Pack hand luggage smart: everything with you without checked baggage

Travelling with hand luggage only is wonderful. You don't have to wait at the baggage belt, you're out of the airport faster and you save money. With a bit of planning, a surprising amount fits in one case or bag. Here's how to pack smart.

Packing hand luggage smart starts with the rules

Before you pack anything, check your airline's rules. The allowed dimensions and weight differ per airline and sometimes even per fare. A case that's allowed with one airline is just too big with another.

For liquids, most airports still apply the familiar rule: bottles of no more than 100 millilitres, together in a transparent one-litre bag. So bring travel sizes or fill small bottles yourself.

A handy layout

The art of travelling light is in choosing and combining. Take clothes in the same colour palette, so everything goes together. That way fewer items are enough. Roll your clothes instead of folding, that saves space and prevents creases.

• Choose shoes you can wear on the way, they take up the most space.
• Put socks and small items in your shoes, don't waste hollow space.
• Use packing cubes or a compression bag to keep clothes compact.
• Put heavy items at the bottom, close to the wheels.

What do you take and what not?

Be honest about what you really use. For a long weekend you rarely need more than a few tops and one extra pair of trousers. Toiletries you can buy on the spot if needed. Important things like medication, documents and a charger always belong in your hand luggage, never in any checked baggage.

• Documents, phone, charger and power bank within reach.
• Medication in its original packaging, with a prescription if applicable.
• Keep valuables like jewellery and electronics with you.
• An empty water bottle that you fill after security.

Smart preparation saves stress

Make a short packing list and lay everything out the evening before. That way you see at a glance whether you're forgetting something and you avoid panicking and taking too much. Weigh your bag at home and you won't be caught out at the gate.

If you travel more often, you naturally build up a fixed base list you reuse every time. Such a packing list and your flight's baggage rules are easy to keep in one place with a travel planner like Zuvy, ready for your next trip.