How to carry less baggage

One fairly reliable rule of thumb is ‘never buy anything at an airport if you can help it’. Something about the peculiar atmosphere of airports makes people act in strange ways. I used to find myself buying plug adapters simply because they were a slightly different colour from the ones I already had in my bag. Other people seem strangely eager to buy giant Toblerones.-Lufthansa once even asked scientists to investigate why in airport-lounges and on aircraft, people became far more disposed to drink tomato juice than anywhere else.

Finally, and most baffling of all, who the hell buys luggage airside? Buying a suitcase before you go through security might make sense (perhaps your bag has burst on the way to the airport, or you decide you want to repack before you check in). But why are there so many-luggage shops airside? Who uses them? You’ve got rid of your-luggage at the check-in desk, you’ve been through the X-ray machines and you are free at last to wander around unencumbered, and yet your first thought is ‘Ooh, I know, let’s buy a bloody great empty suitcase to carry 3,000 miles back home.’