In a bid to make the most of the free hand luggage allowance on airlines, travellers have taken cunning steps.

A new study by Debenhams has found that rather than pay excess baggage charges when travelling by plane, savvy passengers have developed a habit of ‘wearing’ large amounts of their belongings.

The move has become popular since airlines have introduced cheaper ticket prices for those travelling with only hand luggage, with the leading fashion retailer reports that sales in the summer period of oversize coats with multiple pockets have skyrocketed by as much as 350 per cent. The five-pocket Mantaray jacket, with a hidden compartment in the sleeve, has risen by 200 per cent, while the John Rocha six-pocket parka has gone up by over 300 per cent.

Debenhams attributes to sales growth on the shop floor to travellers choosing to pack heavy items such as laptops, books, cameras and towels onto their person rather than pay for bags to be stowed in the airplane hold. This can save an individual up to £40 in some situations with budget carriers. Debenhams sales staff have even witnessed customers bring their travel items into the store to test the fit of jacket pockets, with the latest novel, netbook and even pants, socks and sarongs all stuffed inside parkas in the quest for travelling light. Though the trend may seem a smart way around charges, increased testing is likely before boarding, and excess baggage usually attracts a hefty surcharge, in some cases up to £20 per kilo.

Last year saw personal UK consumers take out a massive £37 million in loans to help cover the cost of their education.

New data released from Sainsbury’s Finance show that education costs increased in the 12 months till the end of February by five per cent, with the group attributing the higher costs as the main reason for bank assistance which was mainly used to pay university and school fees, personal loans and general education costs.

The supermarket bank estimated that close to 4,400 personal loans were arranged over the past year at an average rate of £8,500 for assistance with educational charges. The breakdown from Sainsbury’s Finance showed that 1,100 loans were granted at a total worth of £12.25 million to help payment of school fees.  University and college fees were worth £13.56 million across 1,900 loans.

Sainsbury’s Finance Head of Loans, Steven Baillie, confirmed that the cost of education was indeed rising, with school fees up by 5.9 per cent, while the Consumer Price Index educational component grew by five per cent. The slow pace of the economic recovery meant that many students still faced challenges to generate the revenue required for the completion of their studies.

An evaluation of government data by Sainsbury’s Finance discovered that £8.8 billion was spent on education between 2006 and 2008 across the UK – a figure which showed dramatic variances between regional fees. London students paid an average of £770 a year, as compared to just £208 in the North West of Britain.