Luggage Restrictions

MrsRocky20852

Hello! My husband and I are taking the Elegant Adventure tour in February 2018. Trying to find out about the luggage restrictions for the internal flights in SA, and want to know if the airlines enforce the 44 pound limitation. Any advice is much appreciated!

Claudia Sails

Highly recommend you read the Before You Go page for your tour? It includes a "Luggage Handling and Restriction" section under Inclusive Prices.

FYI, it also includes lots of other useful information like what to pack, weather, etc etc.

AshvEd

We did this trip in September. Try to stay close to the guidelines. Our TD was very helpful and we generally had our own group tour checkin where they tended to be a little bit liberal however it all depends on the agent on duty. Several travelers did have to pay for overages and they generally charged a per kilo fee rather than a flat rate. The trip is spectacular.

MrsRocky20852

Thank you for your replies. I have reviewed Tauck's "What to bring" etc. but I was hoping for some real on-tour experiences. Packing for 12 days in 44 pounds seems challenging for a Girl Scout who needs to be prepared for everything! Anyone have a good packing list? Looking for ideas on quantity of items (tops, pants, etc) vs. the specific type of items.

British

Mrs Rocky, it all depends on your comfort level because no one will actually bother what you are wearing. I always take a large quantity of clothing but it is never near the weight limit restrictions because everything is very lightweight. That way I have plenty to go at for unecxpected occurences like spilling food all down a newly put on tshirt or your pants being lost at the laundry never to be returned or even lets face reality, a sudden problem with diarrhea. Yes seen all this occur. In reality, I always notice the same pattern with pretty much everyone.... the first few days you make an effort to look nice and coordinated, but after that when we all know each other better, it really gets more and more casual. If you could see me now on my current trip relaxing after a long walk on sand and lava pathways with hat hair and no make up and smears of remaining sunscreen... and looking around we all look the same, get the idea! On my last trip, Safari based, it was the heat I hated most, whether I wore cotton or the nylon type Safari pants, when we got out of the safari vehicles our pants were soaking wet with sweat from our waists down to our knees. We all looked like real explorers. I know Elegant South Africa has some city days, but otherwise be prepared to leave your usual standards at home and enjoy the freedom of looking totally ratty for a couple of weeks and a lifetime of great memories.

kfarber

MrsRocky20852 wrote:

Thank you for your replies. I have reviewed Tauck's "What to bring" etc. but I was hoping for some real on-tour experiences. Packing for 12 days in 44 pounds seems challenging for a Girl Scout who needs to be prepared for everything! Anyone have a good packing list? Looking for ideas on quantity of items (tops, pants, etc) vs. the specific type of items.

Mrs. Rocky, what trip are you on in Feb? We are on the Feb. 16th
Kathy

Sealord

MrsRocky20852 wrote:

Thank you for your replies. I have reviewed Tauck's "What to bring" etc. but I was hoping for some real on-tour experiences. Packing for 12 days in 44 pounds seems challenging for a Girl Scout who needs to be prepared for everything! Anyone have a good packing list? Looking for ideas on quantity of items (tops, pants, etc) vs. the specific type of items.

We have acquired a new appreciation for packing lite. Thanks to British Airways on May 27th, we did two weeks in the Baltic and St. Petersburg with nothing but carry-on. Our checked luggage went on a different vacation. No problem.

AshvEd

You guys are true road warriors. Congrats!

MrsRocky20852

kfarber wrote:

Mrs. Rocky, what trip are you on in Feb? We are on the Feb. 16th
Kathy

We arrive in Cape Town on 2/19 for a family wedding on 2/21. We start our tour on 2/22. Enjoy!!!

