Four Steps To Making Airport Security Simpler
Whether you travel regularly for business, fly a couple of times a year on vacation, or it’s been so long you’ve forgotten what an airplane is, airport security can be tricky. Even though you know you’re not carrying anything remotely suspicious, the appearance of TSA agents, sniffer dogs, and full-body scan machines can be enough to make anyone a little nervous. Remember, security agents are people too, so be polite as it’s imperative for everyone to be cleared by security before take-off.
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Dress For Security Success
Today is not the day to be wearing tons of dangly necklaces, carrying a small handful of pocket change, or wearing a big coat with metal zips and a million pockets. Stick to a fleecy jacket or a hoodie that’s easy to remove, comfortable, and won’t take up too much space on the plane. Wear shoes without long laces, as well as popping socks in an outer pocket if you’re wearing flip flops. Many international airports require the removal of shoes, and the last thing you want is to stand there on your bare feet. Better still, wear socks under cute ballet shoes for women or some leather loafers for men to help speed things up when you arrive at the security desk.
Use Travel Bottles When You Can
Ah yes, the 100 ml or three oz rule applying to all liquids, gels, and pastes in your hand luggage, as well as the resealable plastic bag you must put them in! For guys it’s relatively straight forward: drink the water before the checkpoint, put all your other stuff in your suitcase, and go ahead. However, women tend to like carrying makeup – at least lip balm and moisturiser – on a flight, so to reduce the hassle of digging around in your bag at the last minute, buy some travel bottles. These are reusable, cheap plastic bottles that are travel-sized and designed for use on holiday. If you want to avoid any questions about your liquid liner, label everything neatly and keep all your items in a see-through plastic Ziploc bag. That should help reduce any delay.
Have All Your Documentation Ready
For some reason, as soon as we reach passport control and security, our passport, boarding pass, itinerary, and any other official paperwork like to play hide-and-seek. Avoid holding up the queue by buying yourself a large passport wallet or travel document case, and keeping it somewhere safe like the inner pocket of your carry-on. When you reach the designated area, you can just take out the folder, and everything will be neatly organised. Remember, you need to check ahead of time that your visa is correct. For example, if you’re visiting America go to https://www.official-esta.com, and note that your passport must be valid for at least six months.
It’s A Flight, Not The Vacation
Do you need the entire works of J K Rowling with you? If your flight is short-haul, take the bare minimum, e.g. your phone, a magazine, and maybe some snacks. For longer trips you can take more tech, maybe an extra blanket and a couple more books, but don’t worry too much: there should be in-flight entertainment, and you can also try getting some good old-fashioned sleep!
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