‘Genius’ airport packing hack saves money, travel influencer claims — and security doesn’t care

August 26, 2024

They’re making a baggage claim that might actually save travelers some money.

Shelling out an extra $40 or more to check an overstuffed suitcase at the airport can be a real pain in the pocket.

But this cash-conscious hack is said to “work like a dream” for trippers with a penchant for overpacking but an aversion to overpaying.

“Travel tip,” fashion influencer Faith Woodhall wrote in the closed caption of her trending how-to. “Bring a second plastic bag full of stuff and buy a boots/duty-free bag at the airport so they think you’ve just bought stuff at the airport.”

In the clip, the brunette, a rising reality TV star from the UK, shared visuals of herself and a friend hiding their belongings in tote bags from a duty-free shop — airport stores that sell tax-exempt merchandise — to avoid luggage fees.

Woodhall went on to tell her over 309,000 TikTok viewers, “[This hack] always works [like] a dream — never been charged for a second bag.”

And it seems Woodhall and many other thrifty vacationers have enjoyed similar success thanks to her duty-free flimflam.

“This is genius,” cheered a commenter beneath the content creator’s post.

“Been doing this for years,” said another. “Works every time! Never had a problem.”

“I did this for Ibiza last week!!” a separate supporter chimed.

“Please don’t expose our secrets like that,” joked a cheeky jet-setter.

“This is ULTIMATE girl math,” another added, to which a giddy Woodhall wrote: “YESSSSS.”

It’s one of the many fast-ones frequent flyers try pulling in an effort to keep costs low.

However, these silly saving stunts can sometimes backfire.

A penny-pinching guy recently attempted to bypass baggage fees by jamming his clothes inside a pillowcase. Apparently, he’d hoped to pass the sack off as a pillow, but the tightwad trickster was caught and ultimately banned from a Frontier Airlines flight out of Orlando International Airport.

Dylan Springer, 23, a professional dancer, shimmied into his excess clothes at the airport, transforming himself into a human suitcase to sidestep the $60 demand an airline was leveling against passengers hauling large luggage.

“I put my Birkenstock sandals in my socks and my jeans over the top,” he said in a statement. “I put two books in each of the little side pockets I had on my legs which somehow perfectly fit in there.

“Then I had some snacks which I just put inside one of my pockets, and I had a portable charger inside my hood. I tied a shirt around my waist, too.”

Luckily for the pro performer, his layering hustle did the trick.

“I just walked straight through [security],” Springer bragged.