the baggage fee was so high we decided we didn’t want to pay it and would make do with carry-on luggage.
Well, I imagine you can guess what our rookie mistake was. We showed up at the airport with a bag to check in. We still could have taken it with us – if we wanted to pay $80 each way. That’s about two-thirds of the total cost of the tickets! We managed to repack the essentials into carry-on bags and my mum picked up the other one – thanks Mum!
So the tip for today is – check your tickets before you head to the airport. Check the date, the time, and what luggage you can take. It’s also a good idea to double-check details like which terminal you’re flying from, what you can put in your carry-on bag, and when you need to check in.
Don’t make the same mistakes we made, and you’ll have a great trip.
This article was written by Craig and Linda
Craig and Linda Martin have been living on the road since February 2006. Both born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand they are ... somewhere in the world! Craig and Linda host the Indie Travel Podcast - you can get in touch with them here.
Since November 2006 the Indie Travel Podcast has evolved into an independent travel hub with regular audio and video podcasts along with articles by travellers from all over the world. 
Hosts Craig and Linda Martin started travelling in February 2006 and have been to over 50 countries. They were 
Audrey said on February 8, 2010
I’m not sure of your itinerary in South America, but if you’re headed to Argentina in February/March, please let me know. It would be great to meet up somehow when we’re all in South America. Safe travels!
Andy Hayes | Sharing Travel Experiences said on February 8, 2010
Some great rookie tips – glad to hear you avoided those exorbitant fees!
Craig and Linda said on February 8, 2010
Thanks, Audrey. I don’t think we’ll make it to Argentina until April … maybe late March. We’re flying into Chile on the 17th of February then will be heading through Peru > Bolivia > Paraguay and into Argentina. Do stay in touch though, and we’ll see if we can meet somewhere.
eileen said on February 9, 2010
oh darn! I’ll be in NZ when you’ll be here. Looks like we might catch up in Christchurch, which would be great, but I wish I could see you on the ground on my home turf. I’m sure the Santiaguinos will take good care of you, regardless.
Dee Andrews said on February 12, 2010
No matter how much we travel, the rookie moves still happen!
In Rome, I stuck olive oil in my carry on, not wanting it to break in my checked bag… hello, of course I realized entering the security check point that it was over 3oz. Apparently I am not the only traveler to Rome to make this same move, and the security guy generously let me get out of line to go check the bag… of course, for 15euros.
Safe travels!