There’s little that tops the thrill of heading to an airport ahead of a well-deserved holiday.
But it’s not uncommon to get swept up in the moment and overpack, even for brief getaways. Yet one seasoned traveller has divulged four savvy tips to dodge those pesky excess baggage fees when flying with the likes of Ryanair – perfect for those of us who might have packed a bit too enthusiastically.
Ellen Grace a travel enthusiast from Dublin, Ireland who chronicles her journeys on social media, is no stranger to globetrotting. With work stints in destinations like Greece and Spain, she’s accrued quite the treasure trove of travel wisdom.
Passengers are allowed a small personal bag under the seat and a 10kg bag in the overhead compartment on Ryanair flights, but Ellen took to TikTok to reveal some cheeky tactics for sneaking extra bags on board without getting additional charges.
Make use of Boots Click and Collect airport service
One tip is to take advantage of Boots Click and Collect service at the airport: “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 select UK airports, including Heathrow Airport and East Midlands Airport, though Boots reminds customers on its website that “items purchased after security checkpoints may be subject to restrictions on return flights.”
Get a duty free bag
After passing through security and before you arrive at your gate, you will see multiple duty free shops where you can buy a range of goods. Ellen notes that purchasing something from duty free shops allows travellers to acquire a duty free bag, which can be used to discreetly carry additional items like a tote bag.
Wear a cross-body bag
The Dublin-based travel expert shared: “Cross-body 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.”
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, saving space in your carry-on luggage. Travel pillows are wrapped around your neck, making it easy to hide some things.
Her TikTok video has racked up 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 well they worked for them.
One user revealed: “I got charged €46 (£38) for having things in a WHSmith bag that I didn’t have the receipt for.” Someone else gave a suggestion of what to do in this situation: “Say you binned receipt, printer wasn’t working or you paid with cash.”
Another asked: “Does the liquid thing work?” To which Ellen responded: “It works every time in Dublin, I’ve been caught in London once so it’s a risk coming back but 95% works.” Others praised her hacks as “genius” and “great tips”.
Ellen also recommends bringing two plastic bags for liquids in two separate trays, but this is banned by the government and is not advised.