USVI-On-Line

We went to Italy for 2 weeks with carry on luggage only so I'm thinking surely we can manage a trip to St with carry on only, right?! If it weren't for the darn snorkel gear and sunscreen ...

Seriously, we definitely need to bring our own gear, but I reckon we could just buy suncreen when we get there. Do most of you seasoned travelers manage with only carry on luggage?

It's not even about the cost as we get 1 free checked bag each but rather about just trying to travel simple and light.

Looking for words of encouragement ...

We do carry-on only for 10 nights no problem . We also bring our own snorkle mask but not fins . I usually bring a couple sundresses & lots of bathing suits with sandals to match . A couple prs. of shorts & tank tops & teva sandals . My purse is huge & I fill it with snacks & lots of rawhide , bones , toys & poop bags for the ACC dogs . I have room for our purchases in my purse for the way home ! I bring 2 3oz of suntan lotion if we need more we just buy it in STJ . The hardest part is filling our 3oz baggies . I usually have them spliting at the seams . I have very curly hair & the humidity does a number on my hair which means lots of hair products ! There is a store in Mongoose Junction, Nest , that has very good body lotions & shower gel .

We have done 10 days carry-on only too. We have taken as many of the 3 oz sunscreens as we can fit in our ziplocks. It isn't enough but it gets us by for a few days. Snorkle gear is a pain but we just go with less clothes and plan to do laundry, usually twice during our stay. My beach bag is my personal item so I stuff that with things like neat sheets and some snorkle gear. It has a zipper so it is closeable. My husband's personal item is the 24-can Polar Bear backpack cooler also stuffed full (not food, usually snorkle gear). Creativity is the key but it can be done, no problem.

I did 13 days with mask, snorkel and fins, carry-on only. It can be done.

I guess we could wear our snorkel gear - worst case

Yeah, the more I think about it, I don't think it will be too much of a challenge. We never leave home without our neat sheet and I am thinking of getting one of those polar bear coolers since they appear to actually work - vs many of the other soft side coolers that leak or simply don't keep anything cold

I am curious as to the reason that most people do not like to check bags. Is it the extra cost that most airlines hit you with or is it the hassle of waiting for your checked bag(s) at the airport? I actually prefer to check bags because of the additional capacity and because I like to travel light between gates in the airports.

IA Joe wrote:I am curious as to the reason that most people do not like to check bags. Is it the extra cost that most airlines hit you with or is it the hassle of waiting for your checked bag(s) at the airport? I actually prefer to check bags because of the additional capacity and because I like to travel light between gates in the airports.

For us, it is not about the extra fee and it any event we are allowed one free checked bag each. Rather, I guess it is just all the overhead of lugging a bunch of stuff around - half of which is never used.

And with switching planes, there is always the fear/chance of lost luggage so with carry on it is just one less thing to worry about. And for that reason, we really can't travel any lighter between legs as we still would want our carryons in the event our luggage was lost.

To be honest, in this particular case, I am "hoping" on a very slim chance - I know - to fly standby on an earlier flight out of Miami. I was too afraid to book this connection as it is only a 45 min between flights ... but as it stands now we have a 3 hr layover ... ugghhh ...

Our family of four's first trip in 2010 was for 2 weeks...we did carryon only! Each had a wheeled carryon bag and a large personal bag. One carryon bag had all 4 sets of snorkel gear...creative packing with having the fins on their edge and at a diagonal with masks and snorkel filling in! We shipped 2 flat rate large priority mail boxes down ahead of time with 2 large jars natural peanut butter, sunscreen, hair products and insect repellant.

The past 2 years we have had to check a bag. My husband and son now scuba dive and their fins are too long for the carryon bag.

I have actually became more fond of checking a bag because it does make it easier to get around for gate transfers...but I always worry our bag may get lost and not arrive. Luckily that has never happened.

Relax...and enjoy your Island Time!

We do carry on only, but we also send down a care box ahead of time.

We have 2 adult and 2 teenagers now and do 3 carry-ons and each brings a personal bag(backpack) I do have a Dive Backpack for 3 sets of fins and 4sets of mask/snorkels. http://www.houseofscuba.com/backpack-bags/bag241.html

Far cry from the 1st trip 12 years ago...2 HUGE checked bags....3 carry-ons...Play and Pack...stroller

Lovermont wrote:We do carry on only for 12 days with snorkle, mask, fins. But, I must admit, we mail one box down with our liquids, and other stuff to round out the box. It works for us, but may not be for everyone.

We did it for 15 days. But we also mailed a box. We use shorter travel fins and pack very carefully. We check a bag now though. I can get more 2 mailed packages of stuff in it and the savings outweighs the cost. The problem is waiting for bags. 3 hrs on the return trip in the Atlanta Airport last time. Oh and we only do it on a direct flight for fear of loosing a bag.

We check a bag and our polar bear full of food. I hate lugging that stuff around all day. We have a credit card that gets us each a bag free to check. I have yet to have any trouble with baggage claim or losing a bag. (I probably shouldn't say that out loud...I'll lose all of it next time - lol) Its a long travel day full of times of extreme patience and counting to 10...and I just dont want the hassle of luggage on top of it...but thats just me

I've gone both ways on the luggage-checked and carryon. For St John, it's so easy to go carryon because you don't need much clothing there anyway. A couple of bathing suits, coverup, shorts, shirts. We wear a bathing suit all day (with cover up or shirt for going into town), then shower and only wear "nice" clothes for a few hours in the evening. We used to pack mask/snorkel and had travel fins or rented fins.

Bring your own mask and snorkel and rent fins - problem solved

Pia