If you are talking about getting to Australia, the flight is certainly long, there is no way to get around it. If you can manage to arrive a couple of days early, that will help you get over the long flights and jet lag before the tour begins. When I went on the Australia part of the tour the internal flights were short, no problem. I will be doing the New Zealand tour in January, arriving early again. The flights on day 13 will be very short, probably avoiding long road or water transportation, New Zealnd is a small country. For specifics I suggest a call to Tauck, they are always very helpful. Or someone on the forum might remember more details.
The flights on trip not so bad especially in NZ when it is a charter. Only draw back was in Australia trying to keep the suitcase to 50 and keeping bottles out of carry-on.
For internal flights within Australia & New Zealand, the international fluid rules do not apply. For extra information, you can check the Qantas and Air New Zealand web sites. As always, you need to check before you fly. The US international fluid rules do apply on trans-Tasman flights.
Absolutely not a problem with internal flights. In fact they are a joy on those private planes. The plane may be old but so much leg room and comfort. We just wished our long flight back to England would be as comfortable.
Richard
For the internal flights, is there any problem with the SIZE of the luggage, NOT the weight? I know the weight is 50 lbs, but the size is about 67 total inches. Do we need to bring smaller pieces?
I just got my Tauck documents for this trip, and they say checked luggage is limited to one suitcase weighing no more than 50 pounds, with overall dimensions not to exceed 54 inches. We can also have a carry-on weighing no more than 15 pounds, with maximum dimensions of 20" x 15" x 10". Not sure if they enforce these limits...
I just got my Tauck documents for this trip, and they say checked luggage is limited to one suitcase weighing no more than 50 pounds, with overall dimensions not to exceed 54 inches. We can also have a carry-on weighing no more than 15 pounds, with maximum dimensions of 20" x 15" x 10". Not sure if they enforce these limits...
I think you have to assume that the measurements quoted are enforced. If you turn up at the airport with a larger and heavier bag and they want to charge you, then You will have been forewarned. On smaller planes they may not even want to take your bag at all or ship it on a flight later that is not full and can take the extra weight. I have seen that happen. Hard though it is to keep suitcase weight down, it can be done by starting with a very lightweight suitcase in the first place, packing lightweight clothes that you can layer instead of heavy outerwear. And maybe even leaving behind the ever disputed and discussed men's jacket that can take up room and possibly weight too if you chose the wrong fabric.
Finally, there is always the consideration of other people having to lug your extra heavy bags around and putting themselves at risk of injury for a really poor wage.
Hi Lori-
On Tuesday, I read in a travel forum post that the Tauck final documents state the checked bag can only be 54 inches.
Like you, I knew that the 54 inch size conflicted with the 62 inch size that is mentioned in the "before you go" section on the website.
I called Tauck on Wednesday. The person I spoke to said she would check into it. I just got off the phone with her and she assured me that the checked bag CAN be 62 inches as long as the weight is 50 lbs or less.
I guess they will change the wording in future "final documents".
That was a relief. I would have had a tough time, squeezing the various clothes, shoes, outerwear, toiletries, etc. you need for this long trip, into a medium sized suitcase.
We are not traveling until February, but I am happy that this issue has been cleared up.
Have a wonderful time and please post suggestions and comments for us future travelers when you return. Thanks!
Sue
At the risk of saying something twice, or three times … I'll just throw this into the mix.
Luggage rules are usually the dominion of airlines, and those rules are refined by the type of ticket you have purchased. (Economy, business, first, & all the variations thereof.) Airlines flying US domestic routes have their own set of rules. Once you get to the international sector, you will find that normal international luggage rules apply. However, if your overall ticket has been purchased as a "package", shall we say, the ticket code will indicate that the luggage allowances are usually governed by the international allowances … which are greater. I know …. it is all very confusing.
In practice, if you have one large suitcase, you run the very real risk of that case being over 50lbs, even if it is not full. That means it is possibly in contravention of Heath & Safety rules, rather than airlines rules, per se. If, however you have 2 smaller suitcases, chances are you will still meet the overall airline restrictions. If you are travelling on a budget fare … there are no normal rules. This is where I throw my hands up in the air and ask why you would ….
My point is that for this trip, you are not restricted by the practicalities of flying in bush planes, as you would be in truly remotes parts of the world … like an East African safari or the Alaskan interior or even point to point in the Australian Kimberley. Or similarly, if your were covering long distances in small vans, as you would be in Africa, say, there would be a real logistical issue. But your trip isn't about any of that. You are flying in large planes and being ferried in regular coaches. Tauck have to try to cover every possibility in their documentation. That's no mean feat. You can always check the main airline web sites for their luggage rules yourself. That's where the practical information is. Overall, it's about logistics and making the existing rules work for you. All things being equal (and only you can know that) the easiest thing in the world is to get a second luggage tag from your TD when you arrive in country. Tauck are really trying to distill all the rules, for every occasion, into an easy paragraph that is comprehensive to the lowest common denominator. Give them a brake. That's a very hard task.
So, common sense, an inquiring mind, compassion for those who lug on your behalf and some lateral thinking. Don't pack a jacket. Wear it on the plane, then take the darn thing off!
Thanks for the info, Sue. I'm glad a supervisor confirmed, because it sure doesn't match what is in my documents from Tauck. They say the smaller numbers are due to the eight on-tour flights. I believe those are private charters, where you can't check their luggage restrictions online like you can the Qantas flight from Sydney to Wellington. Since I don't know how small those charter planes are, the lower limits made sense to me.
