Have you ever booked a flight with a budget airline, only to gasp at the additional cost of checked baggage? When it comes to a weekend break, it hardly seems worth the additional £30-40 when you could fit all your clothes into a holdall or backpack.

The inevitable problem with that though? Toiletries. There’s nothing worse than getting pulled aside at security because you forgot to place all those liquids into a clear plastic bag, or worse yet, packed something over 100ml and now you’ve gotta wave goodbye to your bottle of conditioner or deodorant.

Sure, you can overpay for those little miniatures from the supermarket, but you’ve still got to fit all those little bottle into that tiny 20x20cm plastic bag, so here are a few ideas for reducing your liquid content while still packing everything you need.

Toiletries

Shampoo bars – I swear by shampoo bars day in day out, but they really come into their own when you’re travelling because not only do they take up a fraction of the space, they also last so much longer and hello, no liquid!

Roll-on deodorant – ditch the aerosol and opt for a solid version of your deodorant to save on smelly situations. You could even pack some dusting powder for extra freshness!

Tooth-not-so-paste – while I know many people who would never ditch their regular toothpaste for anything, Lush do a wide range of non-paste options, such as Toothy Tabs or Tooth Powder, both of which leave your teeth feeling clean and fresh, but without the worry of your liquid allowance.

Solid soap – rather than carrying shower gels, pack a bar of soap and sud yourself up the old fashioned way!

Makeup

Lipstick over gloss – it might seem silly, but just switching from a lipgloss to lipstick means one less thing for the clear plastic bag

Utilising samples – I collect sample products like they’re going out of style, for the very purpose of saving space when I’m going away. Perfume samples, foundation, moisturiser, anything I get from magazines or Feel Unique Pick’n’Mix gets put into a little basket which I raid when the time comes for me to pack.

Wipes – as much as I hate using face wipes, if it saves me having to pack a bottle of micellar water and a bunch of cotton pads, then I’ll make that sacrifice for a few days.

For me personally, I’d rather make a few changes from my regular products in order to save myself worry when I get to the airport!

Do you have any tips for travelling hand luggage only? Share them in the comments below!

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