MrsRocky20852

British wrote:

Mrs Rocky, it all depends on your comfort level because no one will actually bother what you are wearing. I always take a large quantity of clothing but it is never near the weight limit restrictions because everything is very lightweight. That way I have plenty to go at for unecxpected occurences like spilling food all down a newly put on tshirt or your pants being lost at the laundry never to be returned or even lets face reality, a sudden problem with diarrhea. Yes seen all this occur. In reality, I always notice the same pattern with pretty much everyone.... the first few days you make an effort to look nice and coordinated, but after that when we all know each other better, it really gets more and more casual. If you could see me now on my current trip relaxing after a long walk on sand and lava pathways with hat hair and no make up and smears of remaining sunscreen... and looking around we all look the same, get the idea! On my last trip, Safari based, it was the heat I hated most, whether I wore cotton or the nylon type Safari pants, when we got out of the safari vehicles our pants were soaking wet with sweat from our waists down to our knees. We all looked like real explorers. I know Elegant South Africa has some city days, but otherwise be prepared to leave your usual standards at home and enjoy the freedom of looking totally ratty for a couple of weeks and a lifetime of great memories.

Thank you for the wonderful advice!!! I agree with much of what you have said, and have traveled enough to know that no one cares what I look like. :-) My only issue is that I like having access to clean clothes, and hate taking time to hand wash. Have accumulated lots of lightweight clothes with wrinkle free fabrics, and my husband and I are both big fans of the Ex-Officio underware. Any brand specific recommendations on the latest in light luggage??

British

Sorry, no recommendations on light luggage. Every time our luggage gets destroyed by the airlines, whether we paid a fortune for it or not, I just go to the luggage dept of any store and pick each piece up and feel how much it weighs and if it fits the bill on other ways. Anyone any other recommendations for airport proof luggage?

AshvEd

My wife and I have been using Samsonite Hardside Spinners as checked luggage and they have held up well. The model names change often so go online and research sizes and weights. My carryon is a Tom Bihn Tri-Star softside for meds, electronics, change of clothes, camera gear, and other items we don't want to check. Spouse has a TravelPro wheeled underseat/overhead carryon.

Sealord

AshvEd wrote:

You guys are true road warriors. Congrats!

Interesting that until I posted this we had exactly the same number of posts. How many Taucks have you done?

AshvEd

Sealord wrote:

Interesting that until I posted this we had exactly the same number of posts. How many Taucks have you done?

We have completed five Tauck adventures (Australia/New Zealand, South Africa & Zimbabwe, Danube: Prague to Budapest, Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, and Hawaii) and have two trips booked in 2018. We only "discovered" Tauck four years ago and have been thrilled with their trips.

British

Well another bag ruined. We just returned from our latest tour and somewhere between Guayaquil and Miami one bag got very black and wet on one side. We re-checked it to our connecting flight. It was only when our driver pulled the bag out of the trunk that we realized it stunk badly of wet fish! It's currently residing by our trash.

AlanS

British wrote:

Well another bag ruined. We just returned from our latest tour and somewhere between Guayaquil and Miami one bag got very black and wet on one side. We re-checked it to our connecting flight. It was only when our driver pulled the bag out of the trunk that we realized it stunk badly of wet fish! It's currently residing by our trash.

That reminds me of a flight years ago. Were were at DFW at the hottest time of year and had already boarded. Just outside our window baggage handlers were loading bags from a cart onto the conveyor. One item was a medium-sized cardboard (tri-wall) box that appeared to be damp or wet. Just as the handlers lifted it from the cart to the conveyor, it completely fell apart. Crushed ice and frozen(or refrigerated?) fish spewed out all over the conveyor and tarmac. The ice started melting and the fish started thawing rapidly in the blistering heat. The handlers scrambled to gather them up, throw them into trash bags and another box, and into the airplane's baggage compartment! We were lucky; our bags must have been far enough away from the fish so didn't take on a fishy smell!

DawnC28

kfarber wrote:

Mrs. Rocky, what trip are you on in Feb? We are on the Feb. 16th
Kathy

My husband and I are on the Feb 16th trip too! So excited!