The 15kg Challenge

How to solve a problem like Maria? Easy, compared to how pare down a life to the 15kg Ryanair baggage allowance. They are viciously strict and it's currently £12 per kg if you're over. Two pairs of jeans, a heavy sweater, a change of underwear and you're already tipping the scales. Being a self-confessed clothes horse, imagine my distress at having to leave just about everything behind. Yes, there was much gnashing of teeth and tears before take-off. And that was only deciding which belts to bring. Here are my top tips for making the best of a bad bag. 

• Only take what you really, really need. Books, electrical equipment can be sent fairly cheaply. I used pacel2go.com and sent across about 20kg of "stuff" (including my computer) for about £35. It took just 3 days (and no damage).
• Don't take anything that's not actually practical for the season. If it's gonna be -10 outside, you really won't get much used out of your favourite mandles. 
• Don't bother with too much underwear. Just buy more when you arrive. 
• Ditch all toiletries. Berlin has fantastic Boots-type shops every 3 inches. Or, if it has to be Boots, wait until you're past security at the airport and then go mad. You can then take whatever you need as hand luggage (I had about 3kg of odds and sods, I kid you not). 
• Be ruthless. Pick favourites and betray old friends. 
• If you have any, check the weight of the bag on bathroom scales. If you can't see the dial, do the math (you holding bag minus your weight). They can be very tight, and I have personal experience of them telling me I need to make my bag lighter. If you've no one with you, that may mean chucking stuff away at the airport.  
• Coats and jackets are heavy. Wear as many as possible, and deal with looking ridiculous. This is not a fashion show. It's war.
• When checking in sus out which of the lovely Ryanair staff looks happiest. A happy person is sometimes a kind person. An unhappy person is never kind. I managed to slip an extra 1.5kg past the nice lady because she was clearly having a nice day at work. She's probably now been sacked for wearing that smile. 
• Be discrete about your hand luggage, mine weighed a bomb (ho ho). I left mine in the car whilst I checked in as I didn't want to draw attention to my ruse. 
• Finally, if someone has given you a lift to the airport, ask them to wait whilst you check in. That way, if they do spit the dummy, you can calmly decant a few items into a bag and give them to your lift to send on or pick up later.