This is exactly what we did the last two trips to Europe. It worked, but there were some limitations so I was looking for alternatives. I'll describe the trip last spring as an example:
If you're over 50lbs in a suitcase you likely have some dense items (boots, etc) rather than just a lot of clothes. What if you get a very small and light duffel, put your heaviest items in it, and check that separate from your bigger bag. When you get to the destination, cram it all back in the bag which will now be very heavy again.
In other words, buy the biggest suitcase you can check, with nice sturdy wheels, and pull some of the contents out as a separate checked item just to bypass the weight surcharge. Combine them at the other end.
30 days of springtime in central Europe, so need to be prepared for cool or rainy weather. Nine of the days on a river cruise with no laundry options. Opera (x3) and symphony (x2) where we aren't formal but try to dress better than casual athletic wear. So we were at about 58lbs in the large suitcase. Business class flight from west coast to Vienna, so no issue on bag weight. Taxi situation in Vienna airport is a bit odd, so a fair bit of walking and some curbs and such; having a single bag was definitely a help. Modern hotel in central Vienna, even though there are cobbles in the street, bag is fairly easy to manage. Walkable to opera, symphony, museums, Easter markets, etc. After a few days here, the next stage is train to Prague. Train station is quite large, so a substantial distance to drag bags around, but at least there are elevators to the platforms. Hoisting that big suitcase up the steps into the train, and up into the luggage rack is a definite pain (no porters around train stations these days). Prague station has a few bumps, curbs, and cobbles to get to the Uber pickup point, but not too bad. Hotel in Prague old town has a bit more character. It was a monastery, convent, and prison over the centuries, so even though it has an elevator, it has a few steps up from street level at the entrance (manageable). Along with the opera house and jazz clubs, there is a laundry quite close to the hotel, so we have them do a bulk load for us. After a few days in Prague, we start the river cruise down the Vlatava and Elbe rivers. Uber to the river, but maybe 50 yards of cobbles, curbs, and ramp down to the boat where the crew takes over the bags. At the end of the river cruise, we are docked in a Berlin suburb where there is about 100 yards of (smooth) cobbles to navigate from the dock to where an Uber can pick us up. Uber to a centrally located apartment (where we can do laundry). Walkable to much, and on transit lines for more. After a few days in Berlin, we uber to the airport where we catch a KLM flight to Amsterdam, flying economy. Having a bag over 50lbs on this flight would be a $200 surcharge, so we pulled out the light extra bag to check under the second passenger, stuffed it as full as we could, and squeaked under on weight. Amsterdam was mostly for the purpose of staging for the good deal we found on a business class flight home, so we stayed at a BnB on the bus route from the airport, spent a day at the Keukenhof gardens, and then back to the airport and home.
It was a great trip, and we made the big bag thing work, but the hassle of the big bag on the train and the nuisance of the packing game to get under the economy weight limit made me look to see what other options there might be. The Tach bags mentioned upthread look like the best option for us to try if we want to try something different.
Statistics: Posted by curmudgeon — Thu Sep 19, 2024 12:30 am — Replies 35 — Views 1738