A woman has been praised for sharing her 'genius' idea to double her hand luggage while avoiding an extra fee when travelling via plane. The traveller, who is known as @lifeofjazz_ on social media, has shared her top trick to travel with only hand luggage to avoid having a check a bag in at the airport.
To start, she ensures her suitcase meets the size requirements and weight limit so as not to cause issues when checking in. But she added: "I have a few tricks that I do when travelling with only hand luggage. Number one, I put a bag inside a bag. You see this bag [referencing her video], there's another bag inside of it. I usually go to Boots or Duty Free, and get a bag because they are not allowed to touch anything inside something you've bought already within the airport.
"I have a crossbody bag, obviously that's fine, it's tiny. Then I have my small suitcase, make sure you roll everything within your suitcase so it can fit."
On top of this, she recommends boarding the plane early so you can put your bag in an overhead compartment rather than trying to squeeze it under your seat.
Commenting on her post, one user said: "I do the duty thing too. Get a cheeky meal deal from boots and ask for the biggest bag."
Another user added: "People also don’t realise you don’t need to use those plastic bags for toiletries, you can use your own see through makeup bag, doesn’t matter how big."
A third user said: "But nowadays you can even bring a cabin wheeled bag, just a rucksack. I do the duty free bag but Ryanair told me they have limitations on duty." One more user added: "I always bring a pillow case put some clothes in."
It comes after other travellers shared their hacks to improve the overall airport experience, with one user saying: "You can't bring a full water bottle through airport security, but you can bring an empty one.
"Most airports have water bottle fillers installed at drinking fountains after security. Beats paying six dollars for bottled water."
Further adding to the conversation, another flyer recommended speeding up security checks by removing bottle lids, thus showing staff the bottles are indeed empty.
"Meanwhile, someone else chimed in with: "You can bring ice in a bottle though as long as it's not melted. I like to do that and then fill it up inside the airport. I love ice water."
Another comment suggested avoiding the immediate water filler station post-security – often slow due to heavy use – advising instead to seek out the next one along for a quicker fill-up.
"A different user contributed yet another travel tip, advising travellers to pack compression socks for longer journeys, explaining: "For personal comfort, I find compression socks to really help during longer flights/trips. I also carry an empty water bottle through security, then refill it before boarding in order to have plenty of water for the flight.
"I carry a light sweater or thin-down vest in my bag (too many cold flights). Noise-cancelling headphones. I also carry a small external battery pack. Always plan for the worst (long lines, delays) allow plenty of time and arrive early."
English (United States) ·