UK airports will see nearly £270m worth of toiletries and make-up products abandoned at the security gates this summer, as UK travellers continue to over pack for holidays.
An estimated £6.45 worth of beauty and wellness products will be binned at airport security, with the goods failing to meet the on-board allowance requirements.
This figure increases to £7.92 for male holidaymakers.
The ‘hidden costs’ of overpacking amongst UK travellers was revealed in a study by fashion retailer Next.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults in May 2022 found that people feel anxious if they don’t pack lots of items when going away.
At least 18% of people surveyed said that they often forget crucial items if they don’t overpack.
“It’s clear that the UK is a nation of overpackers, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon,” said Caroline Rowe, a travel blogger.
“But overpacking isn’t always a harmless habit – it’s costing us money.”
Full-sized toiletries have been thrown away by at least 42% of people surveyed for the study, as the products were too large to fit in their carry-on case.
Google searches for 'travel makeup' also increased by 38,000 throughout July, a jump of 30% compared with the 2019 summer holiday season.
To combat this epidemic of overpacking, Rowe said the key is to plan out each day of the holiday.
“I have a spreadsheet I use to map out how many days I'm at a destination and what I'm likely to do there,” she explained.
“I then fill in an outfit for each day, plus a spare. No more, no less - otherwise it's a waste of suitcase space.”
