I provide travel recommendations for families with teens, as well as travel planning advice to get the most out of your vacation.
the airport bag rule that confuses everyone
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Hi Reader Have you ever been standing at the airport gate when the agent says: “Only one carry-on and one personal item per passenger.” …and suddenly everyone starts second-guessing their bags? Your teen has a backpack. It happens all the time. The rule is actually simple once you know it. A carry-on goes in the overhead bin. That’s it. But where people get tripped up is size. Most airlines consider anything around 22 x 14 x 9 inches a carry-on. Which means: Backpacks can be personal items. I actually had this happen on a trip with my teens when one of their backpacks was packed with hoodies and snacks. It almost got gate-checked because it wouldn’t slide under the seat. Lesson learned. Now when we travel as a family, I use a simple system: One bag for clothes in the overhead bin. Snacks. It keeps everything organized and avoids surprise baggage fees. If you want the full breakdown (plus examples of what counts as each bag), I wrote a quick guide here: Read the full guide on carry-ons vs personal items It’ll make your next airport check-in a lot less stressful. Talk soon, Travel on! Tonya
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Tonya Denmark
I provide travel recommendations for families with teens, as well as travel planning advice to get the most out of your vacation.
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