There's nothing more exciting than heading to the airport when you go on a holiday.
But many of us get hooked and sometimes stuffed with too many clothes in our suitcases, even if it's a short trip.
However, one travel writer shared five hacks to avoid extra baggage charges if the flight with Ryanair went out a little overboard.
Ellen Grace, from Dublin, Ireland, documents her travel experiences on social media and advises people planning on traveling abroad. She has also worked in a variety of countries, including Greece and Spain, so she has gathered some expertise.
Ryanair allows passengers to bring one small personal bag inside the ship. This requires a 10kg bag that fits under the seat in front of you and stores in the locker above you. However, Eren posted a video to Tiktok and shared a sly way to get away with more luggage without paying extra fees.
1. Two liquid bags in two different trays
The 27-year-old travel writer said, “You have two liquid bags, so you take them out of your bag and put them in two separate trays – they're not yours.” There is a limit to the amount of liquid you can ingest in your baggage.
At UK airports, passengers must put liquid products such as cosmetics and toiletries in one clear, resealable bag, which, according to the government website, must display at security checkpoints. Each passenger can put baggage and liquid in a tray for security checks, but multiple trays can be used to sneak multiple liquids into the plane.
2. Pick up toiletries from boots and collect them by clicking on the airport
Eren moved on to the next hack. “Click and collect boots – Click all toiletries to collect (at) boots and pick them up once they pass security. You're putting them in your boot bag, you can't say anything, that's not an extra baggage.”
You can click to collect at any UK selected airport, such as Heathrow and East Midlands. The website asks customers to remember that “items purchased after a security checkpoint may be subject to return flight restrictions.”
3. Get a tax-free bag
There are various duty-free shops where you can purchase a variety of items before passing through security at the airport and reach the gate. Eren advises to buy things like sweets and drinks, and gets a tax-free bag. She says “push” the tote bag into the tax-free bag.
4. Wear a crossbody bag
Dublin Travel Pro said: “Crossbody bags – they don't notice this. They can be placed under the jacket and under the jumper. The amount of things you can put in a crossbody bag is actually really amazing.
5. Bring a pillow at the neck
Eren's final tip is to bring a neck pillow to small clothing items such as socks and bikini. The travel pillow is wrapped around the neck, making it easy to hide.
Her Tiktok video has earned 218,800 views, 9,462 likes and almost 200 comments at the time of writing. Users shared one of Ellen's Ryan Air Travel Hacks they used and how well it worked.
“I charged 46 euros (38 pounds) for having things in a Whsmith bag that I didn't have a receipt.” Someone else suggested what to do in this scenario.
Another user asked: “Does liquid ones work?” Eren replied: “It works every time in Dublin. I was caught in London once, so it's a risk of coming back, but 95% works.”
The third comment states: “I bring a crossbody bag every time. It's just not covered in jumpers or jackets, I just didn't say anything,” others praised Ellen's hacking for calling him a “genius” and a “great tip.”