Packing for a weekend getaway can be a struggle when you’re trying to keep costs low – but one woman has shared a simple trick to avoid paying cabin bag fees
We all want to score the best deals when jetting off to soak up some sun abroad.
But with major airlines cracking down on luggage allowances, packing for a quick weekend getaway has become tricky — and often expensive — especially when you’re trying to keep costs low.
Luckily, one savvy traveller has shared a clever hack that lets you avoid paying for a cabin or underseat bag altogether.
If you’ve already visited far-flung places like Australia or South America, chances are you might already own the perfect item for this trick.
Instead of splashing out on an extra carry-on, TikToker Nina Edwine showed how much you can actually fit inside an empty travel pillow cover.
READ MORE: Influencer’s travel hack gets you an entire row of seats on plane to yourself
Not only does this keep your clothes safe, but the packed pillow also doubles as a comfy cushion for those long flights. Don’t be fooled by its small size — Nina stuffed the pillow with plenty of clothes.
In her video, the German traveller unpacks a non-padded bra, a strappy dress, multiple tops, a stunning red co-ord, and more — totalling ten pieces of clothing.
She revealed that this stash was enough to put together “more than six” different outfits.
Proud of her budget-friendly hack, Nina said: “Smart trick to avoid paying 50 euros (£42) for cabin luggage.”
While some airlines allow a small free cabin bag, their size restrictions often aren’t enough — making this hack a game-changer.
The clip has gone viral, racking up over 2.6 million views on TikTok, with more than 75,000 likes and nearly 1,900 comments.
“This is actually genius, for real,” one user commented, liked over 4,100 times.
Another was amazed: “Wait, you fit so much stuff in there!”
A third said: “Legendary… how have I never thought of this?”
And one more chimed in: “Love doing this — it saves so much space.”
One fashion-savvy viewer added: “One of those Uniqlo crossbody bags fits loads. Wear it under your coat with a scarf to hide the strap.”
It comes after another influencer shared a simple trick that will help you get an entire row to yourself on your next flight.
Maddie revealed she had signed up for a service called Neighbour Free when she flew with Etihad. In a video posted to her social media platforms, she explained: “I bid on the seats next to me on the plane, and if the flight isn’t completely full when I board, I get the whole row to myself. It’s basically like Business Class in Economy. I can lie down, sleep, all that.”
The content creator was “excited” to discover she had “won” the seats, meaning she had the entire row to herself. Maddie managed to sleep for eight of the 13.5-hour long-haul flight.
When asked how much this luxury had cost her, Maddie revealed in the comments section of her video that she had paid £200 to upgrade to three seats. In response to a suggestion that it might have been cheaper to upgrade to Business Class, she retorted: “Business Class upgrade would have cost £1,900++.”
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