We Race, We Carry On

We thought it was time for another Think Out loud Thursday post. Can you believe that I am just now finishing up my laundry from my last  Race-cation Disney trip? Seeing as I probably only do (my own) laundry about once a month, that is not hard for me to believe at all. What is hard for me to believe are the crazy prices the airlines charge for their luggage.   I know this might seem a little random for me to be bringing this up but as I was unpacking my clothes I was thinking about it.

 

Back in November, when we were flying to Las Vegas for the RnR Las Vegas Marathon and Half, I flew an airline that I have never flown before. It had good flight times there and back, was a direct flight, and it was cheap.  After I booked it I realized why it was so cheap. They were going to charge me $100 to carry on my luggage! Oh, no, this was NOT going to happen. Personal items were allowed on for free. My mission was to fit everything I needed into my "Personal Item". This meant I was layering clothes on like I was going to Alaska!


                                
 I packed one of those drawstring backpacks ( you know the ones that you sometimes get at  race day packet pickup). I folded this up and put it in my jacket pocket. When I got on the plane, I un-layered myself, put all my extra clothing in that drawstring bag and used it as a pillow for that long flight to Las Vegas!  This technique worked out well and I saved $100!  And actually that first layer paired with the gray cardigan in layer 4 actually became an outfit for one of the days I was there.  I have some very deep pockets in that jacket I wore ( layer 5) so I was able to stash more items, including my magazine for the trip.

Since it worked out so well, it now became a game with me.  When it was time to go to Disney for Marathon weekend I flew a different airline yet I happily paid for extra luggage because I had lots of "Giveaway" items for our meet-up. I was seriously surprised that all those Lara bars did not put me over the weight limit..lol.




All of this fit in my Thirty-One bag. The 3 ziplock bags have race outfits in them. As you can see, I came home with more than I left with.

But when Princess weekend came around, I didn't see any reason why I couldn't pack all my stuff in a "personal" item bag again. I got this great Thirty-One bag for Christmas and it was the perfect size!
I didn't have to do nearly as much layering as I did on the Vegas flight ( but I probably could have since it was so cold).  I can't believe how much stuff I was able to fit in this bag. I attribute it to packing all my race outfits in ziplock bags.  I don't like to wear the same shoes to the park that I will be racing in, so I slung an extra pair of shoes over my shoulder strap and no one ever said a word about it.

I certainly took advantage of every nook and cranny in that bag. Yes, I even snapped my Magic Kingdom popcorn bucket to the handle.

 

Like I said, this has become a little game for me just to see if it can be done.  I was able to  pack everything I needed but I did have a comfort in knowing that I was traveling with my sister who is a flight attendant and can pack pretty much everything we need ( for free)..lol

 

I'll be traveling cross country for my next race-cation so I have a feeling I might need a bigger bag next time.   -M

 

Where are you traveling on your next race-cation? Will you be flying?