But as more and more travelers catch on to these benefits, there are a growing number of challenges associated with carrying on, and airlines are getting way stricter in enforcing their policies.

So in this video, I'll quickly explain what those challenges are, and I want to give you five tips to help you ensure that what you're carrying on makes it onto the plane with you, and even how to get around those pesky checked bag fees.

So I've heard people call this the carry-on crackdown.

I've seen a lot of info flying around about how airlines have changed their rules.

So what's actually going on?

A few things.

You've got budget carriers like Frontier who make their money on an cart model.

So if you want to bring a bag with you, you've got to pay for it.

Last year, they caught some serious fire because there was an incentive program, apparently, where gate agents were essentially forcing passengers to fit their bags in the sizer before boarding and charging a fee, sometimes supposedly even if the bag fit.

Yikes.

Then you've got airlines like Southwest, who's notoriously generous with checked bags, but now they're going out of their way to remind passengers you get one carry-on and one personal item, and that one personal item is basically anything you could be carrying with you, right?

So no more of this suitcase plus backpack plus pillow plus sling nonsense.

They're on record as saying this isn't new, the rules didn't change, they're just being enforced.

I recently had this experience when boarding a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Brussels.

The gate agent came on and said passengers will be limited to one carry-on item and one personal item, and that even something small like a sling or a fanny pack counts as a personal item.

So why is this happening?

And why now?

Now, I don't want to speak for budget carriers, but I think it's not far-fetched to believe this could be just another way to tack on fees and charges.

I believe in the case of bigger airlines like Southwest, the big issue here is actually overhead bin space and how it affects boarding times.

I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last flight I took where the overhead bins weren't completely full, or where the gate agent didn't just default to saying, if you have a roller bag, you have to gate check it.

So my first tip with all of this is the biggest one.

You gotta know your airline's rules.

And I don't just mean general rules of thumb, I mean your airline's rules.

What's the carry-on size allowance?

Is there a weight restriction?

What's the personal item size requirement?

How many personal items are you allowed?

What's considered a personal item?

And you also need to be sure to research all the airlines on your itinerary and not just the airline you booked with.

For budget carriers that have a la carte bag charges, in my experience, it's cheaper to purchase your carry-on at the time of booking.

Another huge thing is being discerning about what carry-on you travel with.

I would choose a carry-on that's going to work for you on a variety of airlines, so you're not having to freak out about your luggage every single trip.

Domestic carry-on sizes are, on average, 22 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches, and there's usually not a weight limit.

But if you're flying on any international carriers on your trip, the size allowance is typically a bit smaller, and there is a weight limit.

In Europe and Asia, the weight limit will typically be 7 to 10 kilograms, which is only 15 to 22 pounds.

And so this is where some travelers can get into trouble.

They fly Delta or United or a carrier like that over to Europe from the USA, but they fly a really strict carrier like Air France home.

Just because you could get it over to Europe without any issues doesn't mean you'll be as lucky coming back.

I've tested a ton of carry-ons on this channel, and trust me, there's a big difference between bags that just meet the dimensions and bags that actually make your life easier.

So here are some of my top picks.

The Travel Pro MaxLite 5 is incredibly lightweight, and it fits comfortably within most airline sizers.

The Briggs & Riley ZDX International carry-on is sturdy, reliable, and designed specifically for international travel.

Monos and Level 8 both make hard-sided carry-on options that are not only durable, but designed to meet most airline's dimension requirements, even with wheels and handles included.

By the way, if you like luggage review videos like that, be sure to subscribe to this channel.

And if you've gotten value out of this video, I'd love it if you'd hit that like button so YouTube knows I actually did something today.

I've got a couple more types of bags I'll talk to you about later on, but remember, the bag is just one part of the equation.

What you pack and how you pack it makes all the difference.

If you're flying on airlines with strict weight limits, managing your bag's weight is key.

Hard-sided cases can weigh around seven pounds empty, which eats into your weight allowance really fast.

So how do you ensure that your bag is within the limits?

Pack less.

I'm saying this as someone who used to be an overpacker.

What has worked for me is doing a test pack about a week before the trip and trying to live out of my bag for a few days.

I'm not kidding you.

