We are out of Detroit which is a delta hub and the prices are crazy!
On our other 2 Viking cruises we flew KLM on one and Air France on the other, both in the delta alliance.
This time Lufthansa to Europe and United on the return. Could not find anything on Delta that was cost effective.
Also using Viking Air, I’ve been happy with our other experiences so decided to keep. The price we paid was equivalent to the price to purchase separately. We will see if I regret that
@threeofthree we loved Prague so much! I have a tour guide we loved if you would like a recommendation
Absolutely on the tour guide. My husband and I were trying to figure out the best days to do what as the Viking tour is just the simple walk about. We have been investigating but so far, other than an evening river cruise (jazz band guys) we have nothing planned yet.
I know that you’ve probably already found a bag, but my vote is for the Baggu Small Cloud Carry On (the regular sized Cloud Carry On will be too big). Perfect size to fit under the seat in front of you (while still leaving room for your feet), water bottle compartment on the outside, zippered laptop compartment, folds flat when empty and into a storage pouch…it’s truly the perfect travel bag.
I returned from my Viking Cruise last night and wanted to report what I bought for carry on to comply with Lufthansa and how it went. I ended up buying the Away Compact Carry-On which is a soft-sided bag and it worked great and met the Lufthansa measurements both online and when they required me to drop the bag into their measurement box at Newark. Newark was the only place where they showed any interest in the size of my carry-on bag and the plane was a 747 which had plenty of room. No mention of measurements when I connected in Frankfurt to Budapest or in Munich when I flew home. I was able to fit 2 changes of clothes, some Tom’s slip on sneakers, gown, undies, meds & essential toiletries in with no problem and my bag weight was 15.5 pounds, so under the 17 pound limit. I had weighed at home before I left so I wouldn’t have a bad surprise. I wasn’t overly impressed with Lufthansa, but they did serve a delicious corn/red onion/cucumber salad that they described as an appetizer on the way over - one of the best things I ate over the 10 days which is saying a lot given the wonderful food I ate.
I never used to use a backpack but a friend gave me the below a few years back (some of the compartments have changed). I started using it as my personal item along with a rolling carryon a few years back, putting my purse in the backpack.
On our Globus tour next year, they allow one large checked bag and one small day pack for the bus etc. That backpack can squish as needed and will have my camera equipment and meds and such so will be my day pack. This will be one of my first trips without a wheeled carryon.
I believe it was in this thread that someone recommend Bagsmart. Big thank you!
We did an 18 day cold weather cruise earlier this month and I managed to cram everything in my TravelPro carryon suitcase and an old backpack but the backpack was a hot mess. Too hard to get to things, oddly shaped for traveling (it just opened from the top) and the pockets were hard to access when I needed things at the airport. I ended up buying a Bagsmart travel backpack when I came home for the next trip and I’m thrilled with it! It unzips like a suitcase and has interior compression straps, room for shoes, laptop, extra pocket in front, and two side pockets, plus a luggage strap. Under $40. I did a mock pack up and was able to fit two pairs of shoes (flats), a toiletry bag, my crossbody purse (with stuff in it), two small packing cubes, and room for an umbrella in the side pocket. Everything easily accessible for packing/unpacking.
@momofboiler1 — which bagsmart backpack did you buy? There are quite a few different ones. That’s OK—I think I found it. It has pretty uneven reviews about quality control and quality of materials.
Was it this one? BAGSMART Compression Travel Backpack, Expandable Carry On Backpack with Packing Cubes, Water Resistant Weekender Backpack Fits 17 Inch laptop, Luggage Daypack with Shoe Bag, Grey? It’s $34.99 currently and looks tempting.
