If you have ever stood at the airport gate quietly panicking about whether your carry-on, personal item, and extra tote bag are going to cause a scene, you are not alone. Squeezing everything into the airline’s allowed limit is one of the most universally stressful parts of modern travel, and most passengers have quietly accepted that a third bag simply isn’t going to make it on board without a fee or a firm refusal from gate staff. But a travel creator named Laurie, who is married to a pilot, recently shared a simple trick on Instagram that has travelers genuinely excited, and the solution turns out to be surprisingly low-effort.
Laurie’s tip hinges entirely on timing, and that is what makes it so clever. She explains that the key is to wait until after you have cleared security before doing anything about your bag situation. “When you pass security and head to the gate, do this,” she wrote in her Instagram post. At that point, the hard part of the airport experience is already behind you, meaning you no longer have to worry about pulling out liquids or dealing with the conveyor belt routine. That window between security and boarding is where Laurie says the magic happens.
The actual technique is refreshingly simple. She demonstrates in her video how shaking a small carry-on bag several times up and down causes the contents to settle toward the bottom, naturally creating extra space at the top. “Shake the suitcase a few times so everything settles to the bottom and you will have room for your liquids bag and maybe even a smaller purse,” she explains. Because you have already passed through the security checkpoint, you can immediately tuck those items back in without having to re-sort or re-pack anything in a stressful environment. You simply slide your shoulder bag or extra tote into the newly freed space and zip it up before reaching the gate.
Laurie also points out that this arrangement does not have to be permanent for the duration of the flight. Once you board and reach your seat, you can unpack whatever you temporarily stored inside the larger bag and use the overhead bin for the carry-on while keeping your smaller bag under the seat in front of you. She does add one caveat worth remembering: if you are seated in an exit row, storing anything under the seat ahead of you is typically not permitted by airline regulations, so plan accordingly. For everyone else, it is a neat way to keep your most-used items within easy reach during the flight without sacrificing organization.
The response in the comments was overwhelmingly positive, with many people calling the trick “genius” and an “excellent idea.” One commenter joked that shaking the bag counts as “good arm training before the flight,” which gives a sense of just how light and doable the whole thing actually feels. In a separate video, Laurie also demonstrated more traditional packing strategies for anyone looking to maximize space before they even leave home, including rolling versus folding clothes, using packing cubes to keep everything organized, and compression organizers for those who want to squeeze in even more.
It is worth understanding what airlines are actually enforcing when it comes to carry-on rules. Most major carriers in the United States allow each passenger one carry-on bag that fits in the overhead bin and one personal item such as a purse, laptop bag, or small backpack that fits under the seat. The size limits for carry-ons generally hover around 22 by 14 by 9 inches, though this varies by airline. A third separate bag is almost always flagged at the gate, which is exactly why Laurie’s trick of consolidating temporarily is so effective. It works within the rules because by the time you reach boarding, everything is technically contained within your two permitted pieces. Packing cubes, which Laurie also recommends, have been growing in popularity for years among frequent flyers because they compress soft goods like clothing and allow travelers to compartmentalize their belongings more efficiently. Compression bags take that a step further by using vacuum-style sealing to dramatically reduce the volume of bulky items like sweaters or jackets.
Have you ever tried a trick like this at the airport, and did it work for you? Share your experiences in the comments!
