Has anyone flown with Ryanair recently? What is the baggage like?

[PremiumPony]

My partner booked tickets with Ryanair. He went with the basic package and that says one small bag only. He didn't pick any checked luggage or priority boarding. He picked the most basic package.

With one small bag only policy it gives the dimensions and it's 40×25×20 cm or something like that.

I was considering buying a luggage bag but I think I will meet this with a backpack I have.

I have another issue now. Will Ryan air allow a handbag as well as 'one small bag only' or is the handbag supposed to fit the criteria. I won't be able to travel without my handbag. I will need my handbag to hold my phone, wallet, passport, boarding passes, travel bands, ear plugs, book. My partner can travel filling his pockets up. I'm not able to travel like that. My clothes done have pockets either.

I'm really going to struggle with one small bag only for a weekend.

Just in case I am not allowed a handbag:

I wonder would it be possible to get a crossover body bag and wear it over my shoulder and wear it short with my jacket over it. Would I be able to smuggle a handbag on my body like that along with a backpack of stuff.

It's kind of mental that you can wear a crazy looking mega pocketed vest but can't wear a small crossbody bag.
You can also tie hoodies/jumpers around your waist.

Take a fold up bag. Wear everything into the plane. Then decant it all into the small fold up bag.

"It's kind of mental that you can wear a crazy looking mega pocketed vest but can't wear a small crossbody bag."

It's not when you take it for what it is, a space issue.

Most people will not wear a utility vest for travel but if they are the sort that do they will keep it on and therefore won't impact on overhead locker space.

If you tell everyone they can have a bag that sits under the seat in front of them plus another small bag chaos ensues. Firstly, define small bag. Secondly, where do they put the bag? Because the space in front is already filled.

This is why the airside retail bag is the best option. Each passenger can take one onto any flight and no, it doesn't need to fit into your under seat bag. The airlines would love you to believe that (and clearly some do). But the airports and retailers clearly publicise the fact that you can.

I've got away with a tiny 10cmx15cm flat cross body bag with my passport in that I wear under my coat/jacket, but definitely no separate handbag

Here's another idea - add an extra carry on bag! We book a checked case between us to save carrying things on board usually

I've just been to Denmark/Sweden with Ryanair and bought one of the Narwey bags off Amazon, and it was perfect. The bag looks small at first but you can fit sooo much in. We were away for three nights and needed warm weather clothes, but the kids just had their school rucksacks and it was more than enough.

And yes, buy something from the airport shop and put your handbag in the bag. I hadn't realised til this trip away that you are allowed the airport shop bag on top of your own small bag, which is a great help! The first thing you encounter at the airport is security, and they have no concern about the amount of bags or bits and pieces you've got with you, and then you can sort yourself out with transferring extra stuff into your duty free bag.

I've never seen anyone getting their bag size checked, and there were loads of people boarding with massive backpacks on this trip! I took a small handbag with me which did fit into my main bag, but others were hiding their handbags under coats and scarves.

I reckon you'll be fine with a small bag for four days. It's surprisingly doable!

And that is even more mental. You can take an e yes bag as long as it's a plane side retail bag and it can be massive and heavy but you can't wear a small cross body that would stay on your body for the flight. Its basically an extra pocket

But I do understand they need rules and those rules can't always make sense because it would be way too complicated to try to make very specific rules

"And that is even more mental. You can take an e yes bag as long as it's a plane side retail bag and it can be massive and heavy but you can't wear a small cross body that would stay on your body for the flight. Its basically an extra pocket"

No it's not "more mental". The point is that people won't stick to the "small cross body bag" and neither will they keep it on their person during the flight. People are dickheads 🤷🏽‍♀️ as seen by the way we try and get round the rules with hidden bumbags etc rather than just paying extra. (I'm including myself here).

If you understood how much revenue airport retail brings and how vital it is to keeping those airports in business, giving us as passengers more choice when it comes to travel, you'd get it.

Most airlines don't shout about the fact you can bring a retail bag on with you. For space reasons, they would rather you didn't. However, their contract with the airport and the retailers leases outline that customers mustn't be deterred from shopping.

In my experience it's airport dependent. There's one route I fly with them and they are very relaxed about it.

Just log back in to your booking and pay to add another bag. It's not difficult. I always pay for whatever I need, so I don't really sympathise with people who won't do the dame.

Honestly OP just log in and add a cabin suitcase to your ticket. It's not that expensive. Having to try and squeeze everything into a tiny bag just sucks some of the joy out of going away!!!

I explored Ryanair online and it's 36 pounds to add another bag.

I think I will be able to pack for the weekend using my backpack that has the Ryanair dimensions.

I'm struggling with a handbag. A small crossover body bag, like the size of a small tablet bag, that will never be enough for me or for the weekend either. It will be too much. I will need a medium sized handbag. I can look in town for a fabric style handbag instead of the leather bags that I love and maybe that could fit into my backpack. It might squeeze in better into another bag.

If it doesn't I will have to get a plastic bag beyond security and do some reorganising into the plastic bag to fit the handbag into my backpack.

I have some roll up compression bags ordered from Amazon. I am hoping that will give me some more space in my back pack.

By the time you've finished ordering things from Amazon, and faffing around buying duty free and rearranging your handbag you would have paid for a bag and relaxed about it all.

Is your DP putting any pressure on you to go light like him?

I always bring my handbag... never been an issue

Its £36. Prob both ways. So £70 total. £70 to let you actually enjoy your holiday. £17.50 per day. Just buy a small hand luggage allowance for goodness sake.
Then you can take whatever handbag to like and already own, and a small wheel case with all your clothes in.

You will be nearly at £70 trying to buy the perfect small handbag to smuggle, and inflated toiletries in duty free, and snacks as you can’t fit any from home

That's what I was wondering! Madness.

Not really. I will go into town at the weekend and check Primark and tkmaxx and see what they have in handbags. The roll up compression bags should give me some slack in my back pack and I think I might be able to do this. I should have a clearer picture at the weekend. I am going to plan to be able to put a handbag into the backpack if I need to. The compression bags will be handy too for the way home incase I get any shopping done but I likely won't be shopping because I will be doing tourist-y things.

You can pay bit more to add extra baggage before you go. If you upgrade to priority you get the 2 bags and avoid the stress! Or just add the bag. In the grand scheme of things and how kuch you will probably spend on the whole holiday anyway it might not be that much of a difference to your budget.

I bought a really good Ryanair friendly backpack on amazon. Fits loads in and slides under seat in front no problem. I bought a cheap phone bag in Penneys for phone & passport. Shoved that into the back pack at boarding but they wouldn’t have noticed it under my jacket.
You could chance the crossbody bag under your coat and say a prayer. I’ve bought stuff in duty free or WH Smith and got a bag and have brought that on without issue. You could do that and throw your handbag in there if it comes to it.

FFS, all this faffing and ordering compression bags and going to primark for a new bag plus the man hours of worrying, just pay £36 for an additional case.

Yes, Ryanair are bastards and they're strict, that's why they're so cheap. You're paying for the flight itself, if you want luggage pay extra for it, or fly with BA or an airline that includes it in their price.

I flew out of Liverpool last month, used a cross body bag I was preparing to shove in my small bag but nobody questioned. Order your toiletries to boots in the airport that will save bag space and having to use miniatures that cost twice as much as full size products.

Just add a hold bag to the booking.

Do you remember this story?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3155944/Boyband-singer-collapsed-heat-exhaustion-EasyJet-flight-wearing-clothes-avoid-excess-luggage-fee.html