World Travel Hackers: How to avoid paying at the airport for oversized baggage

Don’t you just hate it when airlines charge you extra simply for bringing cabin baggage? Our World Travel Hackers share their tricks for avoiding these fees, and they take on more budget travel challenges

In this third installment of World Travel Hackers highlights, we see Rafail and Thanasis in Brussels on an incredibly tight budget, plus, they let us in on how to avoid paying airport prices for extra cabin baggage. We also follow Amin and Nathanael on their last-minute journey to Machu Picchu, we meet loved-up couple Bia and Miles in Milan, and we find out Emilia’s and Joel’s final saving total! Let’s get into it…

This campaign is sponsored by Visa.

Travel challenge: 24 hours on €25 in Brussels

Our cousin dream team Rafail and Thanasis traveled from Paris to Brussels. After managing to buy absolutely nothing in Paris apart from the odd coffee, they challenged themselves to spend no more than €50 between them in 24 hours in the Belgian capital. By way of cost of living, Brussels is certainly the cheaper of the two cities, and as they’d been bossing their budgeting, the boys went in pretty confident.

They got to see all the best sights in Brussels — the European Parliament, the Atomium, the peeing statues and such — but did they do it within their spending limit? Watch this to find out…

[embedded content]

Hacks to avoid paying for oversized baggage

Rafail also gave us five top tips to avoid being spotted at the airport for having oversized cabin baggage. Every savvy traveler knows that most budget airlines will charge you extra if you bring any cabin baggage in addition to one item that fits under the seat in front of you, but with these hacks, you can greatly reduce the risk of being caught out. Sneaky? Sure — this is what being a World Travel Hacker is all about!

To reiterate, do these five things to avoid paying for extra cabin baggage:

1. Wear large items of clothing and put as much stuff as possible into all your pockets.
2. Fill a duty-free carrier bag with extra stuff. Duty-free purchases don’t often count toward your cabin baggage allowance, and as long as you have the bag, airline staff aren’t going to look at what’s inside.
3. If you know your backpack is oversized, leave it somewhere else — or at least, try not to flaunt it — when you approach the check-in desk.
4. In a similar way, don’t sit right next to the gate when you’re waiting to board your flight. Being covert is key.
5. Act normal and confident!

How to travel on a budget in 5 simple ways

Want to know more money-saving travel hacks? Click here for five cheap travel tips to keep in mind when planning a vacation.

Can you visit Machu Picchu without buying tickets in advance?

[embedded content]

Meanwhile, Amin and Nathanael set their hearts on somewhere they’d long been dreaming of seeing: Machu Picchu in Peru, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. This ancient site is visited by around a million people every year, most of whom buy tickets well in advance of their trip, but not our guys…! They woke up one morning, set aside just €100, made a 10-kilometer journey on foot, and simply hoped for the best. Could it be done; was it worth it? Check out the video above.

How to spend a long layover in Milan

Meet long-distance lovebirds Bia and Miles, who’ve reunited to become our World Travel Hackers! The first stop on their trip of a lifetime was Milan in Italy, where they spent just a few hours trying to cram in as many fun activities as possible while keeping costs as low as possible. With its breathtaking architecture, free museums and fried pizza, Milan sure is an ideal city in which to spend a long flight layover.

[embedded content]

Hack the Hidden City: Make the most of Milan

Planning to spend longer in Milan? Read this article on how to get the most out of the city: hidden places, secret sights, food, drink and nightlife ideas, as well as trips to the surrounding region.

Emilia and Joel make BIG savings

As one of our boyfriend-girlfriend duos began their adventure, it was a wrap for another. Emilia and Joel’s four weeks in Europe and Southeast Asia concluded in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, and they explored the city with the help of our comprehensive guide. Watch this video to see the amazing accommodation they managed to bag for less than €30 a night, and to find out exactly how much of their €10,000 allowance they saved. Drum roll; they smashed it!

[embedded content]

Subscribe to Kiwi.com’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on our World Travel Hackers’ journeys, and make sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok to catch all their bonus content!

Want more travel hacks and inspiration? Visit Kiwi.com Stories.