This bag is sized right and counts as one of your two free carry-ons
Last spring, I bought this little bag specifically because I knew it would qualify as a carry-on for an upcoming flight I would be taking on Volotea Airlines.
Later in June and July, we traveled on Volotea for one round-trip from (Skiathos, Greece to Venice) and a one-way trip from Athens to Heraklion, Crete.
Volotea requires the following measurements for the two carry-on bags each passenger is allowed. According to this page on their website, carry-on bags must be no larger than 55 cm high (21.65″), 40 cm wide (15.75″), and 20 cm deep (7.9″). Also, each bag cannot weigh more than ten kg (22 lbs.).
In case you’re unfamiliar with Volotea Airlines (as I was a year ago), it’s a regional carrier based in Barcelona that connects eighty small- and medium-sized cities in Europe from thirteen hubs. For a listing of the cities Volotea serves, click here.
Volotea is a low-cost carrier; your ticket gets you to your destination. Period.
Extras—and there are plenty, wink-wink—add to your ticket price.
For example, make sure you get the right bag. If you attempt to check in with an over-sized bag, it will be placed in the hold and cost you 60€ (approx. $67) PER BAG. Ouch.
I plan to write another post about other ways to keep your Volotea ticket price low, so follow this blog to get that post.
This little bag worked perfectly for me. It’s made by OlympiaUSA, and is called the Nema 18″ Under the Seat Carry-on. It measures 18″ high, 12″ wide, and 8″ deep. Clearly, it has plenty of room to spare. Last summer, this particular bag, which I bought at a local TJMaxx store for $50 (suggested retail $200), easily fit into the overhead bins on Volotea’s aircraft, which includes Boeing 717s and Airbus A319s. This bag gave me the option of placing it in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of me.
A bag like this one worked perfectly for me then and now. I continue to carry it on short weekend trips, for example, when a canvas tote or small duffel would work as well. It’s so easy to pack and roll around.
Its hard sides provide better protection to your belongings, and allows, in my opinion, for better, more efficient packing. Soft-side luggage just doesn’t travel as well.
Yes, you’re able to jam-pack lots of stuff inside, but it becomes just that… a jam-packed, lumped together mass of clothing, toiletries, souvenirs, and whatnot.
Here’s an inside view of the bag below. There’s a plastic bag with zipper for wet articles or things that need to be kept separate. It’s amazing how much stuff I jammed into this little case. I took it, along with my purse, on a five-day excursion to Venice and it held more than I actually needed.
Other benefits to this bag:
- It’s light, weighing only 5.7 pounds.
- It’s sturdy.
- It is deceptively roomy.
- The handle is aluminum and always felt sturdy and strong.
- The wheels roll smoothly. The only time I didn’t roll this bag was when I needed to carry it over a gap in the walkway or over cobblestones.
- It contains a TSA-enabled three-dial lock. You can lock it, but TSA personnel can still open it for an inspection. But honestly, I never locked it. I took this bag so I wouldn’t have to check it for storage under the plane; as such, I was present whenever the bag was looked through.
I plan to use this bag—and only this bag—on my next overseas trip. Yes, that might be a challenge, but based on my experience, I think I can do it. After all, it’s roomy enough, yet small enough, to take on any airline… even other regional carriers similar to Volotea. It will also save so much time and hassle at baggage claim.
And just think, because I won’t have to check any bags, lost luggage will be an impossibility! Won’t that be great?!
Marilyn Yung 