Avoid Disaster: What NOT to Pack in Your Checked Baggage!

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🔖 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

00:00 - Introduction to What Not to Pack in Checked Baggage
01:27 - Know Before You Go
02:04 - Aerosol Alert
03:08 - Unexpected Fire Risks
03:58 - Explosive Banned Items
04:52 - Flying with Firearms
05:06 - Battery Warnings
07:00 - Oddly Banned Items
08:41 - Must-Carry Valuables

#travelhacks #packingtips #banneditems #luggagerules #travelessentials

____________________
Greetings! I'm Nora Dunn, aka The Professional Hobo. I've been a digital nomad since 2006. I help people design their lifestyles and arrange their affairs so they can travel long term while working remotely. (I also have a ton of crazy travel tales to share from almost two decades of lifestyle travel).

And let's connect on my other social channels!

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[NoraDunn]

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📺 RELATED VIDEOS 📺

[amycarr]

Just a note about jewelry, I had to transport my mother’s jewelry home due to her dementia. 5 bags of it and the TSA officer had to go through it at 5 am. He was obviously anxious about all the valuables he was dumping out. I learned to pack jewelry in a see through bag, usually one slightly tinted so the officer can easily see the contents but another person would have problems seeing it. It has prevented other incidents of extremely valuable items being dumped out.

[Cloudancer]

Great video! The only thing I will add is that TSA and their foreign equivalents can be arbitrary at times, and will sometimes disallow an item that an airline says is allowable. For example, I traveled for years with a travel iron (yes, I'm one of those people!), but on a trip from Mexico to the U.S. a couple years ago, they disallowed it, and I had to check my bag. I wrote a complaint letter to American Airlines, and they refunded the checked-bag cost, but it was a hassle.

A few years ago on a flight from Madrid to London, tubes of lipstick were not allowed, and the agents announced that anyone with a tube of lipstick had to either discard it or check their bag. I've never had that happen before or since. I also used to bring a collapsible travel teapot in my carry-on, which is allowable according to the TSA website. However, after getting pulled out of line, questioned, and a TSA supervisor called over, I no longer do so.

In Guatemala City I had a screener confiscate my small roll of masking tape. I always travel with it, through many U.S. cities and many different countries including Guatemala, but that was the only time they cIaimed it was prohibited. I also travel with a pair of cheap children's scissors from the dollar store. Sometimes they get confiscated, sometimes they don't, even though they meet the TSA requirements of being less than 4" long.

So just be aware that even when you follow the rules, you may still get an allowable item confiscated. It's not right, but it happens.

[allenahale]

Years ago, shortly after 9-11, I was leaving JFK for Asia. I carry my camera equipment in a common backpack. Going through TSA, I was asked what I had in the backpack, I promptly replied "a camera, two lenses and two flash guns" The young TSA man's eyes just about popped out of his head! Seeing his reaction, I got excited and quickly explained what "flash guns" are. Being much older than him, I had inadvertently used a 1950s, 1960's term for "speedlights", "camera flashes", or "speedlites". The situation was defused, and after inspecting the bag's contents, I was allowed to proceed. Lesson learned - be sensitive to how you describe or declare the contents of your carry on baggage. LOL

[Mr.DJones]

Thank you for your time and posting. OMG. I think it is hysterical with all the stuff that is not allowed, only allowed in checked, only allowed on carry-on, allowed only in special containers, quart-size bags, AND each airline is different. Hysterical, but I think it is hysterical because I don't fly very much. Going to Vietnam in October to maybe retire there. Thanks again for all your work.

[fosteringleaders]

I was called to security in a domestic flight in China, screamed at, with my checked luggage opened, and barely let on the plane, all because of a small bottle of dry shampoo spray. That was 9 years ago and now I pack powder dry shampoo.

[debraedwards]

What always surprises me when checking luggage-- is they ask "any lithium batteries"-- I say yes, my AirTag. Always seems to be a bit of confusion before I'm told okay. I never hear/read about anyone discussing this.

[lizcademy]

On my last trip to visit my brother (computer wizard) I packed a broken laptop in my checked luggage. I wanted the files on its hard disc, and he could extract them. I also had my current laptop, tablet and phone.

I packed the broken laptop in checked luggage, AFTER I removed the battery. [The battery went in my personal item.] I expected my checked bag to be inspected, so I packed the laptop where TSA could see it without disturbing my clothing, with the open and empty battery compartment facing up.

My bag was inspected. Nothing was disturbed, and they left a note saying it was inspected. We got my files, and I left the broken laptop with my brother, so had no worries on the flight home.

The take-aways is, if you're packing a questionable item, expect your bag to be opened and inspected, so pack to make things easy on TSA. *Don't* try to break the rules!

[well-blazeredman]

Darn, that's the Segway coming off my packing-list.
Very interesting video.

[IzzyOnTheMove]

I once flew a live african violet in cabin (not sure if that was legal, it was hidden in a box). I was moving from Quebec to Vancouver and the plants had been my mother and survived her 7 years. It made it there in one piece but did not survive my 17 year old non green thumbs 😆I'm planning to fly some of my dad's ashes to Squamish next summer and since one of my carry ons is my cat, I'll have to pack efficiently.

[DallasNatureLover]

PRESCRIPTION MEDS - never put them in a checked bag! I know a Dr who did this. Bag was lost for days.

[jonweigand]

Medical equipment might need some extra scrutiny or notifying the airline earlier. CPAP/APAP machines are apparantly allowed on the aircraft and not counted as carry-on. Haven't tried that one yet, but time will tell.

[MuckoJumbie]

Many thanks to you Nora ! My recent return from a trip to Panama went off without a hitch, other than horrible problems with the "Friendly Skies", thanks to watching your videos & following your advice. Many Thanks !

[Reed-big]

My carry on is all medical equipment. If I have to check it it would be empty! Of course since it’s a soft bag, it could then go in the emergency backpack😱😂

[JenB.]

I got stopped once because I had preserved butterflies. They were professionally framed so the tsa had no idea how to full inspect them. They called in a lot of coworkers to see them because they were so unique. They were my entire carryon that trip because we had expected questions.

[artking]

Thanks for all the helpful tips. First time traveling in over 15 years and things have changed.

[IzzyOnTheMove]

Nail polish is considered flamable and have to be in carry-on. Hey, my vials of ILNP I consider valuables anyway 💅

[deniseyoung]

Great hints on what to look for. It is much better to be prepared!

Recently I had my husband's wedding ring in my little jewelry pouch. His fingers swelled, so he took it off. He spent the flight worried that the airline was going to lose our checked bag and his wedding ring. I assured him that jewelry is always with me on the plane!

[charlenenagel]

Thanks Nora, very helpful! How does this battery info apply to the air tags or tiles that we are encouraged to put in our checked bags?

[thatswhatisaidCA]

This all makes sense thank you. Husband and I are going international for his hockey trip (plays). I hope we can figure out to take his equipment with us (and no one goes through it and steals an item)!