The Pillow Packing Hack
As the saying goes, the best advice is found on the pillow. However, in this case, the solution is the pillow itself, as one TikTok user displays what may be the most brilliant travel packing hack ever.
In 2021, Anya Iakovlieva, who goes by the handle @nolimitua, posted a video of herself stuffing clothes into a pillowcase, effectively utilizing it as extra baggage space on a flight. “The best travel hack ever!!! ‘Pillow’ flies for free,” she proclaimed in her post, which has since gone viral, amassing over 16 million views.
The initial shot shows her packing clothing into a zipper-closed pillow, with an American passport placed on the bed. Subsequently, she appears maskless at an airport terminal, pulling a large wheeled suitcase with the pillow atop it, signaling to the camera with a “Shh!” gesture. Ultimately, she is seen onboard, comfortably holding the pillow on her lap, winking at the camera to confirm that it went through undetected.
Iakovlieva also shared the video on her Instagram page, with tagging situated in Istanbul, hinting that she may have successfully carried the extra “luggage” on an international flight.
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To enhance the sneakiness element, she set her TikTok post to a dramatic soundtrack from Bad Girls Club, where audio states, “Nobody’s going to know,” followed by another voice saying, “They’re gonna know,” and the first replying, “How would they know?”
User Reactions and Comments
One TikTok user humorously commented, “Now, everyone will know. By 2022, airlines will start charging to bring a pillow aboard,” which drew a response of joy emojis from Iakovlieva.
Another user expressed skepticism, questioning, “Come on, they don’t even allow a handbag/purse on some flights, there’s no way a pillow is gonna fly,” to which Iakovlieva confidently replied, “6 times tested and worked so far.” It appears that while she had a checked bag, her successful trick could have stemmed from airlines treating the pillow as a personal item.
Nevertheless, perhaps the most poignant comment came from another user, who mentioned, “Bring extra deodorant because you’ll be sweating carrying that around.”
