Today, because of the increased security required at most airports, the carrying on board of liquids is significantly reduced. In order to prevent problems whilst boarding you would be well advised to contact the airline well in advance of your intended day of travel to obtain an up to date description of what liquids you are allowed to take, and also in what quantities.

Generally most airlines today will limit you to 100 ml per liquid or per canister. Almost certainly the canisters and bottles you have at home in your bathroom will be sold in far greater volumes, and even trying to take on board a 150 or 200 ml canister could result in both a delay, and the loss of the entire canister, which could certainly cause some problems and inconvenience.

A little planning and preparation therefore will help to prevent any such inconveniences. One way in which you can effectively kill two birds with one stone is to invest in a set of small screw top canisters which can be purchased from most DIY stores and pharmacies. Making sure that the volume of these canisters is no more than 100 ml, transfer all of your necessary cosmetics into these canisters, remembering of course to label them properly, and then you can make quite sure that there is no risk of your bottles being confiscated due to oversize. But at the same time what you have also achieved is a reduction in the size of the bottles and containers that you take in your luggage. You don't, after all, want to be taking a huge bottle which originally held 500 ml and now only contains 100 ml. The bottle won't squash, but you will find that you are taking a good volume of fresh air in your luggage which you can't use.

Another common problem as far as liquids are concerned is of course the risk of leakage. A glass bottle of perfume is of greater risk, but plastic bottles can crack, and the caps can be knocked off if the bag experiences a sudden knock. Therefore, how do you protect against the risk of leakage? The solution is quite simple. In addition to purchasing a number of small plastic containers for your cosmetics, buy a pack of sealable sandwich bags. These are the type of bag which is transparent, and has a sealable snap top which can be pressed shut to seal any liquid inside.

Place the canister individually into it own sandwich bag. Next, roll the bag up starting from the base. This ensures that you remove any excess air which might otherwise take up space in your bag, and like a balloon, be at greater risk of bursting itself. Once you have squeezed all the excess air out of the bag, seal it and pack it. In this way you will help to maximize the protection of your liquids. If you plan wisely you may find you are able to pack into these canisters only the amount of cosmetics you actually need for the duration of your holiday. Since the canisters and bags cost merely a few pence, if space is critical in your bag, why not simply discard the bags and canisters at the end of your holiday, and save a little extra room on the return trip?