Travel Tips: How To Pack and Fly Like a Pro

Watch your liquids... If you are traveling through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, you definitely need to keep your liquids in travel size and in a ziploc. And don't buy any duty-free liquids to take on the plane with you. They will dump everything that you just bought in duty-free (as well as full sizes tube of facial wash and moisturizer--6 oz. each). In our case, my two daughters lost their brand new facial wash and moisturizer, as a result of just not thinking in the last minute rush to get out the door to catch our flight. (I mean, I knew we weren't supposed to pack more than travel size liquids in a carry-on, but wasn't thinking when the girls put it in their backpacks. We went through multiple security checks in the US in two airports and no one mentioned the liquids until Amsterdam.) Other passengers lost their booze that they had just purchased after clearing what they thought was the last security check. You have to go through a final security check that is the most brutal of the whole trip. I'm not sure why they allow duty-free shopping when the security women (the guys were much nicer) are just going to throw it in a huge trash bin. Those passengers were very upset at the waste.

I suggest dressing in comfy--yet not sloppy--clothes so you don't have to deal with taking your belt/jewelry off through security, and so you're comfortable.

Loosen up your laces before you get to security if you have to take your shoes off. Or wear slip-ons.

Pack baby/face wipes in case you have to give yourself a cat bath. Also, throw in a pair of clean undies in your carry on if you're checking all your other stuff. This has come in handy when my flights have been delayed.

If you don't want to use the crappy airline headphones (this is more for long flights that actually provide headphones), buy an airline headphone adapter. They're like $5 and if you have good headphones, the audio sounds way better!

Also, I recently learned that contact lens solution bottles, the really big ones, are excluded from the 100ml limit. In Indonesia, at least.

Re international travel - familiarize yourself with carry-on measurements. They are different (I think smaller?) for international travel. I also find that they are much more strict with weight restrictions on international flights.

Depending on what country you are in, just be calm and listen to what they are telling you. I've had shoes on, shoes off, shoes-on-wait-you-are-flying-to-America-?-take-your-shoes-off. In France, they made us take every piece of electronic equipment out of the carry on and put it in a tray on the belt. This included watches, cameras, cell phones, everything.

Also know that if you are flying international back to the US, you have a good chance that the airline will require secondary screening on the jetway or at the gate. In addition, a lot of countries do security by having someone ask you questions about your trip or your luggage at check-in. They don't actually care where you got your camera, they are just evaluating your reactions to questions.

Always always always carry a copy of your printed airline itinerary. I learned this when flying to the Middle East earlier this year. In Egypt, you have to go through security screening before the ticket counter. You must have a printed confirmation in order to go through screening. If you have an e-ticket (like everyone does these days), you must have a printout of your itinerary. It's always good to have this just in case!

1. I'm not convinced traveling with a scale is the way to go. Don't pack so close to the limit that you'd need the scale in the first place, and leave it at home, imho. 2. I get this next one from a non-blogging friend, so I'm taking credit: Bring your crummiest clothes when traveling, and trash them as you pick up new stuff to fill your suitcase(s). I'd add, instead of actually trashing them, donate what is still wearable (quality-wise) in the area you are visiting. I'm definitely going to travel with my crummiest underwear from now on. 3. Wear your more voluminous articles of clothing and pack the lighter (eg, wear your sneakers and pack your flipflops). Wearing flipflops because it's easier to get through security isn't worth it. 4. No matter what your boarding group number, expect to have to check at the last minute, and make sure your essentials (like medicines) are in your purse/laptop bag.

I so agree, justlinda! If you are familiar with the rules and understand that this is how it is going to be, you will get through security quickly and with fewer frustrations!

Oh and that whole keeping stuff in your carry-on? I was in a hurry and didn't do that on my last trip. I had just the clothes on my back for 3 days while my suitcase sat in Chicago b/c of the hurricane!

I travel for work a lot too and I found myself nodding along. I can manage a carry-on when I travel for 5 days. One thing I do is to plan my wardrobe for 1 shoe color - so next week, I will wear my black work shoes every day. Shoes can take up a lot of room so I minimize by coordinating better. For the love of guacamole, before you fly familiarize yourself with the security rules. Have your liquids in 3 ounce bottles, all within a 1 quart bag. As you wait in line, take out your laptop and your liquids and slip off your shoes. If people would be more efficient approaching the scanning station, we would all get through more quickly! If you're checking luggage, don't put valuables in. Keep medications and a change of underwear in your carry-on bag just in case your luggage gets lost (it happens!) and once you pass through security, you may want to grab a bottle of water for your bag.

Great, informative post. I travel internationally all the time - mostly to developing countries, and so must always pack the kitchen sink. This means that traveling with only a carry-on is a distant dream for me; there's no escaping having to check in some luggage. My tips for this are: 1. make sure you have TSA-approved locks on your checked-in bags, and make sure you have the ones that change color to let you know when your lock has been opened. In the event that anything is missing, you will have proof that your bag was opened by airport personnel. 2. check in only the sturdied luggage, as standards of luggage handling vary exponentially in different countries (i.e. in some countries, if your luggage pops open, you will never see that piece of luggage or anything in it ever again!). 3. make sure your i.d. tags have your contact info in both English, and in the language of the country you are traveling to.

Happy trails!