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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To take 5kg of hand luggage only on beach holiday?

150 replies

Contactlass · 04/08/2017 00:22

Admit I'm rather tight but I love getting a bargain flight and feel a bit duped (never flown with this one before..just assumed 10kg). £75 to add in hold now.

Anyway I also love a challenge. Is it do-able?

OP posts:
GrimDamnFanjo · 04/08/2017 01:13

Of course! Firstly make sure you get a light bag, nothing on wheels. Cabinbags on Amazon are good.
Next get v light packing cubes. Pack daywear X 2 plus evening outfit. Wear layers and your heaviest clothes to travel in. I can easily pack for hand luggage only now but I tend to go Airbnb where there's a wager which helps.

GrimDamnFanjo · 04/08/2017 01:14

Washing machine!

Jayfee · 04/08/2017 01:22

Did it for a week in Malta. Had to use a light weight bag as usual cabin bag was heavy. Booked with Thomson, mucked the booking up so had to pay extra £65 so now way was I paying extra for bag in hold. Get a micro towel, find lightest version of clothing you need/like. Hardly ever put stuff in the hold now.

Birdsgottaf1y · 04/08/2017 01:25

I wouldn't do that, because of the liquid allowances, wanting to take straighteners etc, it would spoil my holiday.

I tend to be on a budget, though and don't want to shop on holiday, so it wouldn't interest me to think that I can buy stuff there.

Clothes wise, i could scrape by, but again, i don't want to scrape by if i'm going away. That again, depends on you, not everyone dresses in the evening etc.

Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 10:56

Thanks for the replies. I don't want to buy new cases I'm thinking of taking a cotton shopper and rolling everything small. I'll wear as much as I can to travel in. Wonder of it can do without taking towels? What do you think?

OP posts:
Aridane · 04/08/2017 10:57

Problem is toiletries and 100ml limits

randomsabreuse · 04/08/2017 10:58

Buy cheap towel and leave there.

Aridane · 04/08/2017 10:58

Amazon do lovely Turkish cotton 'towels' - ie the cotton wraps worn in Turkish baths - they work well and take up little room

allertse · 04/08/2017 11:00

depends if they are provided surely?

Janek · 04/08/2017 11:01

When are you going? Do you have time to order a hammam towel from eBay? They fold up as small as a hand travel towel, but are the size of a bath towel.

MaxPepsi · 04/08/2017 11:01

Where are you going? And who are you flying with? Most hand luggage is more than 5.
Buy a cheap beach towel there for a fiver and find the local supermarket for your toiletries.
A rucksack would be better than a holdall. You can generally have one of those plus your hand luggage anyway.

Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 11:02

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take a look. Hotel has towels so only reakly need summst to sit on at beach. I don't think I'll need much in terms of toiletries. My make up...deodorant, shampoo I can get there/double as shower gel. But shoes...what about shoes? Waaaah

OP posts:
SandyDenny · 04/08/2017 11:03

5kg in a cabin suitcase?

Which airline is it?

NC4now · 04/08/2017 11:03

Just buy your toiletries when you get there. Even if you have to leave them behind it won't cost £75.

sahbear · 04/08/2017 11:03

I have done hand luggage only for 2 of us and a baby for 3 weeks, you just need to go to the supermarket when you get there for toiletries etc. Very doable and quicker at the airport either end.

WineAndTiramisu · 04/08/2017 11:04

Decathlon do camping towels, I got one for Glastonbury, folds up tiny and worked really well.

Have a look on here for more extreme methods of saving weight by wearing it all!

www.skyscanner.net/news/best-wearable-luggage-jackets-reviewed-beat-airline-baggage-charges

Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 11:05

It'd majorca in Sept so yes I've time to plan

OP posts:
Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 11:07

I always go hand luggage only and have perfected it for 10kg but 5 is daunting!...flying with Thompson

OP posts:
melj1213 · 04/08/2017 11:08

Problem is toiletries and 100ml limits

I travel hand luggage only and one of my most life saving discoveries is that you can order products through Boots online and have them delivered to the airside Boots store in the airport for click and collect (provided the airport you're flying from has one, but most main airports do), you just have to order iirc 5 days before you fly. You can take advantage of all the usual boots offers etc, the only difference from a normal delivery is getting it sent to the airport.

That way you don't have to take any toiletries in your hand luggage and, when you pick up your delivery, it counts as your duty free item, and pretty much every airline (even the likes of Easyjet and Ryanair) allows you to have one bag of duty free along with your cabin bag,

BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2017 11:08

They have hamman towels on the Matalan website, so there's another option especially if they are available in store.

It's certainly doable if you are happy to rewear clothes, just tie your hair up instead of straighteners, wear as much as you can on the plane, put things in your pockets (I did this when faced with Thomas Cook's 6 kg limit - I put my purse, kindle and phone in my coat pockets, which reduced my hand luggage by enough to satisfy the check in staff), buy toiletries in Boots at the airport or when you get there.

On a beach holiday I take 3 bikinis and 3 beach dresses plus maybe a couple of vests and a pair of shorts and that's all I wear during the day time.

For evening I take 2/3 light cotton dresses plus a couple of small cardigans, underwear and maybe sometimes wear the clothes I wore on the plane. Whatever shoes you wear on the plane plus a pair of flip flops. Wear everything twice and plenty for a week and hopefully under 5 kg.

Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 11:09

Ha ha wine...they're good (though dearer than paying for hold!)

OP posts:
Original poster
Contactlass · 04/08/2017 11:11

Melj..Thompson have this stichted up! T&C says duty free has to fit in hand luggage and apparently they are strict and do weigh and check

OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2017 11:11

Also bear in mind that if you are hand luggage only, will they actually weigh it???

You won't go near the bag drop, security won't care as most people will have more and that only leaves boarding at the gate. As long as your bag is within the size limit and not obviously over weight, will they even notice or care? Do they have luggage scales at or near the gates?

apostropheuse · 04/08/2017 11:11

You can buy a beach towel for five euros on Majorca. Don't bother packing one.

sparklycandles · 04/08/2017 11:13

I wouldn't if I could afford to add on the baggage allowance. Depends on how fussy you are about having extra clothes and toiletries you prefer.

It would spoilt my holiday having to be so cautious about how little to take there and bring home. I like to have options of what to wear and few types of shoes, not just one outfit per day.

I like certain makeup and products, and the liquid restrictions would stop a lot of that being taken.

I wouldn't want to go shopping for all the bits I need either.