This ‘life-changing’ airport hack will help you get around the 100ml liquid limit and weight restrictions

The 100ml airport travel liquid limit has got to be one of the most tedious parts of heading off on holiday. The good news is that the liquid hand luggage limit will soon increase from 100ml to two litres, with airports including London City and Teeside International Airport already implementing the increase (and Birmingham Airport planning to do so next year). In fact, the government has set a deadline of June 2024 for most UK airports to increase the limit, and to install new 3D scanners which will show detailed images of baggage which will mean you won’t have to remove electrical items from your bags to go through security.

The bad news? Well, that’s a pretty long time to wait, and many major UK airports including London Gatwick and Heathrow haven’t announced their plans to scrap the 100ml liquid limit yet.

Besides, scrapping the rule doesn’t help us get around the pesky weight limit some airlines have for hand luggage, and all those bottles of shampoo, serums and sunscreen certainly add on those precious kgs if you’re travelling without a suitcase to put in the hold.

Which is why a solution – albeit not exactly new, but genius nonetheless – is currently doing the rounds on social media. The hack involves purchasing your holiday beauty products via Boots click and collect before you head on holiday, and picking them up in your designated airport branch post-security, meaning you can take liquids over the 100ml freehold straight onboard.

“This is one my favourite travel hacks, so when you’re going away, particularly if you’re taking hand luggage, we all know the restrictions on the little clear bags are a bit of a nightmare,” explains TikToker @ellieconnollyx, whose video has almsot 60,000 likes.

“So, what I do is, I go onto Boots online, and order everything I want about a week or two before, and I get it delivered – normally for the day before I fly, just so I know it’s definitely there, I think they keep it up for up to two weeks – but when you order it, you just need to make sure it’s on ‘air side after security’. So when you go through security, you go Boots, you pick it up, they’ll put it in a little bag for you, and then you’ve got all your toiletries without paying the hyped airport prices.”

Ellie also added that while the 100ml liquid capacity is being scrapped next year, this hack still “applicable if u are restricted or don’t wish to use up space / weight in case”.

“I’ve done this for years, such a good hack!,” wrote one user, while another said: “It’s a game changer! Can order nappies and as it’s duty free it doesn’t count!”

There you have it. No more cramming your 100ml liquids into a tiny clear bag, or paying additional fees for going over the weight limit on your carry-on luggage.