What Backpack to Travel With Ryanair to Avoid Extra Charges

For mountainous countries, less developed regions, or places with difficult access to public transport, it is advisable to travel with a comfortable backpack on your shoulders. Have you bought a ticket for a flight with Ryanair? Check the backpack size allowed by Ryanair within the free hand luggage allowance. Also, find out how much excess baggage costs with Ryanair and which SKYLARK backpack to choose to avoid paying extra during your trip with this airline.

How much do Poles spend on foreign travel? A look at the statistics

According to estimates prepared by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, in 2023 Poles made 52.2 million domestic tourist trips, which is 1% more compared to 2022. Long-term trips account for 41% of all domestic trips, while short-term trips make up 59%. The main purpose of travel in 2023 was rest, recreation, vacations, and visits to relatives and friends. The average length of stay during domestic trips in 2023 was 4 nights. A similar duration is starting to be observed for foreign trips as well. An excellent form of luggage for this type of travel is a backpack. Which backpack to choose for 4 days? To fit all necessary items and accessories, it is best if the backpack has about 40 liters of capacity. At the same time, if you want to avoid paying extra, your backpack should not exceed the size limits set by Ryanair. What exactly are these sizes? Check the exact guidelines given in the next paragraph.

Ryanair hand luggage size for flights

Not sure what backpack you can take with you in the cabin on a Ryanair flight? Your uncertainty will disappear once you visit the carrier’s official website. After entering the site, you will find that the Irish carrier allows you to take free hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 40x20x25 cm. This size fits easily under the seat on a Ryanair plane. By following these guidelines, you will avoid additional hand luggage fees. However, if this backpack size is not enough for you, you can decide to purchase additional luggage. In that case, during the flight you can benefit from a larger suitcase, sports-tourist bag, or backpack with maximum dimensions of 55x40x20 cm and a weight of 10 kg. Such luggage must be placed in the overhead bin above the passenger seats after boarding the plane. Why is it important to follow the above sizes? The answer is simple: to avoid paying extra!

Is your backpack heavier? Check how much excess baggage costs with Ryanair!

On the carrier’s website, the first additional fee for a Ryanair flight ticket in the "Baggage" section is the "10 kg hand luggage for check-in" category. The price for this type of luggage, such as a travel bag, suitcase, or backpack with straps, purchased through Ryanair.com, ranges from €11.99/£11.99 to €29.99/£29.99. This corresponds to a price range of about 50 to 130 BGN. Attention! These costs increase from €23.99/£23.99 to €35.99/£35.99 when purchasing luggage at the airport check-in desk. Converted to BGN, this is an amount of about 100 to even 150 BGN!

Even more, travelers will have to pay for checked baggage weighing 20 kg. When checked in online, this service costs a minimum of €18.99/£18.99 (about 80 BGN) and a maximum of €59.99/£59.99 (about 255 BGN) when purchased through the website. The rate increases further when the same service is purchased at the airport. The cheapest checked baggage up to 20 kg can be purchased for €44.99/£44.99. This is equivalent to almost 200 BGN! Exact rates vary depending on the chosen route and travel dates. Additionally, for each kilogram of excess baggage, you will have to pay an extra €9 to €11/£9 to £11.

Which backpack to choose for a Ryanair flight? We recommend the versatile SKYLARK tourist and city backpack

We already mentioned that to avoid stress and unnecessary spending, it is best to take hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 40x20x25 cm on board Ryanair. For maximum comfort during travel, this backpack should be spacious, lightweight, durable, and comfortable to carry. To facilitate access to the interior, the best models of such luggage have a well-designed internal organizer. All these features are found in the multifunctional tourist backpacks from the SKYLARK collection, which stand out with minimalist design and capacities ranging from 12.5 to 30.5 liters. 30 liters is the ideal size for a 4-day domestic or foreign trip. A SKYLARK backpack will be perfect for a short business trip, an extended city break, or a school excursion for a child or teenager.

The functionalities of our backpacks are described in detail in the article Comfortable travel — why the SKYLARK backpack is ideal for excursions? For the purposes of this article, we will mention only some of the features of our designed solutions. The models from the SKYLARK collection have a carefully designed interior with many pockets and external and internal compartments. Thanks to these, everything will be in place and within reach! Made of waterproof polyester, the backpacks are resistant to moisture and mechanical damage. They feature a laptop or tablet pocket with shock absorption, as well as comfortable straps and a chest strap that ensures comfort when carrying luggage for long hours. As a result, SKYLARK backpacks will be ideal during a Ryanair flight, with transfers at various airports, long waits for flights, and even if an overnight stay in the airport lounge is necessary.

SKYLARK backpack on a Ryanair flight under 10 kg – a way to save

To avoid spending extra BGN, euros, pounds, or other currency on a Ryanair flight ticket, it is good to be sure that your backpack’s weight for the plane does not exceed 10 kg. For this purpose, it is useful to weigh the backpack not only after packing it but also during packing. Thanks to this approach, you will know how many items you can add. No space? Check how to use the interior of the backpack 100%. We have described many tips for skillfully packing the SKYLARK backpack in the article Help with organizing business trips – SKYLARK backpack on the road to success. Take a look at the ready tips!

Additionally, we recommend distributing part of the free Ryanair hand luggage to other places. Are you traveling with your husband, partner, mom, or friend? Cosmetics or electronic devices that you will use together can be proportionally distributed between two pieces of luggage: yours and a close person’s. Heavy clothes, such as a jumpsuit or hiking boots, can be worn during the trip. Similarly, it is good to do the same with large or asymmetrical accessories, such as sun hats, beach bags, raincoats, or long dresses. If it gets too hot, you can remove some clothes after taking your seat on the plane. This way, the transported items will not get crushed and can be used during the flight as a pillow, blanket, or shawl that protects you from the plane’s air conditioning. Let us know in the comments if these tips were helpful.