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I hate checking luggage, mostly because I have terrible luck and my luggage gets lost when there's a connecting flight (and I have one in Chicago for convention). I have a small carry-on sized suitcase and I've packed more than enough clothes, my shoes, my catty and all the other stuff I need, and there's plenty of room to add to it. I figure worst-case scenario I check the bag on the way home and carry-on my Convention bag if it makes it exceed the weight limit or doesn't fit. Am I nuts here and should I take a bigger bag? My upline and a sideline are telling me I need the bigger bag. We're going shopping but I won't be buying anything because I've already gone on a clothing spree here(woohoo!) Someone please tell me I don't need the big bag. I just don't see how I could need that much room. Do we really get that much stuff??
I printed out the TSA guidelines re: scissors, but I'll probably put them in my upline's checked bag to be safe - don't want to lose those!
I have a smaller case that fits inside my bigger case, I pack the smaller case with all the stuff I need to take and when I come back, I end up putting things in both cases. I hate carrying more than I have to so I always put the convention bag and all my swaps and other goodies that I get at convention inside one of the two bags and then my clothes and other stuff in the other bag and check them both....only thing I carry on is my fanny pack and I wear my lanyard and have my ID in it so it's easier to pull out when needed to check in. Much easier this way, to me at least!
Do you think space-wise and weight-wise you need to have those 2 bags? I usually avoid checking anything if at all possible, but I'm worried we get so much stuff I won't be able to fit it all in my bag on the way home.
I never travel with more than one carry-on and my laptop bag, especially now that you have to leave your checked bags unlocked. I also have plenty of room left in my bag, so I don't think I'm going to have a problem on the way back.
My hubby travels often for work and prior to 9/11 he was an adament carry on only person. Lately, he has found that is it just easier to check his baggage in. Carry on can be done, but remember you are limited to 1 quart sized bag of liquids (lotions, hair care products, lip gloss, etc.) and the containers must be 3.4 oz. or smaller. You also need to have your quart bag within easy reach because airport security usually checks it seperately. If your stuff doesn't meet TSA guidlines, you have to pitch it right there. They also prefer unopened, new packaging.
Do you think space-wise and weight-wise you need to have those 2 bags? I usually avoid checking anything if at all possible, but I'm worried we get so much stuff I won't be able to fit it all in my bag on the way home.
Maybe I wasn't clear in my first post.....on the way there, my smaller bag is packed inside the bigger bag and I only have to tote one bag....on the way back, I pack the two cases and make sure the weight is distributed as equally as possible....I ALWAYS check my bags at the curb check-in so I do not lug anything around the airport at all except for my fanny pack and anything like a magazine or something like that. The only time I am toting the weight is when I go to the airports!
My hubby travels often for work and prior to 9/11 he was an adament carry on only person. Lately, he has found that is it just easier to check his baggage in. Carry on can be done, but remember you are limited to 1 quart sized bag of liquids (lotions, hair care products, lip gloss, etc.) and the containers must be 3.4 oz. or smaller. You also need to have your quart bag within easy reach because airport security usually checks it seperately. If your stuff doesn't meet TSA guidlines, you have to pitch it right there. They also prefer unopened, new packaging.
My husband travels a lot, too, (as recently as last week) and he's found that you can put toiletries into a gallon sized bag and they don't care (they list quart as being the requirement), and if you do this and hand it to them they don't bother looking at anything else in your bag! (a friend who goes to FL a couple times a year confirmed this as well). DH also takes larger bottles - 4oz instead of 3 - and no one has ever batted an eye. This is for the large NY airports; I'm sure it varies from place to place and even from one security person to another. I figure if they make me throw away toiletries it's not a big deal, I can always buy more. I'm just saying that they are much less stringent on the rules now that the urgency seems to have faded on the Gel/liquid scare. DH is a carry-on person because he hates the baggage claim area (as do I) and that's why we avoid it like the plague. As I said, my luggage has gone on waaay too many trips without me, or I without them depending on how you look at it :p (including skis once!). I just don't risk it if I don't have to.
