"Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone?"
- Erma Bombeck
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| It'll All Fit, Really! |
One of the biggest challenges I'm facing in this trip planning is baggage space and weight. I'm struggling
to cram all my riding gear, ancillary equipment, and my personal items
and clothes into my travel moto bag, and to keep it at or below fifty pounds
to avoid airline overweight fees. I have to pack my batteries in my carry-on bag, which drops a few precious ounces from my checked bag, but I'll still have to get creative. With three weeks out, I have time to practice pack with a scale and zero in on a final packing solution.
Whatever I finally come up with, I need to be prepared to have to
retrieve and re-check my bags at each leg of my trip. I'm flying
American Airlines to Paris, but connecting on Sri Lankan Air to Colombo, and
then again to Kathmandu. It's all one travel record, but on multiple
airlines. If American can check my bags all the way through, life would
be much easier. My AA frequent flier status allows me two free checked
bags. If I have to leave the secure area in Paris to retrieve and carry
my bags to Sri Lankan Airlines to check them to Kathmandu, then I may be
limited to one free checked bag, meaning I'll have to pony up for the second. Nobody can give me a consistent answer
and unexpected expenses suck! I realize that in the big picture, a baggage fee for a trip I've dreamed of taking for years is not a big deal. Sometimes my frugal mindset just can't let it go. My return route is from Kathmandu to Dallas through Doha, and is all on Qatar Air
metal, so I anticipate not having to see my checked baggage until I land
in Dallas. I just hope I don't face the same outbound lost baggage debacle I did on my Australia trip. I also hope Qatar Air doesn't lose my baggage on the return trip. British Airways lost my bags on my trip back from Amsterdam and I didn't get them back until 14 days after my return.
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| Retro Moto Fashion for a Retro Moto Rider |
I corresponded with one guy who claims he completed his entire motorcycle tour with just a
single carry-on shoulder bag. He said he purchased
all of his riding and cold weather
gear from bazaars and suppliers in Kathmandu for about $600USD, and then donated what he didn't want to keep to a moto tour outfit when he
left. The OCD traveler in me just cannot leave that much to chance. Besides, I'm on a budget and I already have all the gear. I admit that much of it is dated and worn, but the bottom line is that it only needs to last me for two weeks. Who knows? Maybe I'll leave some gear behind too.
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Whitsunday Airport
Queensland Australia |
Speaking of dated gear, I purchased my Hebo riding jacket way back in 2001 when I was a competitive enduro racer. Back then, Hebo was top notch riding gear from Spain and it was built to last. And it has. You know how some things circle around and come back into fashion over time? Well, this jacket didn't, but it's still serviceable and it still fits with room to spare for insulated under layers! I can either pat myself on the back for still being able to wear apparel that fit me almost 25 years ago or, I could slap myself on the face for being just as fat now as I was then.
