Flights with Ryanair or easyJet may be cheap but it can be difficult to pack for a holiday with just hand luggage if you’re trying to keep ticket prices to a minimum. It’s crucial to pack light and streamline the packing process to ensure you’re within the hand luggage size restrictions. Only the essentials should be taken – and no liquids should be over 100ml. There’s one addition to your cabin baggage that can prove very useful, recommended US travel expert Rick Steves
Holidaymakers should consider what they are packing their items in when assembling hand luggage.
It’s important to “keep your clothes tightly packed and well organised,” said Steves on his website.
One thing he uses to keep items sorted is a selection of mesh bags – these can help keep things separate and take up very little space.
“Mesh bags come in handy,” said Steves, adding: “[They] are great for all those things that rattle around loose (and lost) in your bag.
He explained: “I use one for underwear and socks, another for miscellaneous stuff such as a first-aid kit, earplugs, clothesline, sewing kit, and gadgets.”
Mesh bags can also be useful when it comes to washing, too – and such multi-use items are ideal for hand luggage.
Steves wrote on his website that they are “handy for keeping small or delicate items together in the wash so they don’t get left behind.”
The travel expert emphasises the important of making sure you are travelling “casual, simple and very light.”
He advises against packing for the worst case scenario – instead pack for the best-case scenario.
Travellers should remember that most things can, in fact, be bought at your destination.
Packing cubes are also useful for keeping clothes organised, as are compression bags as they help you fit twice as much in the same space.
It’s important to look after your valuables – and jewellery especially – when travelling with just hand luggage.
“I always keep my handbag space free just for my travel wallet, my purse and my jewellery roll,” Sarah Duncan, Head of Jewellery at Chiswick Auctions, told Express.co.uk.
“That way it’s close to you and you’re not likely to pop it in the overhead compartment and risk others having access to it.
“Jewellery rolls are cleverly designed pouches which have a spot for everything – a secure length for your rings, piercing leather straps for your earrings, holders for bracelets and more.”
Keeping jewellery separate can serve to protect your valuables from any other belongings in the same bag – this is key so they don’t get damaged.
“Make sure you keep your jewellery well away from your perfume or toiletries,” Duncan recommended.
“In case of a spill, those corrosive substances could possibly damage the pearls.”
