Advice needed for travelling just with hand luggage

[TiredMule]

DH and I are hoping to get away to Italy for 4days/3nights in the next 4 weeks or so. We'll be flying with Ryan air and were thinking maybe we'd be able to manage with just our hand luggage. Have you ever done this? Was it ok? How does it work with toiletries and make up re liquids etc? Any other helpful tips? Thanks x

You can do it - buy mini spray deodorant, and 2in1 shampoo etc so the two of you can share them, bb cream for you. All your liquids, gels, cream will need to fit in two sandwich bags between you, so it is pretty tight if you want makeup.
In terms of clothes its easy

Thanks CMOTD Dumb question but what is bb cream?! We both wear contacts so that will make things harder! I'll only want an eye shaddow and mascarra. I assume you can't take a razor, but we could just buy a disposable once we're there. Is it ok to decant stuff into those little bottles, or is it best to buy the mini's?

You can take a razor. If you aren't bothered about foundation, then don't worry about bb - the mascara will go in the bag, eyeshadow won't.
Decanting is fine - I do that all the time, and scrape moisturiser into a trial size pot

It's only 4 days and Italy does have shops! Of course you can do it.

In the supermarkets there is a section that has the travel size toiletries. If they don't have the contact lens solution in that size, buy it when you get to the airport in Italy.

I would definitely only take hand luggage wherever possible, can't recommend it highly enough in fact - the last two times I've flown, my cases have been lost for up to a week. Which meant I spent a weekend in Berlin sans baggage. OK, it's a first world problem, but still a pain having to shop for clothes/toiletries when you've got limited time anyway and would rather be sightseeing.

(Not to mention the hassle of claiming the money back from the airline but that's a whole other thread!)

Also you can buy toiletries in the airport once you've gone through passport control.

Thanks for all your great suggestions!

Numberlock-your experiences make taking hand luggage by far the best option!
jkklpu-As I mentioned before-it's not clothing that i'm worried about but toiletries-I know I could buy when I'm there, but to be honest I don't want to waste time whilst we are there shopping for them and then wasting money and the product leaving it behind.

I realised last night that I actually have some left over monthly contacts that are my old prescription, so I can just take those and use them as dailies to solve the problem!
I'm actually very excited by the prospect of travelling so lightly-It will be a lovely change for all the stuff we take on a week/2 week holiday with the DDs

Hope you have a great trip, Tired. We spent two weeks there both this summer and last, I love it!

You can buy toiletries in Boots after security - obviously if over 100ml can't bring them back, but I usually get deodorant etc like that.

Thank you Numberlock-I love Florence! I may come back twice the size though as I plan to take FULL advantage of all the gorgeous food

Going-We'll be flying from Bournemouth so we'll be a bit limited on the shop front, but there might be a small Boots (can't remember!)

Remember that anything you buy once you are through security still has to fit in your ONE bag and be under the weight limit.

You only need one change of shoes, a couple of outfits underwear a coat and a book. Wear a coat with pockets

If you take face and make up wipes that have moisturiser in them it saves space and weight

It quite literally is one bag only, you can not have your pull along and a handbag.

i just got back from 10 days in italy with hand luggage only. it was fine. you can buy small plastic containers from boots, and decant your usual toiletries into them.

i also took a bar of soap instead of shower gel, and a shampoo bar from lush, to cut down in the amount of liquids i needed. oh, and a pack of facial wipes instead of cleanser, toner etc.

if you're short on space remember to wear your bulkiest clothes on the flight and just pack a few floaty dresses and flip flops in your bag.

i should add that we bought 'neutral' smelling soap and shampoo so that both dp and i could share the same ones.

I am going to USA tomorrow for 6 days, and am only taking handluggage. My reason being that I would hate for my bag to go missing, and Ihate having tohang around waiting by the luggage carousel.

So - I have rolled up in my small trolley case (it is 45cm heigh, much less than the permitted 55cm):

3 dresses (1 day, 2 either day or night)
2 tshirts
2 vest tops
1 bra
6 pants
swim suit
mn scarf
1 lightweight cardigan
1 pair sandals

I will be wearing - a denim skirt, tshirt, lightweight cardigan, heavier scarf(to double as a blanket on long flight), converse.

I can also take a hand bag - on easyjet and the like you can't take both though - so in that wil be my liquids bag- bb cream, lipbalm, lipstick, concealer, handcream. I have packed face wipes and will probably chuck in a bar of dove. I am relying on the hotel to provide shampoo, shower gel etc. I have a book, phone, earphones.. documents- that is it.

Me and my husband go to Madrid most years for the weekend - and wehave the art of travelling light sorted. Most times we can share a hand luggage bag.

Tesco sells a travel size contact lenses cleaner, which is good. You could share it with your husband.

By the way, be aware that your handbag will count as one piece of luggage...

Have you measured your bag/case - check the Ryanair website. They are v strict about the sizings. Take into account the wheels/handles etc.

I usually have a v small handbag - which I just shove in the case at the appropriate checkpoints - so that in essence I have only the one item.

I love Florence

I take it that's where you're going then, OP? I've not been there but we did visit Siena which is probably one of the best places I've ever been to!

I went to Florence over Easter with DH. 5 days and hand luggage only. You can do it, especially at this time of the year when you don't need thick coats yet.

Thank you very much for all the hints and tips-i'll make a check list
I am very excited, though it'll be the first time we leave the DDs
We are yet to book as DH needs to check the dates with work, but we spent ages last night trying to find a cheap but nice hotel.....looks like that may be quite hard!! Pisa is much cheaper so we're pondering staying there and geting the train to Florence which I know doesn't take long. But we're really not too bothered about spending time in Pisa so it might be a bit silly. Maybe we'll have to just go for it and spend a bit more!?

I agree you're better off spending a bit more to be in the place you want to be, ie Florence. Otherwise you'll probably spend the extra money on train fares anyway and from what I hear, there isn't much to see in Pisa apart from the obvious leaning tower. Plus you're only there for a few days so want to make the most of your time.

I've been to Pisa several times-really you only need one day there max! So I think we'll have to just spend the extra. you can get some great deals-but then we discovered that most of these are because they have shared bathrooms-not really what I had in mind

10 days in a carry on

V useful packing guide.