When you’re young and carefree, doing a hand luggage holiday seems pretty easy right? But as a family, impossible! Well, we’re here to give you all our tips and tricks to help you book your perfect short break or city break, and save some pennies by not needing to add on any extra luggage. Keep reading to learn more about our top secret (well, not really!) money saving tips!
Why Hand Luggage?
A lot of the time, when you book a short holiday or a city break with us, sometimes the best flight options are flights with our partner airlines like EasyJet. In this case, your luggage won’t be included as part of your package as your break is less than 7 nights. But, don’t worry! We’re here to help save those pennies. If your short break offers flights with TUI, hold luggage may be included but it’s best to check this on the travel options page when you go to book.
Although you can add more luggage for an additional cost, our space saving tips will help you get the best out of your hand luggage, so you might not even need to take a suitcase!
Airline Hand Luggage Limits
Different airlines have different size limits for what they class as your included carry on luggage when you book a flight. Here’s some examples of the accepted sizes.
- Ryanair = 40 x 20 x 25 cm
- Easyjet = 45 x 36 x 20 cm
- Wizz Air = 40 x 30 x 20 cm
- KLM = 55 x 25 x 35cm
After a quick search online, we’ve managed to find some fantastic hand luggage options that are the exact size allowed by Ryanair, meaning you can be certain your bag won’t be too big to take along! Here’s a great option from Amazon, but there’s plenty of options available. Simply search ‘Ryanair hand luggage bag’ into your chosen search engine and you’ll be able to browse so many options – just make sure the sizes match up to the allowance!
What Can You Put In Hand Luggage?
One thing you’ll have to be conscious of is banned items and liquids limits when flying with only your hand luggage. A lot of UK airports still follow the 100ml rule, which means liquids in hand luggage must all be under 100ml and placed into a resealable plastic bag that can be no bigger than 20cm x 20cm, not exceeding one litre, and no more than one bag per person. However, there are a couple of UK airports that have scrapped that rule and allow up to two litres! You can find out more, and if your local airport is included, here. If you’re the lucky one who’s able to fly from one of the new and improved airports, then just be aware, the two litre rule may not apply on your way home, so be conscious of this when packing.
One thing that also falls into the liquids category is aerosols. That means you’ll have to find an alternative to your favourite deodorant, hairspray and setting spray products if you don’t want them to count towards your allowance. Cream stick deodorants are a great alternative, and if you just can’t live without setting spray, there’s plenty of liquid versions on the market that come in small enough bottles. While nothing quite compares to a good old can of hairspray, you can definitely pick up a standard size one in duty free!
Travelling with kids is a little more complicated though, especially when they’re babies as you might need to pack formula or milk with you for them to enjoy during the journey. Well not to worry! Baby milk, or water for formula powder, doesn’t count in the allowance so you’re able to bring along as much as baby needs.
How To Make The Most Of Your Space
Now onto the good stuff – how to make the most of your seemingly small bag. Well, don’t be disheartened because your bag will fit a lot more than you think, you just need to be clever with your packing skills. We always recommend packing cubes for our package holidays that include hold luggage, they’re a great way to maximise your space and organise your case to make the unpacking process super easy. But the same definitely applies to hand luggage too, a packing cube is a great way to fit lots of items neatly into one smaller space, that’ll sit nice and flat in your bag.
Another great method is the rolling technique – lay the item flat, fold in half and bring the arms in if it has any. Then start from one end and tightly roll up to make a little burrito shape. Then pop your clothes burritos into your bag and voila – loads of things fit into a smaller space.
However, it does go without saying that you’ll probably need to be a bit more selective about the things you take with you so you don’t use up any unnecessary space. Luckily, hand luggage holidays tend to be much shorter breaks, no longer than five nights, so you won’t need as many outfits anyway. Our best advice is to pre-plan your outfits so you don’t need to pack any ‘just in case’ things. Don’t deny it, we all do it!
Airport Click And Collect
Airport click and collect is a great idea to help you bring more items that don’t need to be in your hand luggage taking up lots of space. To check if you’re able to do this, head over to Boots Airport Click and Collect, where there’s more information on how to order.
This service is a great idea for ordering things like sun cream, shampoo, conditioner and body wash, which not only use a lot of your liquid allowance, they’ll weigh your bag down a fair bit too! You’ll have to consider your journey home too though, as on the way back these items would have to go in your bag and be part of your liquids allowance. Another great thing to pop on your click and collect order is any larger aerosol items.
Although you’ll probably need to pack a couple in your bag for the journey, nappies and wipes should definitely be on your click and collect shopping list. For a couple of nights away, you’ll want to bring a whole pack of nappies and a couple packs of wipes to be on the safe side, but think of how many outfits you’ll have to sacrifice! By packing a small amount of nappies and a small pack of wipes then collecting the rest at the airport, you’ll save yourself so much space!
Head To The Supermarkets
If click and collect at the airport doesn’t sound like the option for you, then not to worry! Heading to a local supermarket when you arrive is a great way to stock up on bits and bobs that don’t necessarily need to be in your bag. Nappies, wipes, baby bath, moisturiser, everything is available wherever you choose for your short holiday or city break. If translating isn’t your strong point, you can now get fancy apps that can scan a product and translate the text for you, cool or what! Plus, there’s always friendly shop assistants who can help out, maybe learn ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in the local language to show your appreciation!
Hand Luggage Holiday? Yes Please!
Thanks to these handy tips, we just know you’re ready to pack up and head off on a hand luggage holiday! Whether you’re after a short holiday to a sandy spot, or craving a bustling city break, head to our website to find the best deals!
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