My husband travels a lot, too, (as recently as last week) and he's found that you can put toiletries into a gallon sized bag and they don't care (they list quart as being the requirement), and if you do this and hand it to them they don't bother looking at anything else in your bag! (a friend who goes to FL a couple times a year confirmed this as well). DH also takes larger bottles - 4oz instead of 3 - and no one has ever batted an eye. This is for the large NY airports; I'm sure it varies from place to place and even from one security person to another. I figure if they make me throw away toiletries it's not a big deal, I can always buy more. I'm just saying that they are much less stringent on the rules now that the urgency seems to have faded on the Gel/liquid scare. DH is a carry-on person because he hates the baggage claim area (as do I) and that's why we avoid it like the plague. As I said, my luggage has gone on waaay too many trips without me, or I without them depending on how you look at it :p (including skis once!). I just don't risk it if I don't have to.
Your DH is lucky then because I fly several times a month and they harrassed me for using a sandwich bag and they wouldn't let anyone around me leave with a container larger than 3 oz. I fly all over the country and they have all been the same. I do usually carry on my bag due to time constraints when I arrive at my destination. I also pack light. If you think you have everything then don't worry.
Just a reminder, they will not let you carry on your craft sizzors. They will take them. These have to be checked in and since you need them to cut your stamps for the stamp-a-rama you might think about this.
I'm checking, but it's a direct flight and the first one out for the carrier here for the day, so worst case is my bag hops on one of the 5 other flights to Denver from here that day and Frontier brings it to my hotel. I have my swaps in my carryon and my jammies for the PJ Party, just in case! Oh - and you do NOT need to leave your bag unlocked... you have two options -lock it with a zip tie (If TSA opens, they will put another zip tie on after they search) or get one of those TSA locks. That's what I've been using since September 2001. They are great!
Your DH is lucky then because I fly several times a month and they harrassed me for using a sandwich bag and they wouldn't let anyone around me leave with a container larger than 3 oz. I fly all over the country and they have all been the same. I do usually carry on my bag due to time constraints when I arrive at my destination. I also pack light. If you think you have everything then don't worry.
There are certain liquids that can be in larger bottles, you just have to declare them and present them for inspection - My contact solutions are in 4oz bottles and if I tell them upfront, and have them separate, I have no problem.
I've flown to and from Dallas and Los Angeles about 6 times in the past 8 months, and I prefer to have my hand bag only as a carry-on. (although for convention, my swaps are not leaving my sight) I don't know how the Denver airport is, but going between here and L.A....it is a pain to have anything to declare. I think it really depends on the airport and whomever is working security that shift! But then again...I'm not a light packer either...no way would my stuff fit in a small case for a five day trip! :mrgreen: Plus...I plan on differnt clothes for daytime and evening...with 4 kids and crazy schedules...it's not often I get to get dressed up and go out! :p
we were told that the scissors can be checked since the blade is short. the tsa website also confirms this..... (info came from a flight attendant on scs)
Also, don't forget that we are getting at the very least 3 stamp sets. These sets are not light. Last year I had 1 suitcase and was over the limit because of this (and everything else I purchased).
Last year I packed a small suitcase (all the girls thought it was my swaps!) and had a backpack and my purse that I carried on the plane. I had one
H_LL of a time packing to come home! This year I'm packing a larger suitcase that will definitely be underpacked so that I have room to bring all my goodies home. I like to idea that was suggested to carry a smaller bag inside of the larger one for the trip home! Anyway, I know you will have a blast whatever you decide to do!
Just doing a carry-on sounds nice, but I would worry about my scissors being taken away. If you have everything you need and someone else will put your scissors in their checked bag, I say go for it!
