Seven holidays where you can avoid the 100ml liquid restriction on hand luggage (2024)

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced on 7 June that from 00:01 on Sunday 9 June, 100ml restrictions on liquids will temporarily be reintroduced for passengers travelling from six regional airports where Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC) are in full operation. The change will affect passengers travelling from Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford, London City, Aberdeen, Southend, and Teesside airports, according to the DfT.

The way we pack liquids in our hand luggage is slowly changing in the UK. Holidaymakers will be able to ditch the 100ml containers and single zip lock bags when flying from a few airports this summer thanks to the rollout of a new generation of security scanners.

While many airports have missed this target date, London City, Teesside, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Inverness and Stornoway are now allowing passengers through security with bottles and containers of up to two litres in their bags, while Bristol will up its liquid limit to 330ml from 14 June. However, Inverness and Stornoway still require liquids in containers of 100ml or less to be placed in a transparent bag for security (while also allowing larger containers).

In December 2022, the Department for Transport gave UK airports a deadline of June 2024 for installing these new 3D scanners.

It has also been reported that Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool may change their rules soon.

Of course, the liquids you take on a flight to your destination usually have to come back again, and while European airports such as Madrid Barajas, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona El Prat are currently testing or installing new scanners, they’ve not scrapped the 100ml rule yet.

But we’ve found routes between UK and elsewhere in Europe where you can stick to hand luggage only on the way there, and the way back – without having to adhere to the 100ml rule. Before booking, take note of the hand luggage allowances of the airline with which you are planning to fly.

Milan, Italy

Both Milan Linate and Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa allow passengers to pack liquids of more than 100ml into their hand luggage. Italy’s second city comes into its own in summer. The Gothic gargoyle-clad cathedral puts on rooftop concerts, green spaces, including Biblioteca degli Alberi or “Library of Trees”, purr with picnickers, and the outdoor aperitivo spots in canal side Navigli thrum in the sun. Milan Malpensa also makes a great springboard to Lake Maggiore, Italy’s second-largest lake.

ITA Airways offers direct return flights from London City to Milan Linate for around £280 this summer while easyJet has flights from Bristol to Milan Malpensa for £160 return. A night at the nhow Milano, which has rooftop pools and a sun deck, costs from £128 per night in July.

Helsinki, Finland

Summer in Helsinki means long days and short “white” nights when the sky never gets completely dark. The Finnish capital’s extended daylight hours are made for picnics in green spaces such as Sinebrychoff Park, dips in the outdoor pools at the Allas Sea Pool and Sauna World, strolls through the stalls at Market Square, and countless al fresco drinks and meals, anywhere from the balcony of the wave-shaped Oodi Library to the city’s lippskioski spots (wooden kiosks that serve drinks to dinky outdoor seating areas in summer).

Finnair offers direct flights from Edinburgh to Helsinki. A night at the NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa, which opened in May, starts at £170 a night in July.

Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Eindhoven, 111-kilometres south of Amsterdam, has a summer to-do list that includes strolling the banks of the River Dommel, which slices through its centre, exploring the city’s 14 green spaces – especially the sculpture-dotted Stadswandelpark and walking trail laced Genneper Park – and making the most of Stratumseind, aka Pub Street, where the tables of more than 50 bars and restaurants spill out into the open air. For art lovers, Van Abbemuseum is another must-see. Featuring more than 2,700 works of art, it’s regarded as one of the leading contemporary art museums in Europe.

The average hotel room rate is €117 (£99) in Eindhoven in July with the tourist board recommending places such as Hotel Mariënhage, Hotel Kazerne and Hotel The Match. Lastminute.com offers three nights at the Crown Hotel Eindhoven Centre from £571pp, including flights from London City.

Jersey, Channel Islands

Idling on the island’s 20-plus beaches, following the 48.5-mile Coastal Path across headland and along fawny-coloured bays, touring the vineyards at La Mare Wine Estate ahead of a tasting, surfing at five-mile-long St Ouen’s beach, and RIB riding out to the archipelago of Écréhous – these are just a few of the highlights of a summer trip to Jersey.

Jet2 runs flights between Newcastle and Jersey airport and tickets from just over £200 return. A night at the Beausite Hotel, Westhill Country Hotel, and Marina Metro Hotel starts at £157, £166 and £170 a night respectively.

Shannon, Ireland

Trips to Shannon usually start with visits to local attractions like the 15th century Bunratty Castle and the 26-acre Folk Park with its replica 19th century village and continue with road trips into wider County Clare and neighbouring County Limerick, where castles, abbeys and waterfalls await. Visitors who are prepared to travel further can take on all or some of the Wild Atlantic Way, a 2,600-kilometre coastal road that skims the coast from Cork in the south to Derry in the north.

Ryanair flights from Liverpool to Shannon are available for less than £50 this summer. Rates for a double room at hotels like Treacys Oakwood start at £163 in summer on booking.com.

Kerry, Ireland

This pocket of south-west Ireland is loaded with outdoorsy sights that are best explored in summer. Visitors can hike and kayak in the 100 sq km Unesco Biosphere Killarney National Park, cycle (or drive) the 179-kilometre Ring of Kerry loop with its waterfall, wild beaches and star gazing spots, and take boat trips over to see Unesco World Heritage Skellig Michael, a 6th century monastic settlement that’s sequestered on a shark fin-shaped rock, 11 kilometres off the county’s coast.

Visitors can expect to pay between £150 and £200 for a double room in Kerry in summer. Options include The Moorings Hotel and Seafood Restaurant in Portmagee and An Capall Dubh in Dingle.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

It’s not compulsory to pack hand luggage liquids in 100ml volumes at Amsterdam Schiphol. However, the airport states that “larger containers are only permitted if they are cleared by the scan and by a member of security staff” and advises passengers to stick to the 100ml rule “to be sure you won’t have to hand anything over”. So, passengers should exercise caution when packing hand luggage liquids for a trip to the city.

The Dutch capital doesn’t need any introductions. Sights Anne Frank House, the flower markets, and the city’s cheese shops are well-known around the world. Visitors looking for something a little bit different could head to the A’Dam Lookout with its panoramic observation deck and Europe’s highest swing or to a neighbourhood beyond its centre, such as Amsterdam-Noord.

British Airways has flights from London City to Amsterdam Schiphol from £140 return. A stay at Tribe Amsterdam City starts at £127 a night while rooms at the Victoria Amsterdam can be booked from £205.67 a night.