I did some reading on TSA's website, and also for the website of the airline that I'm taking across the pond (IN 33 DAYS!!!!) and I'm starting to get nervous. They don't charge for the first checked bag (good) but they do for a second bag (that's okay, I think.) but it has to be a certain dimension... it can't be above a certain weight.... I don't own a scale. How the hell am I supposed to know if I packed too much crap!
And! All my toiletries must fit in a clear bag 8.5" by 11"? I'm sorry.... have you SEEN my bathroom? I use a variety of face washes, makeup remover, a serum, moisturizer, eye cream, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and I'm sure I've forgotten something....and you expect me to fit this into something the size of a piece of paper? HA!!!
I'm also worried about my knitting. I think I've decided that going over, I don't want to work on a project on the plane because I WANT TO SLEEP (unisom, be my friend). I leave at 7pm, and land at 7am... but it'll still be 2am at home. Seven hour flight, 5 hour time difference. So I figure if I sleep for 7 hours on the plane... I'll be good to go. I'm also afraid that they'll take my knitting! While knitting needles are TSA approved, there are many a story of projects being confiscated. There is even this facebook group called "Is this your knitting?" of a very nice person who found this lovely half-knitted sweater in the lost-and-found at an Alabama airport, and is trying to use the power of the internets and ravelry to find its owner. What if that happened to me? That would suck! I would cry! So methinks I will check a bag (since I get one free--yay!) and put my knitting in there. I'll probably still have a carry-on bag (probably my Namaste Hermosa Bag which is the LARGEST KNITTING BAG/PURSE EVER.
I am a bit nervous about flying, though...
4 comments:
As far as your liquids go, unless things have changed in the last year, they only place restrictions on the liquids in your carry-on. I don't think there are restrictions for liquids in your checked baggage. I hope you have a great time!!
I think the limit on baggage is 50 lbs. You can go over, you just have to pay for it. Not sure what the costs are though.
Go to the drug store and buy those small travel bottles, and put shampoo, conditioner, etc in those. Get a little travel tube of toothpaste. Remember you can also use Col's stuff! Make sure everything is in freezer bags... that crap like to expand and leak at 35,000 feet. Toss in a few extra bags for the ride home in case anything did leak on the trip over.
Heeeey I am late but I can answer some of these questions! (whatever, I get a backlog and then read, and I can't sleep. )
Knitting: Either knit on the way over and then bring it back in the suitcase, or leave it in the suitcase (checked baggage) both ways. Generally the US is ok--though if you can I'd take cheapo needles and one of your loose cables/a piece of yarn with a needle to put the stitches on. You can also bring a printout of the "needles are totes ok" section of the TSA website. Or a self-addressed stamped priority mail or whatever thing, I think they have to mail things for you if you can't bring them on. But I have flown all over the US and to Europe with knitting and not had a problem. However, on the way back, don't keep it in the carry-on because the UK is WAY more hyper about it than the US. (and yes, I know Ireland is not in the UK but you know what I mean.)
Toiletries: as kRoseS said, that's only for your carry-on, and you don't really need to bring much in there. (and it can only be 3 oz anyway) Chapstick, hand lotion, lip gloss, eye drops (BRING EYE DROPS IT'S A LONG FLIGHT), whatever. Leave the rest in the suitcase and if worst comes to worst you can use Colleen's. Freezer bags for in the luggage, totally. (unless you have a waterproof/leakproof makeup bag.) Plus, surprisingly enough, they do in fact have shampoo and toothpaste in Ireland. (I know, right?)
NOTE: bring at least one outfit in your carry-on. And extra underwear, because while wearing someone else's clothes (or new clothes) is one thing, wearing someone else's underwear is another thing all together.
Also: gum and earplugs. Depending on the airline they might give you some! British Air gives you a fancy little bag with an eye mask and socks (so you can take your shoes off? I have not figured that one out yet) and ear plugs. And a pen and paper.
Um, I own a scale, you can use that. Also, the charge is generally $50 for an overweight checked bag. Also also: flying out of the US you can generally have a carry-on and a purse/laptop bag/whatever, but last time on the way back they made us have one carry-on only, so I'd be prepared for that. (if you're going to bring 2 over.)
Also also also: Nutella and jelly/jam will both be confiscated because clearly you're going to be blowing up the plane with them. So anything like that, put in your checked baggage. And, what we do is pack a duffel in the checked baggage in case we have so many souvenirs (read: tons of yarn) that it won't fit in our suitcases and we want to check another bag.
And now that I have imparted just a tiny fraction of my mother's travel wisdom, I can go to bed.
PS tl;dr, I know.
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