I have my stuff packed already and I also do the smaller suitcase in a larger suitcase thing. Then when I am there I can buy a sweatshirt (like I'll need it!) or whatever and not worry about the weight/space. I just got on my scale and my bag weighs about 35 pounds. So if I get more than 15 pounds worth of stuff in Denver, I will be using both bags to come home. Hmmm.....15 pounds of rubber sounds nice, huh?! LOL
Location: Between a cave and a barn in rural Missouri
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Y'all do know you do not have to leave your check baggage unlocked. They now have TSA approved locks. The TSA has a code that they can use to unlock combination locks and a key for the key type lock. I got mine at walmart. They have the info on the TSA.gov
About the scissors...I just got home from vacation and forgot that I left I pair of fiskars scissors in a box of Lidoderm patches. I use them to cut open the packet. When they x-rayed my carry-on, they needed to inspect it. He asked me if I had scissors in my bag. I said yes and he asked me if I knew where. I told him and he looked at them and said they were fine. The blades have to be less than 4" to be carried on. HTH
Be sure your home address is not only on the outside of your bag - but several places on the inside. Do you all remember the poor gal last year that had all her new stamp sets & tons of other stuff in her checked bag & it never ever showed up on her way home? I felt so bad for her.
we were told that the scissors can be checked since the blade is short. the tsa website also confirms this..... (info came from a flight attendant on scs)
Steph - no matter what the list says, the small print says that the final word is that of the screening agent. If he had a bad morning, or you remind him of an ex-girlfriend, he can take your scissors. You can argue it, but you might get detained long enough to miss your flight. If you are checking a bag, put your scissors in there, just to be safe..... Seriously. I had a pair of nail clippers (the cheap 50 cent ones from WalMart, no file even) taken away not long ago..... The agent was in a foul mood and seemed to be confiscating something from EVERYONE.....
Steph - no matter what the list says, the small print says that the final word is that of the screening agent. If he had a bad morning, or you remind him of an ex-girlfriend, he can take your scissors. You can argue it, but you might get detained long enough to miss your flight. If you are checking a bag, put your scissors in there, just to be safe..... Seriously. I had a pair of nail clippers (the cheap 50 cent ones from WalMart, no file even) taken away not long ago..... The agent was in a foul mood and seemed to be confiscating something from EVERYONE.....
So true! Oakland will let me thru with just about anything. Long Beach/Dallas/Burbank/LAX/Mobile/Midway: another story! I have lost two pairs of small sewing scissors because the agent said no. Arguing with them will get you nowhere. You used to be able to go thru SFO with flip flops and in a matter of five days they changed their mind and when I tried to walk thru with flip flops the agent told me she was happy to keep me off my flight!
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My husbands boss travels to Germany and England once a month. The insurance copy told him to take pictures that are date stamped of everything he takes with him. That way if something is missing he has documentation.
I took my sissors and punches on my carryon... Although I have to make you laugh... One trip back from Providence RI, I had Sugar Babie Lollipops, unopened top of my zipper pouch of my checked luggage, and the TSA were so nice, they opened it up, took the lollipops, left the bag, and a really pretty TSA sticker on it! How Rude!!!! :twisted:
My dh flew regularly between Oakland/SFO and Tulsa through Denver for several months and he is a carry on only person. He actually had great luck several times. We travel a lot and what we do is box most things up that we buy and either UPS or Fedex them home.
When I went to Convention a couple years ago I left there for Chicago. I UPS'ed my dirty clothes and convention bag home and took the new clothes and things I needed on with me :-)
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
Steph - no matter what the list says, the small print says that the final word is that of the screening agent. If he had a bad morning, or you remind him of an ex-girlfriend, he can take your scissors. You can argue it, but you might get detained long enough to miss your flight. If you are checking a bag, put your scissors in there, just to be safe..... Seriously. I had a pair of nail clippers (the cheap 50 cent ones from WalMart, no file even) taken away not long ago..... The agent was in a foul mood and seemed to be confiscating something from EVERYONE.....
