Holiday Travel: Should you check your bags?

CNN reports that this holiday season, air travelers may clog the overhead bins with more carry-on bags. If you've been on a plane recently, you already know that claiming the storage space above your seat is like something out of the Amazing Race.

It does seem that airports are now trying to enforce the airline limitations of one carry-on and one personal item. When I flew to San Francisco two weeks ago, I was stopped even before I could show my I.D. at the security checkpoint line. "Will that bag fit in the overhead bin?" an airport worker asked, suspiciously eyeing my bulging Eagle Creek backpack. Even after explaining that the outer removable pack was stuffed with magazines that I'd read and discard before boarding, I actually had to place my backpack into the luggage sizer to prove that it would in fact fit in the overhead bin (just like it has ever since I bought it a few years ago).

Unfortunately, the woman behind me wasn't so lucky -- she had a rolling suitcase, a purse, and a tote. "But they let me through at SFO," she wailed. The JFK airport worker stood firm and made the woman go back and check the extra bag (for a fee, of course).

So what should you do with your luggage when traveling during the holidays? Cast your vote here.

Photo: Eagle Creek via Buy.com