These rules apply to liquids in hand luggage - Holiday preparation with IMPACKT

Flight booked and compensated, suitcases packed, anticipation rising - finally you're off to your long-awaited vacation.

But before you can make your way to the airport, you have to pack your hand luggage. Special regulations apply to hand luggage, liquids may not exceed 100 ml per container. This quantity is even stipulated by law. For safety reasons, larger containers for drinks and cosmetics are prohibited - regardless of which airline you are traveling with.

Your next flight is coming up and you want to know which liquids you are allowed to take in your hand luggage and what you have to consider? Make an IMPACKT and start perfectly prepared for your next flight. We are your companion around the world.

Hand luggage liquids: this applies according to EU directive

The EU directive applies to liquids and gel-like products. Here, the capacity of the containers is decisive. The individual containers with a maximum capacity of 100 ml must be carried in a transparent plastic bag, which itself may have a maximum capacity of one liter. The bag must be presented separately at the airport security checkpoint and only one bag may be carried per person. In addition, the container with the liquids must be resealable.

Important: Be sure to pay attention to the capacity. If you want to take a cream in a 200ml container that is only half full, you still have to decant it. Not the actual content, but the maximum possible capacity is decisive.

What counts as liquid in hand luggage anyway?

Contrary to what many people assume, not only drinking bottles are affected by this regulation. The following products belong in a plastic bag on your next flight:

Deodorant (also spray cans)
Hairspray
Toothpaste
Creams
Make-Up
Perfume
Shampoo or shower gel
Beverages
Hand sanitizer

Whether you are allowed to take a disinfectant in your hand luggage depends on the alcohol content. Substances with an alcohol content of 70% or more are considered hazardous substances, as they are highly flammable. You are not allowed to carry them in your hand luggage or check-in luggage. However, many hand disinfectants do not fall within this limit, as an alcohol content of 60 to 70% is sufficient to destroy bacteria and many disinfectants contain other substances to prevent the skin from drying out. In most cases, you can therefore take your hand disinfectant in a plastic bag without any problems.

Avoiding liquids in hand luggage saves stress and packaging waste

The simplest solution to avoid difficulties at the security check because of liquids in your hand luggage is not to have them at all. Some products can be optimally replaced by solid alternatives, such as deodorant or shampoo. This not only reduces the stress level at the security checkpoint, but also reduces plastic waste, as these are usually packaged in a particularly plastic-free way. Another plus: With a solid shampoo, nothing can leak in the bag. So with sustainable packaging alternatives, you're not only doing an IMPACKT for the environment, but traveling also more comfortably.

Exemptions: These liquids are allowed in hand luggage

In special cases, there are exceptions to the liquids allowed in hand luggage. You can carry these products without any problems despite the EU directive:

Baby food

If a small child under the age of two is traveling with you, you may take baby food in your hand luggage. The corresponding containers may hold more liquid than the otherwise prescribed 100 ml and they also do not have to be packed in the bag otherwise intended for liquids.

The prerequisite here is, of course, that the child actually travels with you and that the amount does not significantly exceed the requirements for the flight.

Medication

Another exception concerns necessary medication. These are also not affected by the restrictions. Classic examples of necessary liquid medications are insulin, asthma sprays or cold packs. In some cases, proof of the necessity of the medication is requested at the security check at the airport. You can have your doctor certify the need for the medication. To be on the safe side when traveling internationally, you can also have your doctor fill out the multilingual certificate template from the ADAC

Important: With medications, you should always check the import regulations of the destination country. Within the contracting states of the Schengen Agreement, for example, you will need a certificate from your doctor for the transport of narcotics in the context of medical treatment for antidepressants. If you are traveling to non-EU countries, you should inform yourself in advance at the German Foreign Office about the applicable regulations.

Duty-free products

The hand luggage regulations do not stand in the way of an exuberant shopping trip in the duty-free area. If you buy liquids such as perfumes or drinks there, you can take them on board the aircraft without any problems.

Important: Depending on the airline, products purchased in the duty-free area will be counted as part of your carry-on baggage and may be subject to additional payment. Depending on what you buy, you may also need to consider the maximum dimensions and weight allowed for carry-on luggage. Here, however, the regulations differ between the various airlines.

Hand luggage tips from IMPACKT

You want to travel optimally prepared? Then here are the top 4 hand luggage tips for your next flight. Your IMPACKT for the environment - get to your destination stress-free and protect the environment at the same time.

Take an empty bottle with you for drinks: with an empty bottle you can get through the security check at the airport without any problems. To produce less waste, you should use a reusable bottle from home, for example made of recycled plastic. You can then easily refill it with water after the security check at the airport.
Use a zipper bag from the supermarket to store the liquids in your hand luggage. Here you can quickly see if the bag meets the requirement of one liter capacity thanks to the packaging instructions. You can keep the bag for your next flight or use it elsewhere in the household.
Find out in advance about the airline's specific hand luggage regulations. While all airlines have the same rules for liquids in carry-on luggage, they do not apply to the maximum weight or dimensions of the bag. If you know before your flight whether you are allowed to take your suitcase in your hand luggage, you will avoid inconvenience, unnecessary waste and additional costs at the airport.
Compensate for your air travel. Compared to a train journey, air travel has a poor ecological balance. So that you can still travel on vacation with a better conscience, there are various providers where a flight can be compensated. Here you pay a certain amount depending on the distance flown. The proceeds are invested in climate protection projects.

Sustainable hand luggage solutions with IMPACKT You want to keep the environmental impact of your trip as low as possible? IMPACKT is not only a specialist for high-quality suitcases, but also for products that meet high sustainability standards. When developing our sustainable suitcases, we put special emphasis on saving resources and ensuring a long product life.

Discover our suitcases for sustainable travel: