Martin Lewis shared one man’s brilliant money-saving hack for avoiding baggage fees when travelling abroad.
In the recent episode on Extreme Savers, the financial guru passed the spotlight to pre-pandemic flyer Lee Cimino who found a loophole regarding the carry-on luggage.
Lee specially crafted a coat that can hold a huge amount of clothing and holiday essentials, saving him a small fortune on baggage fees.
The 34-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent had sewn extra pockets into the lining on an old coat after the cabin bag allowance on a flight to Northern Ireland unexpectedly changed.
Although the extra charge would account to only £6 and £8 each way, “it was the principle”, Lee said, as the flight only cost a mere £14.99 return. So he and his friends plotted together to “beat the system.”
The money-saving genius said: “I am someone who likes to travel, I mean I’ve been to lots of different places as far afield as Israel, to Canada, to Fiji, to Bali, Australia.
“We couldn’t now take our cabin bag free of charge with all our essentials in, we’d have to pay £6 to £8 there and £6 to £8 back - it wasn’t going to break the bank, but it was just the principle.”
Lee continued: “We’re all game for a laugh, we’re not breaking any laws, so we thought why not try and get past the system that was going to cost us money and in effect save us some money.
Martin added: “A local tailor thought the idea was so much fun she even adapted the coat for free, saving Lee even more money.”
Lee admitted that when he first saw the amended coat, he didn’t think they were would get away with it at airport security. But he decided to risk it.
The thrifty traveller explained: “I literally got everything I needed, change of underwear, change of clothing, an extra coat if it rained, all the essentials like toothpaste and a change of footwear.”
At the airport, his friend documented the coat’s outing by filming the process, capturing Lee feeling “like a clown”.
“From check-in, security, to getting on the plane, there was no reaction and I was quite surprised,“ Lee said.
He added: “It was very satisfying when we touched down on the tarmac in Belfast.”
Since returning from Belfast, Lee has said the clever coat has been used made times and will be back up and running once travel restrictions are lifted.
You can catch up on Martin Lewis’ Extreme Savers on the STV Player.
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