Wait— You Can not Put That In Your Luggage !

Budget airlines are ruthlessly restrictive with luggage allowances, but don’t let that put you off your holiday.

Most airlines will let you check-in between 20 and 25kg, although that can drop to 15kg on certain such as carriers such as Ryanair.

Shaving a few kilos off is easy with a little common sense, advanced planning and backbone. We run through the best space savers for bank holiday weekend getaways.

Underwear: A study found that men pack just three pairs of underpants for a week’s holiday, while women will take ten pairs for the same trip. As unhygienic as it sounds – and according to seasoned travellers – men have the right idea. Save space in your luggage by packing just three pairs of undies. Three is all you need: one pair that you are wearing, one that you have just washed and another that is drying. Just ensure you keep them in careful rotation.

Chargers And Cables: These are the bane of most traveller’s or holidaymaker’s bag. They arrive in a tangled mess and take up great swathes of room. If you use a different cable to charge your laptop, camera, phone, music player, toothbrush and shaver, you’re probably drowning them. Take the situation in hand and buy a multi adapter. Opt for rechargeable batteries if you carry a lot of battery operated items such as torches, cameras or an mp3 player. Lastly, pick a one-size-fits-all multi socket adapter so you can use the same one the world over.

Toiletries: These are far too large and heavy to pack. Instead, decant what you can into smaller containers before you leave and buy as much as you can the other end. Empty eye drop bottles can be filled with toothpaste, or Muji sells tiny clear containers, pump action bottles and sprays from as little as 75p each that you can decant products into. Contact lense cases are ideal for decanting foundation for women, ensuring you don’t lug a huge bottle away with you. Sun cream is almost always cheaper abroad than at your local Boots, so wait to buy it and think about how products can be doubled up. For example, opt for a moisturiser with a high SPF, use a shampoo/conditioner in one, let your moisturising body wash double as shaving cream and share as much as you can with whoever you are traveling with. Don’t forget to take use of hotel toiletries too, they are there for a reason.

Guidebooks: It may seem counter-intuitive, but nothing take up as much room or precious weight as guidebooks. If you must, take only one slim guidebook with you or photograph the relevant pages from your favourite and carry those with you. It’s more rewarding to speak to locals and discover hidden gems that are off the beaten track. Guide books are frequently out-of-date, there is almost always hotel WiFi to fall back on and, if you are in a hotel, the front desk should be ready to help too. Some travel guide apps, such as Lonely Planet, also have an offline function, meaning that you download the information when you have WiFi then can still reference it when you’re out and about. Equally, Google Maps has a similar function, so you can save a key map and reference it when you don’t have internet access.

Shoes: You have two feet and only one suitcase so don’t think variety, think practicality. Most veteran travellers goers swear by only packing two pairs of shoes, no matter how long they are away. You’ll need one pair of comfortable shoes for walking around in and one smarter pair for the evening. If you are near a beach a pair of flip flops might be useful too – but those can be bought cheaply on arrival and donated to a nearby charity before you leave.

Jewellery: It’s an easy rule to apply; if you can’t imagine living without a ring, necklace or watch, leave it behind. Not only will you be a walking advertisement for thieves if you are bedecked in silver, but it is a million times harder to bargain with locals once they have spotted a 24 carat diamond ring on your finger. The sea is the world’s greatest jewellery graveyard, too. Side step any hassle and leave heavy, clunky pendants at home. If you have to travel with bling, keep it the hotel safe and take out comprehensive travel insure it before you fly.