To ask how on earth people pack light?!

@NeedSomeAnswersPlease - I’m currently watching fp1 from the comfort of my house. My goodness, you have the most awful weather over there! Hope you’ve got a very good waterproof on.
Have a great weekend

Woo well done OP! It feels impossible the first time you do it but once you get into the swing of it it's fine! I have not yet graduated to the Ryanair underseat bag only club though! Did you have a good time?

I think cables plugs and chargers are big luggage suckers when travelling - ugh the weight of them!

I need four cables - phone, watch, hearing aids (+charging case), and tablet.
Anyway earlier in the year I bought a European two pin multiport plug. Gamechanger! it has four ports, high voltage and it has made SUCH a difference. In fact I bought two just in case!

Minimal toiletries, just lip balm and eye drops for the plane. Minimal make up, just powder foundation, powder blush and a brush, that's it and I'm no natural beauty either!

Pick a colour palette. I use black and navy bottoms, teamed with cream/gold/grey tops. I don't wear dresses (cos then I have to shave and tan my bloody legs!) I don't go to hotspots, mostly travel off season. Buy stuff when I get there if I need anything, heck I'd say you could buy anything you need even at Everest Base Camp these days.

One pair of broken in trainers for walking which I wear travelling, one pair of flats for meals out. Why would I need any more?

It's tempting to think what if?, Maybe I'll wear that and so on. But my view is, if you didn't bring it, you can't wear it, and if in desperate need, buy it there.

Landed in Gran Canaria Tuesday night. On plane for 15 mins after landing then it was 25 minutes for the bags to come through

@Gogogo12345 just talking in the context of op, who is travelling within the EU.

How does that work for flights outside Europe?

Flew to Lanzarote last week hand luggage only. Plane was delayed and we landed at 1am was in the taxi at 1.15am and at hotel in room at 1.45am.

If you've got a British passport, travel with someone from the EU - they sail through security and can easily have picked up your hold luggage by the time poor UK souls have got through passport controls. Thanks Brexit.

Op, do you need all the different chargers? Would one small multi plug with cables connected be better? I've got one that has 4 slots so I only need to take one charger and a few cables.

Life is a journey, not a destination....

I think this is what makes the difference - people behave in various ways when getting off the plane.

I’m usually out of an airport within 15 mins of the plane touching down - admittedly I mostly fly between countries with no passport control required.

I don’t use terminal toilets - I go on the plane right before landing procedure begins, or after I’ve exited the arrivals area. I don’t purchase beverages upon landing - those overpriced waters add up.

I also don’t stroll anywhere - I spend so much time in airports the goal is to minimise that time in them, and I usually have onward travel to catch.

On the rare occasion I do check in luggage, I’m often still in the building 40-45 mins after touchdown, which is a waste of time. LHR is particularly bad at delivering bags. I avoid checking in luggage as much as possible.

Waited 2 hours in Crete then there was rush to collect bags, coaches waiting - bloody awful.

I check bags and even long haul, by the time I've used the toilet in the terminal and perhaps purchased a water or other beverage & strolled to baggage claim, the bags start arriving.

Never waited anywhere remotely near an hour in any country.

You are aware that your one trip where bags were through in seconds isn't the reality for most?

In fact, I've never had a flight where I havent had to wait for the belt to start and the bags to start filtering through.

Difference is, I know people have different experiences so don't presume people are exaggerating for effect.

@Hucklemuckle

Huh? Just came back after flying long haul. Bags started coming through about 5 mins after we got to the carousel

Where on earth are you flying from and with which airline?

"Huh?" Which trip?

I'm constantly on flights as I work abroad ~2 weeks per month, and it's anywhere in the world on pretty much any airline.

I arrived back from Jakarta to Manchester on Tuesday of last week (via Abu Dhabi on Etihad) and it was 45 minutes from deplaning to baggage belt starting.

In early July I flew into LHR T5 from Texas on BA and it was longer than that - I was travelling with hand luggage but my colleague with a checked bag waited roughly 70 mins in the baggage reclaim hall.

I've had other flights this year where bags were already on the belt as I got through security but my point is it's not at all uncommon for lengthy delays to occur, post covid.

@User7171

Honestly, it never takes a few minutes to collect checked baggage now. When was the last time you traveled on a scheduled flight?

It's not uncommon for it to be an hour until all the bags are on the belt since covid.
Huh? Just came back after flying long haul. Bags started coming through about 5 mins after we got to the carousel

Where on earth are you flying from and with which airline?

Huh? Who are you flying with? I fly about 90% with EasyJet and it’s usually only a few minutes

Sorry but, with the exception of maybe straighteners, do people really take all this stuff!?

OP - I have a huge fear of suitcases going AWOL and losing all my best clothes, so I started travelling with ONLY hand luggage where I could. Bought a large zip-up canvas bag and can quite comfortably fit a week's worth of clothes in plus sandals, make-up, travel toiletries (so no big bottles) and GHDs.

Yes, it is quite large and very heavy to carry with all that in. But, because it's 'only' a bag that I can have on my shoulder, I'm never quizzed on size and weight or asked to put in hold.

It's been a total gamechanger.

I fly on average 3 return trips in Europe a year including post covid. Last couple of times the luggage has already been there when we've got through passport control.

We came back from Tenerife last year and everyone was stood by the bag collection 30 minutes until the belt started moving then it was another 10 mins until bags started appearing.

I was so tired, I briefly contemplated just leaving my bags and questioning whether I really needed clothes 😂

Honestly, it never takes a few minutes to collect checked baggage now. When was the last time you traveled on a scheduled flight?

It's not uncommon for it to be an hour until all the bags are on the belt since covid.

Just googled and for BA it's 56cm by 45cm by 25cm.

I'm assuming if it's bigger, they make you check it like other airlines do

I won't take hold luggage unless I absolutely have to (not had to in 20 years and more) since the airline lost my luggage for four days about 25 years ago.

Also the hassle of drop-off and pick up and the excess tut you take and have to lug about.