'I avoided Ryanair's luggage costs and still managed…

'I avoided Ryanair's luggage costs and still managed to overpack with this under-the-seat bag'

Gone are the days of being able to bring a 10kg cabin bag, choose your seat or get a free cup of coffee with a plane ticket. The majority of UK airlines now charge passengers a hefty amount to bring luggage.

Ryanair is one airline that charges an extra fee if you want to bring anything larger than a 'small personal item' onboard, despite paying for your ticket. This means hold suitcases and cabin bags comes with an extra charge, which once added up with the price of a seat reservation takes the tickets from somewhat 'budget' at first glance to hundreds of pounds return.

On a recent trip away I managed to bypass the extra charges and pack a bag full of clothes, toiletries, make-up and a handbag for no extra charge whatsoever, and I didn't get stopped by check-in staff either.

Thanks to this £29 Cabin Max Manhattan travel bag I saved just under £40 on my return flights because it fitted under the seat for free.

With each ticket purchase, Ryanair states that passengers can only bring on a small bag for free and for years I have always assumed that this only meant a handbag size until I realised the given measurements are a lot bigger.

Tickets include a carry-on bag of 40x20x25 which is actually around the size of a large rucksack, any bigger and passengers have to add on a carry-on. Prices for an additional bag range from £6 all the way up to £35 and depend on the flight route and number of passengers, and if it's bought when booking or as an add-on.

Under-the-seat bags have become popular items on social media, with travellers looking to get away for as cheap as possible. Bags including this £9.99 duffel as well as this Tanness Ryanair 'approved' shoulder bag (£16.99) have caused a lot of stir for money-saving travellers, so I decided to try out another option for myself.

I opted for the Cabin Max bag as opposed to others I'd seen on social media as it looked (from the Amazon pictures) a lot more sturdy and comfortable to wear. Comfort was a big thing for me as I knew on the days I flew out and came back I'd be carrying it around, so a backpack style would be better than an over-the-shoulder.

It may look small but I managed to fit in two pairs of trousers (one pair of jeans and one pair of flared trousers), three thin jumpers, two t-shirt style tops, a trench coat, one pair of pyjamas (plus underwear of course), a toiletry bag and my handbag.

Even small handbags count as one item, so this has to be able to fit in your carry-on bag if your bag is checked at boarding. A couple in front of us with bags were asked to place theirs in the baggage 'bins' but no one batted an eyelid at mine, and I walked straight through.

To save on space I only took one pair of shoes with me (the ones I wore to the airport) as I knew they were comfy and could be dressed up for the evening if we went anywhere fancy. I also wore my bulkiest puffer gilet on the plane and my biggest pair of trousers to avoid making it overweight.

In all honesty, the only thing I couldn't fit in was my hair straighteners, which ended up in my boyfriend's bag, along with a bottle of my foundation that I couldn't fit in the clear liquid bag at the airport.

If you get to the airport with the wrong sized bag the Ryanair website states it will charge passengers anything from £45 to place in the hold, also known as its 'gate fee'.

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