This is sooooooo true! Dh flew from Oakland all the way to Tulsa with no ID, credit cards, etc. Not only did he make the flight but he also was able to rent a car and check into his hotel before I overnighted his wallet to him (he made this same trip every week for 3 months so they knew him). Then again, he couldn't take a roller (to roll out sore spots in your body after doing a 12K) because it looked like a weapon.
It makes no sense whatsoever, just be prepared for anything.
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
oh man, my swaps do not leave my side while I'm traveling to convention and I pack my newly acquired swaps in my carry on for the trip home (yes, I read about the gal whose stuff never did show up last year!) and I make sure to take two bags so that I don't have one that is over the weight limit. Thankfully I learned (the hard way!) to weigh my bags BEFORE leaving the house as one year I was trying to reshuffle things between the two bags and since I had packed a lot of stuff in plastic SB cases/shoebox type things there was no way to stomp them down! that was nuts!
I have also learned that the hotels usually have a scale in the luggage room so you can weigh your bag before heading for the airport on the return trip. MUCH easier to know in advance and pull out or shift the heavy stuff than to pay excess baggage charges. I grudgingly pack my scissors in my check thru bag (for obvious reasons!) and make sure that any projects that I'm trying to finish enroute are either precut or not cutting required. Jan
FYI...you can now get TSA approved locks to lock your luggage. I recently traveled to CA. I packed everything in one large case and locked it. No problem. The Skycap told me more people should use them. The TSA has a Master Key to look inside if they need to and then they lock it back with a note if it was inspected. Hope this info helps. My DH got them at Kmart.
We leave in the morning and I'm taking swap-finishing stuff on the plane. I have 3 pairs of paper snips (one of which was slightly damaged and I got to keep when the replacements were shipped), so I think I'm going to "risk" taking one with me, and another in my checked baggage. Ideally I can use them to cut the ribbons, etc., and finish stuff up on the flight. My rubber scissors will definitely be checked, though!
Praying for no hassles! I do have a print out of the TSA guidelines, though I certainly realize it may be no good to have it.
__________________
HeatherB, SU! Sr. Supervisor
Very Attached, Stampin' Mama to 3 Wonderful Boys: Gabriel - 03/02 and Iain - 09/04 and new little Judah - born at home on 9/27/07!
I took my sissors and punches on my carryon... Although I have to make you laugh... One trip back from Providence RI, I had Sugar Babie Lollipops, unopened top of my zipper pouch of my checked luggage, and the TSA were so nice, they opened it up, took the lollipops, left the bag, and a really pretty TSA sticker on it! How Rude!!!! :twisted:
Hmmm Maybe that is the trick....buy candy, put in a ziploc bag and put a hand stamperd note- Candy for the TSA officer!
__________________ Lisa @stampylisa -Twitter/PinterestSupport AFSPHoard stamp stuff, it's eco-friendly ;)Art=making something out of nothing and selling it~Frank Zappa~my Blog~My Health Coaching web
Be careful with this -- some airports are more strict than others. What may work at one airport may not work at another. My DH flies all the time for work and sometimes ends up having to toss stuff on the way home that he was able to carry-on before. A good rule of thumb is not to carry-on anything you can' t bear to toss and replace once you arrive.
[QUOTE=*pamster*;6621132]My husband travels a lot, too, (as recently as last week) and he's found that you can put toiletries into a gallon sized bag and they don't care (they list quart as being the requirement), and if you do this and hand it to them they don't bother looking at anything else in your bag! (a friend who goes to FL a couple times a year confirmed this as well). DH also takes larger bottles - 4oz instead of 3 - and no one has ever batted an eye. [QUOTE]
One of the strangest things that I had taken from me was a small container of fudge! I believe this was at the Palm Springs, CA airport. I was told that it was "a solid form of a liquid" when I questioned why I couldn't take it. Luckily, it was only a $3.00 portion, but come on!!!
