Hi Jan
It depends on where you're going and when you're going.
In the summer months I can and have managed with a small "holdall", but when you have to think about winter clothes, it gets difficult.

My hair style means that I don't need all the trappings of tongs/straightners, lacquer, etc etc....I just decant the smallest amount of shampoo into a small bottle and a better solution is to just take a few free samples of everything ( if you can get hold of any)...face creams, eye creams etc etc....there usually is enough for the week-end.

It depends on what this week-end break entails, are you going to an event like a wedding or just bumming around town day and night.?

Sanji, it's just a weekend city break in Madrid so clothes I won't need too many clothes.

It's really the toiletries that's worrying me with all the regulations in place and what about a razor? - I don't think I'd like my husband unshaven for the whole weekend!!!

Hi Jan. We've done weekends to Amsterdam & Paris with just hand luggage, so Madrid should be doable too. You'll find that razors such as Mach Turbo, or BIC disposables are fine in hand luggage, it's the ones with "open blades" they don't like. As for toiletries, does your hotel supply shower gel/shampoo, etc.?, in which case you don't need to worry; you could also buy a bottle of whatever after security, so no worries there either.

I agree with doonhamer buy your toiletries either once through security or nip into a supermarket in Madrid. Depending who your travelling with your allowed 10K hand luggage weight (with Ryanair for instance) you should be ok with your clothes etc.

Jan400,

we have stopped taking our large suitcase when we go away. We both take a pullalong each. Fits in the overhead locker, we don't need to wait at the carousels etc. Makes life so much easier. Always manage to take all we need

Bill

I agree. I've been to Paris for 3 days with just hand luggage and it's very liberating. You can take small amounts of toiletries if you follow the plastic bag rule so that should be enough for a weekend.
I wore my heaviest shoes and packed the light ones. Same with the clothes. Dress in layers.

I regularly manage with just hand luggage for a weekend break. Most hotels provide soap and basic toiletries so I don't bother with these but Boots sell small refillable bottles in both 25ml and 50ml sizes which are more than big enough for decanting your own favourite brands into. Also, I use Boots No7 skincare products and they've been running a number of promotions with sample tubs and tubes of their range so I stockpile these 'freebies' and use them on short breaks. But before this I used to save the empty pots from the eye cream I used - just the right size for a weekends worth of moisturiser etc. Both Superdrug and Semichem stock travel size tubes of toothpast etc which are great. I fit all the essential toiletries I need for a week into the requisite 20x20cm clear plastic bag and use a zipped cosmetic bag from Accessorize which is exactly that size and ideal for use as a weekend toilet bag.

With regards to clothes I've managed to pare it down over the years. For example, I take 3 complete sets of underwear, socks/tights regardless of how long I'm away for - they're easy to rub through and dry overnight. I never bother with travel wash or detergent, I just use the toilet soap provided - it does the job! For work trips or a city break I take 1 lined skirt (no need for separate underskirt or slip), 1 pair of trousers, 3/4 tops, a co-ordinating jacket, 1 pair of flat shoes for walking around, 1 pair of smart courts, 1 pair sandals in the summer but they also double as slippers around the hotel, a 'day' dress, a 'smart' dress if I expect to be going to a smart restaurant for dinner, a light weight jumper or cardigan, a pashmina, and a lightweight fold-up anorak. I'm afraid to admit it but that lot does tend to all be boring black or neutrals because then I know that everything will go with everything else. By the time I've put on the jacket, trousers, one of the pairs of shoes and one of the tops, the rest is easily packable into a trolley case of the maximum size allowed for handluggage.

If I'm going on a more beachy trip then I dispense with the jacket but perhaps wear a 'hoodie' or similar, and add the swimsuit, a sarong and a pair of beach flip-flops. The biggest bugbear is finding the space for a beach towel but I usually deal with that problem by buying something cheap out there. I would also tend to buy the sun cream either after security or once I arrive because even for a week I would use more than 100mls.

SM

Thanks everyone, you've convinced me!

Can I just ask one more question?

Is there a maximum total amount of liquids allowed or is just that they must all fit into the plastic bag?

don't forget once you're airside you can go in Boots and buy whatever you like!
I think all bottles in the bag have to be no more than 100ml each!

I believe the maximum you are allowed is 1 litre, which would be 10 x 100ml bottles, but check Page 1 of the Hand Luggage sticky at the top of the Flights forum to check for sure.

luci

I think the only rule is that not only do bottles have to be a maximum of 100ml but you have to be able to seal the bag with everything in. I find deodorant the biggest problem as I prefer aerosols and most of them are more than 100g. I was given a 'Dove' gift set for Christmas and that had a small aerosol in it, so I'm keeping that for trips to Denmark in April and Tunis in May when I'm only taking hand luggage.

Aslemma,

Nivea do a tiny aerosol deodorant which lasts as long as a regular 12ml can as do Sainsburys which is their own make

Hubby and I are travelling with just hand luggage in 12 days time. Going over to England for my Nan's funeral :cry:. If some of the liquids are less than 100ml I assume this means that you could have 12 items in the bag so long as the bag closes fully? Most of mine are less than 100mls.

We're using 35litre rucksack for me and small trolley type case for hubby. Don't need to take toiletries with us apart from deoderant for on the journey as we're staying with my parents and there's toiletry things in the bathroom which I left behind deliberately back in August.

For those of you doing some light travelling if any of you shop at Asda (I'm presuming they are all similar), they have a whole big rack of various toiletries in sample/travel sizes - ranging from deodorants to shampoos to lotions and potions.

Superdrug and Boots sell travel size toiletries. Both also sell the bottles that you can put your own things into.

Have almost finished packing for going to England early hours of am. I've got my 35l rucksack and hubby is using his 25l backpack (Aer Lingus didn't have a problem with it and their maximum bag size is smaller than Ryan Air's).

I've managed to get all my liquids in the bag I got from Accessorize. I've got 13 items in mine but the biggest holds 35ml. The total of everything is probably less than 250ml.

Am hoping that I can get my Bible, notebook and pencil case in as well as the books I'm taking. Have already decided not to take ipod speakers as there's a CD player in mine and DH's room at my parents.

I might be close to the 10kg though as I've had to put hubby's shoes in my bag.

Last summer I did 3 weeks with just hand luggage and in February I had 2 1/2 weeks. Then my hand luggage weighed 8 kgs. Just wear the heaviest clothes/shoes etc. or even a couple of layers and it should not be a problem. There are always jacket pockets for extra things. Have booked another time away in May with just hand luggage. I really cannot be bothered waiting for the cases to be unloaded from the plane - also flight connections I have sometimes do not allow for lenghty waits. Have not had a problem yet. I use a wheeled cabin bag which weighs 2.2 kg, 52x38x20 cm.

Cic

Well, I'm back from my weekend away and like you all said it was fine. Everything fitted into one of those small suitcases easily and the toiletries (which were my main worry) weren't a problem at all.

Thanks for all your tips and I think I'm converted to hand luggage only from now on!!

Hubby and I have just done 2 days with hand luggage only. It worked really well. Had to take small travel Bible instead of larger one though. Once Stansted allow 2 pieces of hand luggage again, it'll b e easier as everything not needed inflight will go in rucksack and things for inflight will be in smaller bag.