Is it possible to fly with hand luggage only?

Question:

I never seem to be able to manage to travel with just hand luggage but I like the idea of saving some cash by doing so. What are your tips to save checking in a bag?

Answer:

By Bob Atkinson, travelsupermarket.com

You have picked the right person to ask this question. I am the king of hand luggage flying and have employed every trick in the book in recent years to keep my cheap flights bookings exactly that – cheap.

I am constantly on the lookout for bargain flights, promotional deals and offers to go to places that I know and love or to explore new destinations that I would never have considered if the price wasn’t right.

However, these days, if you get it wrong you can end up paying as much for your checked in baggage as you do for the flights. And I resent paying for anything I can get for free.

So how do I go about it? The decision about how much luggage I am going to actually take with me will depend on how long I am going for and the items that I have to take with me. On occasion when I have no option but to have a bag in the hold, I factor this into my buying decision.

When buying a flight I always compare prices from one airline to another and price them with and without one piece of checked baggage as well as noting the actual allowance for the bag in the hold plus what I am allowed to take into the cabin. These can vary dramatically from one airline to another, with Thomas Cook offering the lowest hand luggage of only 5kg in a tiny bag and British Airways being the most generous.

It’s good to note here that some airlines, such as British Airways, still include one piece of hold luggage free of charge and that hand luggage allowances can vary greatly. Did you know that both BA and easyJet have no weight allowance on their hand luggage? And that BA will allow one piece of hand luggage plus a hand bag or laptop bag?

On a short break I can pretty much get away with one piece of hand luggage only. I achieve this by following these simple tips:

Know your airline limits and stick to them
Buy the right bag for travelling – soft sided and ultra light
Be ruthless with your packing – only take what is essential and a minimum change of clothing
Minimise toiletries. You have a 100ml per item limit for hand luggage and a maximum of one litre in total in a clear sealable bag. I decant into small bottles or relay on hotel provided soaps and shampoos
Electrical items – I only take my phone and charger, leaving everything else at home as they weight so much
Books – I photocopy guide book info or scan into my phone rather than carry around a heavy book. And I limit myself on reading material, after all I’m on a break to get out and about, not to sit in and read.
Fully use your pockets. I always place wallets, books and anything heavy into coat, jacket and trouser pockets – cargo pants come into their own here – to get me past any check in and the gate. Once on board they all go back into the bag
Minimise souvenirs – Whilst I do go shopping and love a souvenir like the next person, I am ruthless about what I buy and bring home. It all adds up in weight.
Once I know I am going to be over my limits on weight, I will go online and pre-book a bag into the hold rather than have to pay extra at the airport. On Ryanair this can save up to £20 a bag each way in fees.

On longer trips it is often essential to check in a bag. On these occasions, I weigh up the total prices for all available airlines before choosing which gives me the best deal, rather than just look at the headline price.

Of course, I have also been a bit sneaky at times. Hiding a small shoulder bag under a coat in addition to my hand luggage and wearing several items of clothing in layers only to disrobe once I am on the plane. However airlines are getting tighter and tighter at both check in and the gate and on the look out for anyone breaking the rules. But they haven’t caught me yet.