carry-on vs check luggage

John, it's up to the airline to decide if they will let you carry two bags or not. I think some do but some really don't. If you pack light enough, you can pack your flight essentials in a small pack, pack that inside your bag, and take it out on the plane while your bag sits in an overhead bin.

Once my small backpack looked suspiciouslly large and I had to gate check it. That was from Glasgow to Heathrow. By the time we found the baggage claim area and went to our plane the plane was gone. We had to rebook to New Jersey, Detroit, and to Seattle. Ge got there at 1:30 in the morning. Bad trip. Since then I have used a shoulder bag which doesn't arouse any unwanted attention. It fits easily under the seat ahead and has everything in it I might need if my convertible carry-on gets separated from me.

This trip I had a RS carryon wheeled suitcase and a totebag. Had no problems. On my flights to/from Rome there was not a lot of carryon luggage... there was plenty of space for everyone with some to spare.

John, The answer will likely depend on the mood of the airline personnel when you check-in. If they feel your small Backpack is too large or heavy for either the overhead bins or under seat, they may insist that you check one bag. Be sure that your valuables and documents are in the carry-on bag, in case that happens. The airlines operating flights to Europe are usually a bit more "lenient" in that regard than the European airlines. Are you flying direct to Italy, or will you be changing planes at some point? For example, EasyJet allows ONE carry-on item only, so there's NO question that those with two bags will be checking one of them. I normally carry a small Backpack for carry-on along with a Camera bag, and have never had any problems at all with those. Happy travels!

The answer is yes - one carry on and one personal item, i.e., purse, small backpack thingy etc. as long as the second item will fit UNDER the seat in front of you. Clearly you are not flying direct to Rome from Harrisburg so you may have more of a problem on a regional flight (smaller and/or older planes with less overhead storage). After several flights from Atlanta to Rome I believe I can state with confidence that there will be plenty of overhead space (maybe not directly over your particular seat but nearby). For those direct flights we always just check our small suitcases (FYI: I have half his cloths in my suitcase and vice versa just in case...) On a direct flight we and our luggage have always shown up together. Connecting flights with a couple hours connection time ditto. Tight connections can be hit or miss (usually OK). Always always carry on a change of clothing - underwear, t-shirt, windbreaker and your toilet kit (Meds of course). Should your suitcase not arrive with you it'll be on the next flight which is why we always stay put for a couple days upon arrival. Do put your itinerary in a ziplock bag INSIDE your suitcase. You are going to have such a great time!

John, I was asking the same question yesterday and looked on United's website: "In addition to one carry-on item, you may bring one personal item, such as a shoulder bag, backpack,laptop bag or other small item (no larger than 9 inches x 10 inches x 17 inches, or 36 linear inches)." But as others have said, if you're connecting to an intra-Europe flight on a low-cost airline their rules may be different.
Check to see what YOUR airline says.

It depends on the carrier. It's pretty normal for the US carriers to allow one carry on and one personal item (up to a large purse or briefcase). European carriers though don't always allow two items. Lufthansa and SAS both allow ONE (and only one) carry on, no more than 18 lbs (plus the same size restrictions as on other carriers). Their one bag limit doesn't include a personal item. If you can't fit your personal item inside your bag, and stay under size and weight limits, you run the risk of gate-checking your bag. We flew a non-stop to Copenhagen on SAS. We normally get our boarding pass online and head straight through security to the gate, skipping the check in lines. An agent at the gate wandered around weighing people's carry ons and checking them if they were too big - so they really are serious about it.

Here is what I have experienced on every trip I have been to Europe. Getting through security and onto the plane from the USA is the easy part as long as your luggage and backpack are close to size limits. However, on the way back, the airline personnel are much stricter and always make me check my bag. Mine is one of those that are a couple inches longer than what fits in the metal size right thing they have at the gate. In the USA they never check and it fits just fine in the overheads but in Europe they are much more strict and we always have to check it. If your bag fits into that metal size right thing then you should be fine in both directions.