To travel with just hand luggage you need to be aware of the size of bag you can take onboard. The size each carrier allows varies, however 55x40x20cm seems a safe bet (remember to check before you travel!). This is fine for a few days but a week could be a struggle. A beech holiday may be possible if you intend to wash your clothes whilst you are there and buy other essentials on arrival, but travel trips to colder climates seems pretty impossible!

Weight of the bag can now also be a factor so you should check this out with your carrier too. It is reported some don’t care as long as it fits in the overhead locker and you are able to lift it unassisted, while others such as Ryanair, currently have a maximum limit of 10kg. This can obviously limit what you can squeeze in and 10kg is only realistically acceptable for short travel breaks.

Also, remember if you are travelling no frills then it is one bag and one bag only. If any Women out there are thinking you can put all your make-up in your hand-bag think again! If you need an extra bag like a handbag or laptop, you are going to need to travel with a more established airline, such as BA or Virgin – but will the extra cost outweigh checking bags in with a budget liner?

So, is it cheaper to check baggage in with a budget airline then get auto inclusion with other airlines?

Obviously this depends oh the price of your budget flight. If it’s a penny then it probably will be cheaper, but if you are travelling last minute it is worth checking out medium to prime the cost could be comparable and you will probably fly to a central airport where it will not cost so much for transport when you land.

Let’s look at the prices. Check a bag in with Ryanair and they will currently charge you 20 pounds for a return flight with a slimline 15kg limit. Do it last minute and that doubles to 40 pounds. Compare that to Virgin and BA and you have a more generous 23kg limit and pay nothing for the privilege!

Basically, if you are going for a week away and you really can carry just one small bag then do it, however for the extra hassle and cost, the convenience of having what you want on holiday and not having to waste time washing (and ironing) probably justifies the cost!

What else do you need to take on holiday? Travel insurance is one, it is a must! This year, single trip travel insurance is going to be a more common purchase than annual multi trip travel insurance. Because of the credit crunch people are less likely to take multiple trips away so single trip insurance is the purchase you should be looking to make!

Have you had any bad experiences with airline over hand luggage? Let us know!
We are also interested in your travel trips where you have managed with just hand luggage.