Here is how the Tauck documents prefaced the 'Checked Luggage' section description of the 50 lb/54 inch limit: "Due to space and weight restrictions associated with your on-tour flights, we ask that you limit your checked luggage to...". And it follows it with "these weight and size limitations will be lower than the weight and size limits for the commercial flights to and from your Tauck journey. Be sure to comply with the LOWEST weight and size limits specified for either your on-tour flights or commercial flights". <capitalization was theirs>
And then they repeat the 50 pound/54 inch restriction in the 'Flights During the Tour' section, discussing the eight intra-tour flights. So like I said, they sure seemed to be adamant about it being due to the private charter flights. I'm probably going with a 54 inch overall suitcase anyway, just to be safe, and do an extra trip to the laundry if I have to.
Spoke with a Tauck representative this afternoon regarding luggage size for checked bags. Tauck states in their travel book is limited to 54 inches which I received today for my up coming trip in December 2014. I brought this to their attention today stating that the airlines allow check luggage to be a maximum of 62 inches, with a maximum weight of 50 pounds. The Tauck representative then checked with their in house travel department who then advised me that the travel book will be revised to state the check luggage will be revised to reflect 62 inches instead of 54 inches with a maximum weight of 50 pound. Tauck informed it will not be a concern for my up coming trip. Hopes this helps. If you have any concerns please contact Tauck to verify the information for yourself. The airlines are constantly changing their position on luggage sizes. Based upon my experiences with Tauck, they go the extra mile to accommodate their guest.
Comments
Cheers,
Jan
Richard
Finally, there is always the consideration of other people having to lug your extra heavy bags around and putting themselves at risk of injury for a really poor wage.
On Tuesday, I read in a travel forum post that the Tauck final documents state the checked bag can only be 54 inches.
Like you, I knew that the 54 inch size conflicted with the 62 inch size that is mentioned in the "before you go" section on the website.
I called Tauck on Wednesday. The person I spoke to said she would check into it. I just got off the phone with her and she assured me that the checked bag CAN be 62 inches as long as the weight is 50 lbs or less.
I guess they will change the wording in future "final documents".
That was a relief. I would have had a tough time, squeezing the various clothes, shoes, outerwear, toiletries, etc. you need for this long trip, into a medium sized suitcase.
We are not traveling until February, but I am happy that this issue has been cleared up.
Have a wonderful time and please post suggestions and comments for us future travelers when you return. Thanks!
Sue
Luggage rules are usually the dominion of airlines, and those rules are refined by the type of ticket you have purchased. (Economy, business, first, & all the variations thereof.) Airlines flying US domestic routes have their own set of rules. Once you get to the international sector, you will find that normal international luggage rules apply. However, if your overall ticket has been purchased as a "package", shall we say, the ticket code will indicate that the luggage allowances are usually governed by the international allowances … which are greater. I know …. it is all very confusing.
In practice, if you have one large suitcase, you run the very real risk of that case being over 50lbs, even if it is not full. That means it is possibly in contravention of Heath & Safety rules, rather than airlines rules, per se. If, however you have 2 smaller suitcases, chances are you will still meet the overall airline restrictions. If you are travelling on a budget fare … there are no normal rules. This is where I throw my hands up in the air and ask why you would ….
My point is that for this trip, you are not restricted by the practicalities of flying in bush planes, as you would be in truly remotes parts of the world … like an East African safari or the Alaskan interior or even point to point in the Australian Kimberley. Or similarly, if your were covering long distances in small vans, as you would be in Africa, say, there would be a real logistical issue. But your trip isn't about any of that. You are flying in large planes and being ferried in regular coaches. Tauck have to try to cover every possibility in their documentation. That's no mean feat. You can always check the main airline web sites for their luggage rules yourself. That's where the practical information is. Overall, it's about logistics and making the existing rules work for you. All things being equal (and only you can know that) the easiest thing in the world is to get a second luggage tag from your TD when you arrive in country. Tauck are really trying to distill all the rules, for every occasion, into an easy paragraph that is comprehensive to the lowest common denominator. Give them a brake. That's a very hard task.
So, common sense, an inquiring mind, compassion for those who lug on your behalf and some lateral thinking. Don't pack a jacket. Wear it on the plane, then take the darn thing off!
Cheers,
Jan
Here is how the Tauck documents prefaced the 'Checked Luggage' section description of the 50 lb/54 inch limit: "Due to space and weight restrictions associated with your on-tour flights, we ask that you limit your checked luggage to...". And it follows it with "these weight and size limitations will be lower than the weight and size limits for the commercial flights to and from your Tauck journey. Be sure to comply with the LOWEST weight and size limits specified for either your on-tour flights or commercial flights". <capitalization was theirs>
And then they repeat the 50 pound/54 inch restriction in the 'Flights During the Tour' section, discussing the eight intra-tour flights. So like I said, they sure seemed to be adamant about it being due to the private charter flights. I'm probably going with a 54 inch overall suitcase anyway, just to be safe, and do an extra trip to the laundry if I have to.
MJ
Spoke with a Tauck representative this afternoon regarding luggage size for checked bags. Tauck states in their travel book is limited to 54 inches which I received today for my up coming trip in December 2014. I brought this to their attention today stating that the airlines allow check luggage to be a maximum of 62 inches, with a maximum weight of 50 pounds. The Tauck representative then checked with their in house travel department who then advised me that the travel book will be revised to state the check luggage will be revised to reflect 62 inches instead of 54 inches with a maximum weight of 50 pound. Tauck informed it will not be a concern for my up coming trip. Hopes this helps. If you have any concerns please contact Tauck to verify the information for yourself. The airlines are constantly changing their position on luggage sizes. Based upon my experiences with Tauck, they go the extra mile to accommodate their guest.
BP