I travel pretty often and have learned to take a roll bag packed in my larger bag for extras. I always come home with goodies. I try not to carry on too much because of size restrictions and just the hassle of trying to get the bag in the overhead bin or under the seat. I would carry on your swaps, though. We've also sent things home via UPS/fedex/USPS.
Have a wonderful time!
Janet
__________________ (My Avatar is my son in Iraq and his dog, Bodie -- note Bodie's haircut!)
My husband travels a lot, too, (as recently as last week) and he's found that you can put toiletries into a gallon sized bag and they don't care (they list quart as being the requirement), and if you do this and hand it to them they don't bother looking at anything else in your bag! (a friend who goes to FL a couple times a year confirmed this as well). DH also takes larger bottles - 4oz instead of 3 - and no one has ever batted an eye. This is for the large NY airports; I'm sure it varies from place to place and even from one security person to another. I figure if they make me throw away toiletries it's not a big deal, I can always buy more. I'm just saying that they are much less stringent on the rules now that the urgency seems to have faded on the Gel/liquid scare. DH is a carry-on person because he hates the baggage claim area (as do I) and that's why we avoid it like the plague. As I said, my luggage has gone on waaay too many trips without me, or I without them depending on how you look at it :p (including skis once!). I just don't risk it if I don't have to.
Not true at every airport. The lady behind me had to get out of line to go find a quart sized bag because hers was a 1 gallon and all the bottles over 4 oz were thrown away. At our airport, they aren't kidding - don't press your luck!
One of the strangest things that I had taken from me was a small container of fudge! I believe this was at the Palm Springs, CA airport. I was told that it was "a solid form of a liquid" when I questioned why I couldn't take it. Luckily, it was only a $3.00 portion, but come on!!!
Wouldn't that be an ice cube, not fudge?
In Las Vegas, they wanted to take a snowglobe I bought for my son because it had liquid in it. I felt like a bozo becaue I never even thought about the liquid INSIDE the snowglobe, so I had to ship it home OVERNIGHT so my son was not the only one not getting a souveneir and it cost me like $25. I would have chucked it but I had already overpaid for this huge snowglobe so I just did it. THey said it happens with snowglobes all the time - people just forget.
Weird.
__________________ Lisa 'nosleepmommy'
SU Demonstrator...loving what I do!!
Just wanted to report on the scissors - I had one pair of paper snips (plus various punches) in my bag and no questions or even extra-long pauses for it! I agree, though - don't risk anything you're not okay with losing.
__________________
HeatherB, SU! Sr. Supervisor
Very Attached, Stampin' Mama to 3 Wonderful Boys: Gabriel - 03/02 and Iain - 09/04 and new little Judah - born at home on 9/27/07!
Just a reminder, they will not let you carry on your craft sizzors. They will take them. These have to be checked in and since you need them to cut your stamps for the stamp-a-rama you might think about this.
Dorothy
On the way home I brought my craft and rubber scissors in my purse and they didn't say a thing. I forgot they were in there and so I didn't even take them out to show them I had them. What they DID have a problem with, which makes no sense to me, was I had a gallon sized bag in Denver and they made me take everything out and put it in a smaller bag (they had some there). Dumbest thing ever, since I was carrying sharp deadly scissors, lol. In NY I had no problems with my gallon sized bag, and noticed lots of other ppl had them too. In Denver on the way home they were much stricter about the bags, and actually a bit meaner, which I didn't think was possible! I also had 1 item that was larger than the limit and no one looked at it. They didn't actually look at anything in my bag to check the size, but they did make me take my deodorant out of the ziploc bag. I find it all very odd...
As for the carry-on, people there couldn't believe that was the only luggage I had, but it was perfect. I had the right amount of clothes (even a few I never wore), all my toiletries and shoes, and had plenty of room for my stamp sets, swaps, make and takes, bag, etc. and I never had to wait for my luggage at baggage claim. I highly recommend packing light - it made life soooo much easier!
Last edited by *pamster*; 07-30-2007 at 06:51 AM..
carryon vs. checking suitcase
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