The day is finally approaching for me to go to Cebu next Friday.
It will be my wife's first trip home in almost two years.
My wife's luggage will be quite large, including her own clothes, as well as clothes for the children and souvenirs.
She wants to buy things that are only available in the Philippines, so her luggage for the return trip is also going to be a fair amount of dormitory space. So, last month I bought a large suitcase from Amazon.
When I go abroad, I carry only one Boston bag and a shoulder bag for my personal effects so that I only need to carry-on baggage. I prefer to travel as light as possible, so I did this when I went to Europe for two weeks, and I plan to do the same this time with only a Boston bag and a shoulder bag.
For my wife, it was her first time back home in a long time, so it was natural that she wanted to bring a lot of things with her since it was different from a trip.
I have seen many Filipinos checking several large pieces of luggage at the airport counter, and one suitcase, though large, is a cute little thing compared to that.
From Narita to Manila is not a concern since it is Japan Airlines, but from Manila to Cebu is Air Asia, an LCC, so there is a separate charge for checked baggage.
The day before yesterday, I received an e-mail from Air Asia saying that the checked baggage fee would be cheaper if I applied online than at the airport counter.
So I applied for the plan that allows me to carry-on and checked baggage up to 30 kg. 990 pesos, which is about 2,400 Japanese yen.
Incidentally, my wife's return flight to Japan is on Philippine Airlines, so there is no additional charge.
When I came home yesterday, my wife was packing her suitcase, but her mind may have already flown a step ahead to her children in the Philippines.
