Holiday travel seems like its own sort of problem – lugging heavy winter clothes, packing all of the cold climate requirements, and guaranteeing you have all of your Christmas presents.

While TikTok is flooded with winter travel suggestions and recommendations, not all of them are the options they declare to be. Nevertheless, the web can not seem to get enough. The #TravelHacks hashtag on TikTok has gathered 399.5K posts, with vacationers predominantly utilizing viral packing shortcuts to make vacation travel simpler.

“Viral travel hacks like wearing all your heavy items appeal because they seem free and easy, but in reality, they often cost time, stress, and in the worst case, they can wreck your holiday before you even board. Just because something is trending doesn’t mean it’s advisable,” stated Paul Stewart, travel knowledgeable and founder of My Baggage.

“Many viral hacks create more problems at the airport than they solve.”

Stewart breaks down how the most well-liked travel hacks on the web can generally truly trigger more injury than benefit, even getting you detained on the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.

Here are the viral travel hacks to steer clear of, in line with a travel knowledgeable.

1. Ribbon hack

“Airport baggage handlers have confirmed that adding bright ribbons to your luggage can jam airport machines and slow down baggage handling. Security might think your bag looks suspicious and search it, potentially causing you to miss your flight,” Stewart stated.

2. ‘Wear all of your heavy gadgets’ principle

Some people advocate for donning their heaviest garments on the flight as a substitute of packing them.

However, Stewart warns that this won’t at all times be the best strategy. He explains that unusually cumbersome apparel can appeal to additional scrutiny from airport security and doubtlessly flag you for added screening.

“Many airports require passengers to remove outer layers during security checks, which can slow down your journey and create unnecessary stress,” he added.

3. Plastic bag and cling movie wrapping trick

“Wrapping your luggage in plastic can often make it look suspicious, and security personnel might have to unwrap everything,” he clarified.

Not solely does this create waste, however it additionally makes accessing your belongings more troublesome.

4. Shoe stuffing shortcut

Stashing socks or underwear inside your sneakers may seem to be a intelligent space-saving trick, however it may be unsanitary and complicate your security course of.

While this could be a common packing hack, overstuffing your sneakers might get them flagged during screening.

5. Pillowcase as additional baggage trick

“This viral trend of using pillowcases as extra bags violates IATA regulations of ‘one carry-on bag and one personal item’ and they’ll often take them away. Improvised containers, such as pillowcases, don’t qualify as legitimate luggage under these rules,” Stewart cautioned.

6. ‘Oversized wheeled duffel’ trick

Travelers generally purchase bigger wheeled duffel baggage, assuming the smooth sides will be compressed to fulfill the dimensions restrict for carry-ons.

However, Stewart warns that airways regularly measure these baggage after they’re absolutely packed. Oversized duffels typically get flagged at gates, leading to expensive final-minute examine-in charges or even worse, missed flights.