Photo: Gel Rodriguez
Have you ever been at the airport and discovered that your luggage is over the weight limit? If so, you know that feeling of being totally flustered and faced with the prospect of an extra weight fee. Paying it might feel like your only choice, but not if you’re Gel Rodriguez. She found a creative way around the weight limit, saved herself overage fees, and became a viral sensation in the process.
In 2019, Rodriguez was taking a flight from the Phillippines and was informed that her carry-on luggage was 4.4 pounds over the weight limit. Instead of paying the fee—which is never cheap—she opted to lessen her suitcase weight by wearing more than five pounds of clothing. This meant layering shirts on her shirts and pants over her pants. The multiple garments were so bulky that they wouldn’t cover one another. Her last pair of pants, for instance, only meets her knees before there is just too much fabric to go up any further.
To commemorate this travel “hack,” Rodriguez posed for a picture at the airport. This photo went viral, with people lauding her for the idea. “What a brilliant mind,” one person commented. “Thank you for the idea,” another said.
But would she do it again? Probably not. “It was really hot,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t recommend other people do it.” That’s likely good advice. In 2015, James McElvar from the Scottish boy band Rewind tried the same thing (only with more clothing) and passed out due to heat exhaustion.
h/t: [Upworthy]
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