So you’ve finally forked out for your flights, and you’re excited to go, then you see you have to pay another £20-40 for having a checked bag!? I hate this, those extra costs you don’t think about when you are booking a trip away. So, I’d love to share you you some hints and tips for how to take a trip WITHOUT having to splurge on a checked bag, meaning you have the extra money to treat yourself on your travels! I travel on a budget, and definitely couldn’t afford £20+ on a checked bag every time we flew over! So, have you tried to take a trip over seas with just carry on luggage? Well, in this post, I’m going to share with you some tips and tricks of the trade to travel with carry-on luggage only
For the sake of argument, I’d imagine this trip to be to a European city for a long weekend away, say 3 nights/4 days. This is something I’ve done lots, my partner lives in Belfast and every time we go over from Leeds, England, we only take a carry on, we’ve even done as long as a week before!
Travel with carry-on luggage only
The first and possibly most important part of taking a trip with just hand luggage is the type of bag you take with you. I bought mine from Amazon, and simply checked the carry on luggage dimensions for most U.K. airlines. I would say if you get yourself a suitcase to the dimensions of 55cm x 35cm x 20cm you should be fine on most flights, however you can check specific airlines and dimensions on Skyscanner. I bought a regular looking suitcase (but navy with white polka-dots because I’m the worst when it comes to remembering which luggage is mine..) with a collapsible handle and wheels. It’s a little flimsy but I think I literally payed about £12 for it, so I’m no surprised, and its lasted me well over 10 trips.
Carry on Luggage (and one personal item)
So this seems to be a secret that not many people know, but most airlines, especially budget ones, allow you to have a one item of carry on luggage, so we are assuming our small suitcase at this point, but they also allow you to take one personal item too. We are talking; Flybe, Jet2, Ryanair, Thomas Cook, British airways and many more. By a personal item they mean a handbag, a little rucksack, a laptop case, those types of things! Some also have size restrictions, so it’s worth checking that out on the page I linked earlier.
When I fly, I use my little rucksack, I always put all my handbag essentials such as makeup, sunglasses, deodorant,aswel as bath stuff and electronics that I can fit in, for example my portable charger and a small camera. I do this to make my life easier, as you can also put any liquids in, any electronics in and anything else that needs to be taken out when going through security, meaning you then don’t have too open your suitcase and risk flashing your knickers to the whole airport. Been there, done that.
What do I actually pack though?
If you’re like me, ideally you’d like to take your whole wardrobe on a trip (and then probably buy more clothes whilst you’re over there too..) but with limited space, this isn’t possible. I’d firstly say, don’t pack anything that will crease easily if you’re not going to have an iron at the other end. This is just a wasted space as you wont end up wearing it! I also make sure I have enough knickers, bras and socks to last me however long I’m going.
When it gets to clothes, it’s easier to know what to pack if you know what you’re planning on doing whilst you’re away. If you know you’re going out for a dinner or drinks, make sure you pack one nice outfit. I like to make each item of clothing have dual-purpose. For example I might pack a skirt that I can wear with tights and a casual top during the day, but pack another top that I can wear with the skirt without tights for an evening out or something. But i’ll make sure both tops also go with the jeans that I will wear on the flight etc. I would also suggest packing dresses and playsuits if you’re tight on space, as this is one item of clothing that equates to a whole outfit. Also, when packing PJ’s, if you can pack shorts and a T-shirt, as these take up less space too.
What do you wear on the plane?
First and foremost I’m all about comfort when flying, but sometimes, I don’t mind wearing my heels for a short flight if it means that I will have more space in my suitcase (where I’ll put my trainers or pumps that don’t take up as much space!). I nearly always wear jeans when flying, I’m not even really sure why, but leggings and tights take up less space in a suitcase. I’ll wear the hoody/jumper that will take up the most amount of space, and will quite often have a vest top on under whatever top I wear, as you never know when you’ll need a little vest top, they are so underrated!
Ready, jet-set, go!
What an awful pun, I really apologise for that one… But I hope this post helps you realise it really is possible to have a few days away with just a carry on bag. So use that extra £20 you would of spent on a checked bag to treat yourself!
For more Travel tips check out our other guides here.
