I tried a flight attendant’s genius hack to avoid extra luggage fees and it worked a treat

Excess baggage fees can add up quickly, turning your dream holiday into an expensive and stressful disaster. As I wasn’t looking to spend a lot on my trip to Poland this month, I flew with budget airline Ryanair and just opted for the free baggage option, a small personal bag, which limits your cabin baggage allowance.

However, this can prove to be a struggle when travelling with Ryanair, especially when I wanted to bring back goodies from the holiday, as well as having a small cross-body bag with me. Flight attendant Miguel Muñoz previously told Express.co.uk about a clever travel hack where passengers can use the duty-free shopping bag method, as “duty-free bags don't count as carry-on baggage” and gate agents won’t challenge it. I even spotted many TikTokers travelling on a budget recommend this hack, so I was keen to give it a go.

Explaining the hack, Miguel said: “If you have something that doesn’t fit in your suitcase or you want to bring an extra bag on board, here's the trick.

“All you have to do is carry a duty-free bag. Or ask for one at the duty-free shop, and you can place whatever you want in the shopping bag.”

Before boarding the plane, I was nervous that the staff wouldn’t allow the bag on as it was pretty full, but alas, they let me straight through.

Ryanair baggage fees range from £12 to £59.99, so I was glad not to get charged extra.

This hack was great for the extra bag and jacket that I didn’t have room to pack in my main bag.

Whilst this hack did work for me, a couple of people have told me that airline staff have asked to peek inside their bag.

To avoid this, if you have bought anything from the duty-free, lay that on top. Plus, always check that your airline allows you to take duty-free on board in this way.

Having had success with this hack, I'm keen to see if the neck pillow packing hack would work just as well. This essentially involves swapping out the pillow insert for small items of clothing.

However, it's worth mentioning that some flyers have been previously caught out with this hack, with some seeing them denied boarding.