The bag that does not leave your side. The queue at the check-in desk that you walk past, the carousel at the destination that you ignore, and the weight, the 10 kg maximum, the wheels that do not break, and the decision not to pack the “just in case” items that you will not use, that defines the hand-luggage-only traveller. The airport is a series of obstacles, and every obstacle that you skip, the check-in queue, the baggage drop, the wait at the carousel, and the moment of panic (the carousel has stopped, the bags have stopped, and yours is not among them, the worst moment in travel), is a victory. Travelling hand-luggage only is the single most effective way to improve the quality of your travel experience, reduce the stress, and save money (the checked bag fee, £30–60 each way on the budget airlines, £0 on the legacy carriers for the basic fare, is the tax on the unprepared). Here is how.

How to Beat the Airline: Hand Luggage Only

• The bag, the essential piece of equipment: The hand-luggage-only bag must fit the airline’s size restrictions (the Ryanair and the Wizz Air limit, the 40 x 20 x 25 cm for the free small bag, the 55 x 40 x 20 cm for the paid priority bag. The easyJet limit, the 45 x 36 x 20 cm, the one free bag, and the generous 15 kg weight limit. The British Airways limit, the 56 x 45 x 25 cm, the 23 kg weight limit, and the most generous of any European airline), and the bag must be light (the empty weight of the bag should be under 2 kg, the wheels, the handles, and the frame add weight, and the 2 kg of the bag is 2 kg of your clothes). The essential bags: the Cabin Max Metz (the 44-litre backpack, the Ryanair free bag dimensions, the soft sides, the squeeze into the gauge, and the best value hand-luggage bag in Europe. ~£30), the Osprey Farpoint 40 (the 40-litre backpack, the padded straps, the comfortable carry, and the best travel backpack on the market. ~£120, and the 10 years of travel that it will survive make the price irrelevant), and the Aerolite Cabin Max (the small, the light, and the cheapest bag that fits the Ryanair sizer. ~£20, and the essential weapon for the budget-airline warrior). The essential rule: the soft bag over the hard case, the soft bag can be squeezed into the sizer, the hard case cannot, and the difference is the £60 bag fee at the gate. More travel tips →
• The packing, the art of the 10 kg: The hand-luggage-only traveller packs the 10 kg that matters, and the key is the “rule of three”: the three tops (the T-shirt, the shirt, the jumper), the three bottoms (the trousers, the shorts, the adaptable garment, the zip-off trousers are the functional choice, and the function is more important than the fashion), and the three changes of underwear. Wash the underwear in the bathroom sink each night (the universal travel plug, the travel washing line, the twisted elastic cord, the suction cups, and the best £3 you will spend), and the three pairs will last indefinitely. The essential packing list: the toiletries (the 100 ml maximum per container, the transparent ziplock bag, the solids over the liquids, the shampoo bar, the solid deodorant, and the bar of soap that does not count towards the liquid allowance), the electronics (the phone, the Kindle, the charging cable, the universal adaptor, and the power bank, the essential travel electronics, the 5 kg of devices that replaces the 5 kg of books), and the layers (the fleece, the waterproof, and the scarf, the temperature on the plane, the air conditioning of the airport, and the variable weather of the destination. The layers are worn, not packed, and the weight is on your body, not in the bag)
• The strategy, the airport and the boarding: The hand-luggage-only traveller checks in online, arrives at the airport with the boarding pass on the phone, and walks past the check-in desks directly to the security queue. The security strategy: the liquids bag is at the top of the bag (the removal, the scan, and the repacking, the 30 seconds that the liquids bag costs you at the security queue), the laptop (the iPad, the Kindle) is accessible, the belt is the one without the metal buckle (the travel belt, the plastic buckle, and the walk through the metal detector without the beep), and the shoes are the slip-on loafers (the removal, the scan, and the replacement, the 15 seconds per shoe). The boarding strategy: the priority boarding is worth the price (the Ryanair and the Wizz Air, the priority ticket includes the larger bag, the 10 kg, and the boarding before the scrum. ~£10–20, and the best money you will spend on the flight). The non-priority traveller: board last (the queue for the overhead locker is the most stressful queue in travel, board last, walk past the scrum, and place your bag at your feet), and the bag that fits under the seat (the small backpack, the 40 x 20 x 25 cm, the Ryanair free bag, and the bag that fits under every seat on every European airline. The underseat bag is the hand-luggage-only traveller’s secret weapon)