The thrill of setting off to the airport for a holiday adventure is unmatched.
Yet, it's all too easy to overpack, even when zipping away for just a brief escapade. Fortunately, travel writer Ellen Grace, based in Dublin, Ireland, has taken to TikTok to offer up her top five tips to avoid those pesky extra baggage fees if you're flying with Ryanair, should your baggage outweigh your allowance.
With a rich background of living and working in countries such as Greece and Spain, Ellen's sage advice comes from a well-travelled perspective. Ryanair currently permits travellers to carry one small personal bag that fits neatly under the seat ahead, plus a 10kg bag to go in the overhead locker.
However, Ellen took to TikTok with a savvy clip unveiling her tips to sneak more luggage on-board a plane minus the hefty surcharge.
1. Double up on liquid bags in separate trays
Ellen, aged 27, suggests: "So you have your two liquid bags, you take them out of your bag, you put them in two separate trays - two different owners, they're not yours."
UK airport passengers are required to place their liquid products, such as cosmetics and toiletries, in a single, transparent, resealable bag. Each passenger is limited to one bag, which must be presented at the security checkpoint, according to the Government website. However, by using more than one tray, you might be able to sneak more than one bag of liquids onto the plane.
2. Pick up toiletries from Boots Click and Collect at the airport
Ellen shared her next hack: "Click and Collect and Boots - order all of your toiletries (from) Click and Collect (at) Boots, pick them up once you pass security. You have them in a Boots bag, can't say anything, that's not extra baggage."
This service is available at selected UK airports, including Heathrow Airport and East Midlands Airport. Boots reminds customers on its website that "items purchased after security checkpoints may be subject to restrictions on return flights."
3. Get a duty free bag
Once you've passed through airport security and before you reach your gate, you'll find a variety of duty-free shops where you can purchase various items. Ellen suggests buying something small like a pack of sweets or a drink so you can get a duty-free bag. She then advises to "shove" a tote bag into the duty-free bag.
4. Wear a cross body bag
The travel expert from Dublin said: "Crossbody bag - they never notice this. You can put it under your jacket, you can put it under a jumper. The amount of stuff you can get in a crossbody bag is actually really surprising."
5. Bring a neck pillow
Ellen's final tip is to bring a neck pillow to stuff small clothing items inside it, including socks and bikinis instead of having to pack these in a carry-on luggage bag. Travel pillows are wrapped around your neck, making it easy to conceal some things.
Her TikTok video has garnered 218,800 views, 9,462 likes and almost 200 comments, at the time of writing. Users shared which one of Ellen's Ryanair travel hacks they have used and how effective they proved to be for them.
One person said: "I got charged €46 (£38) for having things in a WHSmith bag that I didn't have the receipt for. " Someone else suggested what to do in this scenario: "Say you binned receipt, printer wasn't working or you paid with cash.
Another user asked: "Does the liquid thing work?" Ellen replied: "It works every time in Dublin, I've been caught in London once so it's a risk coming back but 95% works."
A third chimed in: "I go with a cross body bag every time and I don't cover it with a jumper or a jacket I just walk on and never got told anything." Others praised Ellen's hacks by calling them "genius" and "great tips".
English (United States) ·