This is what the Dublin Airport looked like last Thursday at 7am. Yikes! Hundreds of people were waiting in line three hours before their flight. This line is for just two Air Canada flights from Dublin to Montreal and Toronto. Air Canada has online check in. 

So my question was why are all these people waiting in line?

I started to look around, listen and ask people what they were waiting in line for. 

The #1 answer: check in baggage

WHAT? 

The #1 Way To Make Your Trip To Europe Go Smoothly This Summer

The Air Canada supervisor told me it looks like this everyday. Oh no. On the other hand, I checked in online for the same flight and had just a carry on bag. Yep, I spent two weeks in Ireland with a carry on bag. 

And I arrived at the airport three hours early, got through security in 15 minutes and had time to visit the Chase Priority Pass Lounge for a bite to eat. No stress, no lines. 

What a difference, right?

But I know what you are thinking. You are probably thinking that you can't even imagine travelling with just a carryon. So I'm going to show you how I do it and then I'm going to share a hack with you. 

In the video, I mention packing cubes, you can find those on Amazon. You can also find small travel size bottles for your toiletries (lotion, sunscreen etc.) and remember you can take as many small bottles as you want so take a few filled with sunscreen. 

But my number one tip is to plan to do a load of laundry on your trip. Most Airbnb's have a washer and dryer and if you are staying at hotels, some offer laundry service or relax in a laundry mat for a couple of hours. No big deal. 

The #1 Way To Make Your Trip To Europe Go Smoothly This Summer

Believe me, spending a few hours doing laundry will save you some major headaches at the airport this summer or worse looking for lost luggage. 

If you do decide to check baggage, use the right credit card to buy the flights and or pay for the luggage. Some credit cards like my favorite Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve offer lost or delayed baggage coverage. 

If you don't have this credit card yet, it's my favorite. Right now, you can get a 60,000 point bonus with a $4,000 minimum spend. Those 60,000 points are worth $750 towards travel. Use my referral link to apply. 

In my next post, I'll show you how I used the Chase Ultimate Rewards points to stay and eat for FREE in Ireland.