But it happens. And the question that many of us face when your perfectly packed bag is deemed overweight per airline standards is whether to shell over the $100 additional fee or to get rid of unnecessary things packed. I recently faced this dilemma on the way to Italy. For some reason, I was overconfident that my bag would be at 50 lbs when I checked it in, but I was up for a rude awakening. That 62.5 lbs that you saw above? Yeah…that was….er, that was mine. My bag was overweight by twelve and a half pounds! I seriously could not believe it when my mom told me. I had everything arranged neatly in my suitcase and knew for sure that I under packed. The suitcase wasn’t even full! But the thing is, my suitcase is huge, so this measurement was really poor. 

Regardless, I knew that I was not willing to pay $100 for twelve additional pounds. My mom, sister, and I moved over to the side and started to unpack my check-in suitcase. This was horrible! I’m not going to lie—I felt like crying. I needed every. single. thing that I packed (not really). In the long run, I ended up getting rid of some Clorox wipes (because I have to clean up as soon as I arrive at my place), coconut oil (hello moisturized skin!), a sweater, some booties (that never would have worked on cobblestone streets), and a pair of sweatpants (which I shouldn’t bum around in anyways, so okay, I’ll give you that). This took me down to exactly 50 lbs. *Whew* Crisis averted.

Considering that this wasn’t my first time going through this ordeal (I get it guys. Apparently I just don’t learn!), I wanted to share with you all some tips for what to do if this happens to you. 

This most important step is to not panic. I know that this will be hard, but it will not help you out much. If anything, it can make it harder to think reasonably. If you have to freak out, limit the amount of time you do. Get your panic out of your system and then move on to how you can fix your problem.

Surprisingly, doing this could shave off a couple of pounds. Don’t ask me how or why this works, but it can happen! Maybe you have too much weight towards the bottom or on one side of your suitcase. If possible, add some stuff to your carry-on or personal item (remember: no liquids larger than 3 oz). 

Think hard and realistically about whether you need each piece of item in your suitcase. This is not the time to think about all the potential activities you might do; think about what you know you will be doing. If you need some heels or a thick sweater later, you can always go purchase a new one. I know that this doesn’t sound reassuring (because why would you leave something just to buy it again?), but this will help you shave weight off of the scale. 

I highly, highly recommend doing this! This is mainly because if you do have to purge some items from your suitcase, you do not want to have to throw them away. Some things are irreplaceable, and just because it might not be the smartest to take it with you doesn’t mean that you need to throw it away. When someone comes to the airport with you, they are able to take with them anything that you decide you can’t take.