My DS16 is going on an EF Tours tour of Italy in about 1.5 weeks and we are still unsure if he should do carry on only or checked bag. EF’s website says they prefer you do only carry on, but I have a friend who had a child similar age just do a very similar tour to a different country, and she said all the kids did one checked bag and one bookbag. That was my plan but today I got a msg from the sponsor teacher saying he wants to go with what EF recommends for no checked bags. I just have no idea how he could have 11 days of clothes in just a carry on, plus other stuff and souvenirs. Please advise. I seriously doubt any provision for washing clothes has been made, and to prevent stuff like covid I really don’t want to plan ahead for wearing stuff more than once if we can avoid it…
Hey!
My daughter did an EF tour a few years ago to Japan. Everyone had a checked bag and a carry on. As a matter of fact my daughter bought so many souvenirs and such that she had to buy another suitcase to return home with it all!
I still joke that she’s the only person I know that left with two pieces of luggage and came back with three!!
The “only one checked bag” is a suggestion not a law. They are not going to remove you from the trip or force you to dump your clothes at the airport. You do have to transport all that luggage around with you and it can be a hassle. Plus, you may have to pay the airline a bag fee.(We did, but it’s nbd for a once in a life time trip…)
The policy is more about making the trip logistically easier on them, so they have less bags to handle. However, you are paying for this. You have every right to take whatever you want.
(I “stole” that piece of “extra” luggage to use for all my Orlando/Universal trips… I paid for it so I don’t think I really stole anything!!) 
BTW - The program was great and so well managed. It is one of her best memories!!
(She’s about to go to Italy in May for a summer “fine arts” credit for college. I am a big proponent of leaving America to see the world a bit. IME - You see how we actually aren’t all so different as people even though we all come from different places!)
My niece is doing and EF tours and teachers said no checked bags. Remember they can also take a personal item as well. You can easily get everything in a carry on bag plus a personal item like a back pack or the luggage that counts as a personal item. I have a small rolling suitcase that is a personal item that I got from Amazon. Or he could do a back pack as his personal item in addition to his carry on. And…he’s a boy. He probably won’t change clothes many times anyway if he’s like my DS!
You could get an expandable carry-on bag so that he could use it as a carry-on for the trip to Italy and then expand as needed for souvenirs and check it on the way home when it won’t matter.
We always have carried on luggage if possible. I would choose clothing that isn’t bulky, so it rolls in the suitcase better. Get rubber band or hair ties and roll each outfit together and secure with bands. Packing cubes work well if you can master the technique of folding into thin rectangles. The challenge will be keeping everything folded throughout the trip. This is why I like the rubber bands. DS can grab a set and leave the rest untouched. Additionally, limit the amount of personal items brought (soaps and such). Make as much as possible disposable. This will create a little extra room on the return trip for souvenirs. You can always use a personal bag (such as backpack) for extra room for toiletries and such. Measure all of your suitcases and pack the largest one possible that follows the carry on size guidelines.
This is also a great idea!
Yes it did occur to me that my friend’s daughter and her friends are girls so they maybe would want to have new clothes each time while DS might not care. 
My DS16 recently returned from an 11 day school Europe trip with only carry on luggage. He took his regular school backpack and then a backpack suitcase (opens like a suitcase but can be carried in your back).
And my crazy kid took his steam deck with him and still had plenty of space.
What’s a steam deck?
It’s a portable gaming computer. It’s bigger than a switch. I thought it was ridiculous he brought it, but it made it home.
Now you know two! I did it in China too and I had to buy a big bag. And I’ve done it in Disney. I seem to have a problem!
My son insisted on bringing the walking dead graphic novel compendium (it must have weighed 20 lbs I swear) on a 5 day backpacking trip. Guess who ended up carrying it when he slipped on some mossy rock into a stream and it got wet and weighed even more. My brother. Cuz not me!
Kids are crazy sometimes.
Update: United airlines has such a tiny allowance for carry on bags that i think we’ll need to have DS check a bag. We just purchased luggage for him: a carry-on bag that meets united rules (and British Airways, although they are more generous) and a medium sized check bag. I think he can’t do just carry on bag and personal item because British airways has a very small allowance for the personal item. I wish it were only one airline rules not 2, that made it hard to find matching luggage that worked (I know it didn’t need to match, just a preference). We had to go shopping because i just flew United and my only carry on that met their small size restrictions broke.
I’ve never been asked by SW to fit my bag at the gate. I’ve never seem them question anyones bag. I have 2 suitcases (that dont match, 2 different sets) that get very, very close to the carry on limit for SW. Plus the are fine with full size backpacks and large shoulder bags being your personal item.
SW gets a lot of hate but I still would rather them over most other airlines. I love Delta but they don’t have many direct flights to the places I’m going usually.
I’m assuming you mean Southwest? I used to fly them a lot too. They had the only direct flights where we were going. I don’t know if it’s that way anymore.
We had no say in which airline for DS16 for this school trip. The tour company chose United and British Airways most likely b/c those were the cheapest options when they were booking.
I chose United when I bought flights for Alaska, which ended up becoming to Las Vegas when I had to cancel my cruise, b/c they were more than $1K cheaper than anything else the day I was booking. I am not at all a big fan of United or anything. Actually it’s mostly been Delta for us b/c of where we live and fly to.
Yes.
I’m not a big United fan either but I’m a big fan of $1000.00 