Every trip I go on, like two or three days in, I have at least a couple items.

I'm like, why did I bring this?

I still find myself packing things I don't end up using, and I talk about packing on YouTube for a living.

Try the test pack.

It seriously works.

The other thing we need to talk about is your personal item.

The policy for basically every carry-on, we already talked about those, and one personal item.

The size for personal items really varies, and the general rule is that if it fits under the seat in front of you, you can bring it on.

The sort of average size is somewhere in the 18 inches by 14 inches by eight inches range, but don't push it with this.

Most laptop bags would fit just fine.

A purse, of course.

Your typical school-sized backpack, if you will.

Not a second carry-on.

When traveling full-time, I used the Peak Design 20 liter as my personal item, and basically, I did that because it carried my laptop and all of our camera gear.

Allie loves this backpack by Everlane, and there's a million options out there.

I'm just showing you a couple of examples.

Neither of us have ever been hassled or had issues when it comes to these, and this is worst case where you want anything you think you might need while you're on the plane.

Even if you're positive your carry-on won't be gate-checked, keep your important stuff in this personal item bag.

This is where the batteries should go just in case.

This is where the expensive electronics should go.

Honestly, I recommend anything you need for the first 24 hours or so of your trip because you never know.

Now, if you don't hate the idea of packing less, another more foolproof approach would be packing only a personal item, especially if you're doing just like a weekend trip.

If all you've got is a bag that fits under the seat, you're unlikely to encounter many issues.

And just one friendly PSA to anyone bringing anything on a plane, the overhead bins are not for personal items.

Personal items go under the seat.

Unless you can fit that item on top of your carry-on that's already up there, don't be taking up space with your purse or your tote bag or your jacket until everyone has gotten on and the actual carry-ons have gotten up there.

Let's talk about some tips to avoid being hassled.

I've carried on to hundreds of flights and I can count on one hand the times I've been bothered about my bag or been told that I've had to gate-check.

First things first, I avoid the check-in counter before security like the plague.

Checking in online is your best friend.

Not only does it save you time, it also minimizes the chances of someone scrutinizing your bag before you even reach the gate.

Secondly, I try to board as soon as my group is called.

Not before, but I'm definitely not waiting around.

I've seen the dreaded, everyone has to gate-check now announcement happen mid-group before, so when they call my group, I'm getting on the plane.

But I'll say I have a 100% success rate not having to gate-check my bag using the following tip.

Carry-on backpack.

No one questions a backpack, even if they end up being the same size as a roller carry-on.

I'll be 30 people after the gate-check announcement and get to walk right on the plane with my 45L backpack on my back.

There's a whole universe of backpacks out there and to be honest, I've hesitated to make a backpack video, but if you'd like to see me review several of the top carry-on backpacks on the market in a which-is-best type of roundup video, comment hands-free below and I'll add it to the pipeline.

Okay, but what if you do have to gate-check your bag?

Or worse, what if an airline is hassling you and wanting to charge you?

First, it's important to know if your ticket includes any free checked bags.

Many transatlantic and transpacific flights actually offer a free checked bag if you're not flying basic economy, so double-check your ticket details before resigning yourself to paying extra.

If you're active-duty military personnel, there's a strong chance you won't have to pay at all as many airlines waive the costs associated with bags.

Another option that won't help you in the moment but could be beneficial is having the credit card affiliated with the airline you're flying.

Many major US carriers offer co-branded credit cards that include perks like a free checked bag.

This benefit usually if you booked the flight with that card, so if you did pay for the flight with that card and you're being charged to check last minute, this is a good thing to keep in mind.

Also, some cards offer statement credits for fees associated with airlines.

For example, let's say you have the Platinum card by American Express.

Every year you elect one airline to be your airline of choice and you get up to $200 in statement credits for fees incurred on that Let's say you fly United Airlines a lot.

You could elect them as your airline of choice, and if for some reason you were charged to check a bag, this statement credit would cover you as long as you hadn't already used up that benefit.

If you want to know more about the Amex Platinum or my other favorite airline cards, I've linked them below.

And if you're nervous about carry-on weight requirements, check out this video where I test 10 of the lightest carry-ons on the planet to declare one overall winner.

Thanks for watching.

See you next time.