Stupid tips to help travellers during the holiday season

[bonniejoy03]

OK.....I am giving myself a "self imposed" stupid traveller award. On our trip back from Chile two weeks ago, I really had admired the "silverware" aboard our flight. I thought it would be neat to have as a souvenir. Welll.....I forgot we had to clear customs from Miami to Philly and went through security with two airplane knives!! I was pulled out of the line and had to identify my "weapons!" How stupid of me! The guy went easy on me but I felt like a stupid first time traveller so.....



TIP 1: Don't forget what you have in your handbag and don't bring silverware!!! (ps-he let me keep the spoons and forks! weo!

[LL_Travelfan]

Hi bonniejoy03,

Something similar happend to us. While we were moving from Paris to Germany this past spring, my husband took possession of our new appartment a day before the furniture arrived while I stayed behind to hand over the Paris appartment. To make things easier with his tight schedule between plane and train, he only took carry on luggage, and I carefully packed a set of our silverware into his luggage so he would have utensils for a day and a half.... Sure enough, security at CDG pulled him aside, made him open his carry on bag and pulled out the knife and fork and dropped them into a bucket of "dangerous items". They left him the spoon. To make a long story short, my husband was not thrilled with me, and we now have an incomplete set of silverware.

[kyshel]

At least I only took the plastic Delta "Widget" salt/pepper shakers, BJ3! (they are so cute!!)
LLTF--your husband was probably lucky--my mom got nearly strip-searched at CDG to manually check her for a pacemaker--75+ yrs old--pre 9/11!!

[kyshel]

and, of course, I've already admitted in my blog about taking my mom's ashes to Africa.

Great thread--this could be big fun!

[exflygirl]

Hikers/Trekkers: If youuse your daypack as your carryon, don't forget to put the swiss army knife in the check luggage.

[bonniejoy03]

Oh and also....if you have saved any food from the airplane (that they gave you) and you are going through customs and they ask if you are carrying food and you say..Yes...this airline sandwich....you will be interogated!!! I got the scarlet "A" on my form and had to go through agricultural check because I couldn't tell them what was in the sandwich!! Stupid!!! Don't save the airplane food!

[LL_Travelfan]

Oh yah the food... One year, coming back from Paris, I had a couple of plates of pre-packaged ready-to-use escargots (snails) put into my luggage. On the way through customs in NYC, I had an agent with a beagle come up to my suite case, and sure enough, the dog was right... The agent pulled me over, confiscated the escargots, and gave me a warning... I guess I got off easy!

[omegaet]

LL_Travelfan....more importantly, the agent (or perhaps the beagle) probably enjoyed your escargots!

[LL_Travelfan]

Hi O,

I wonder, but then, there was a big garbage bin next to their suitcase counter, and they just dropped the "offensive escargots" into that bin. Nedless to say, I was not happy about it....

[Mountie]

Listen, I know these guys go through their garbage bins at the end of each shift....the good stuff goes home with them!