Hurry Up and Wait . . . or is that weight?

​29 April, 2013
Anyone who has travelled these days knows that airlines, in an effort to trim costs, have started offering fewer and fewer frills.  Some of the obvious ones are the no meal service on short flights or the pay-for-food options on Canada/US flights.  One of the perhaps less obvious “downgrades” is the change in luggage allowances. 
 
Years ago you were allowed to check two bags, and each was allowed to weigh up to 75 lbs (and no I’m not talking about the Classic Maya period but the 1990s and early 2000s).  If it wasn’t for that allowance I’m not sure how I would have finished my dissertation research as I has to travel from England to Canada, carting large loads of research, research material, and artefacts along the way (weigh?).
 
Today you are allowed one checked bag (if you are lucky!) that is not allowed to exceed a total of 62” in area (i.e.,  a trunk that is 10” x 12” x 40”) and cannot weigh more than 50 lbs.  The reduction in number, size, and weight, is of course a real logistic nightmare for any archaeological project.  Trying to distribute the paperwork alone presents a hassle (do you know how much our interim report weighs!), let alone the journals, camera equipment, books.  The option of getting some of the stuff printed in Belize (i.e., the level forms) is almost as much of a night mare as print shops are sporadic and costs are exorbitant.
 
Of course airlines do have “exceptions” to their luggage requirements and you can always pay for a second (and even third) bag ($40 US for the second and $100 for the third).  However, trying to figure out if you are an exception can be a bit of a trial as can figuring out the costs.  Clearly I’m not military or traveling business class, but did I get full-fare economy class ticket?  What about if I upgrade to business class before check-in (which allows for a free second piece).  Is it cheaper to up-grade then pay for the second piece?  And would that make a third piece the price of a second?  And then there is the issue of over-weight luggage.  While luggage is official limited now to 50 lbs, you can take up to 70 lbs if you are willing to pay the extra $100 fee.
 
Needless to say I have spent the last two days packing, and repacking the trunks, and stepping on and off of scales.  Weighing myself first, then myself with the trunk, then deducting my weight from the “me + trunk” weight to see if they are under the 50 lb limit.  Spreading the material around between the trunks to try and even it out.  While I’ll admit that I’m in need of losing a few pounds, and I am not (overly) self-conscious about my weight, the constantly seeing how much I DO weigh, not to mention me 50 lbs heavier is somewhat hard to take.  Field packing is clearly not for the faint of heart!
 
So with only 11 hours to go before the flight, all the trunks are packed, weighed, and as far as I can tell, under the limit.  At this point it is just a matter of  wait (weight?) and see!!