I’ve been to nearly 50 countries – the three rules I always follow so I never have to check in a bag

BEING Deputy Travel Editor of the biggest newspaper in the UK, it’s no wonder I’ve racked up quite a few countries.

Set to travel to my 50th country this year, it also means I’ve learned all the best ways to avoid paying for hand luggage.

Ever since my days of being a budget traveller, I always hate checking in bags.

It’s almost a running joke how I’ll have the smallest suitcase, with friends checking in multiple suitcases while I have my tiny suitcase.

But not only is it a money-saver, but it’s also a time-saver, often being able to whizz out of the airport while they hang about at baggage claim.

So here are my top three tips to avoiding paying for luggage – but without scrimping on everything you need.

Hack your toiletries

The biggest problem with hand luggage isn’t fitting in all of the clothes, but trying to take enough liquids.

There are a few ways round that I swear by.

If you are someone who needs a lot of things, then there is the Boots Click & Collect hack.

This means you can order everything you need, go through security and then pick up your order – with full size toiletries – inside.

The only downside is you’ll have to use them all up, or throw them before coming home.

Otherwise I tend to try and ‘hack’ my toiletries, thanks to a number of solid items.

For example, these solid toothpaste tabs mean you can ditch the liquid toothpaste.

Most hotels have shampoo and body wash, so I often only pack conditioner.

This is made even better with these conditioner “sheets” which are paper, not liquid, and lather up in the shower and work out to less than £1 a wash.

Perfume can be decanted into these tiny £2 spray bottles and deodorants are often solid these days too.

And voila – you’ve halved the toiletries you need!

The often-hyped-but-live-up-to-their-name packing cubes

I know – everyone talks packing cubes.

But I’m often amazed by my friends and family who still just throw all of their clothes in their suitcase and hope for the best.

And these are the same friends who have overweight bags and then have to sift through all their goods in front of everyone.

But packing cubes are worth their weight in gold.

Not only can you squeeze in so much more, thanks to the zips offering some extra compression, but it means keeping your tops, trousers and underwear all separate.

So if you do need to do the embarrassing airport rejig, your pants wont be falling all over the floor.

Opt for the two-colour rule

We all want to take our finest outfits on holiday to pose for the ‘gram.

But taking a bag of multicoloured options that don’t match is a sure-fire way to overpack.

What I do instead is opt for two colours that go together, along with lots of black and white options.

For example, I’ll go for dark blue and dark orange – these two colours not only work with blank and white, but can be matched together too.

This means I can have lots of different ‘outfits’ without needing lots of clothes.

Of course, you can still take 1-2 fun outfits – just not your whole wardrobe.