How should I pack these items?
I am packing for a flight from Washington DC (DCA) to Pensacola FL (PNS) and stopping in Charlotte NC (CLT) to switch planes. I am flying economy class. This is only my second time flying in my life, and my first time flying post-9/11 and I know airlines have gotten much more strict on what you can & can't bring on the plane. First of all, I'm packing for a month long vacation and I need to bring a bunch of toiletries (ex. shampoo, hairspray). How should I pack these items? I know to pack them so they won't leak, but is there any regulation on how much I can bring? I will not be packing them in my carry-on bag, just in my regular suitcase. As for my carry-on, to avoid hassle i'm not bringing much. Just one bag, with stuff like my laptop, ipod, and a book or so. Will this be okay? It should all fit on one bookbag. Also, should I expect to have to pay any extra fees for my bags? I'm bringing one suitcase and one carry-on, packing light. They shouldn't be too heavy. Oh and by the way, I'm traveling US Airways. Thanks to anyone who can help! Oh, one other question I mean to ask, am I allowed to put a lock on my suitcase? I saw my roommate had one on hers before her vacation and thought it would be a good idea, but I wanted to make sure. Would they want to unlock it and check what's inside?
Packing & Preparation - 3 Answers
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1 :
when packing your toilet articles, for example take a pair of your underwear and roll the toilet articles inside of them, and continue to roll the toilet articles in your clothing, this way the bottles won't roll or bang into each other. I don't think that you luggage is check when it goes to cargo to be put on the plane, I know mine wasn't when I went to canada. I don't know why you can't have a lock on it. Have a nice vacation.
2 :
You can definetely have a lock on your suitcase, it fact it's recommended. In your hand luggage just remember to not pack any liquids as most airlines now forbid this, if you take any with you you may be asked or forced to chuck these away. Pack your toiletries in plastic bags so that if they do leak they won't damamge any of your clothes, wedge shampoos and other toiletries between clothes. Most airlines allow you to bring your laptop and electrical things on your carry-on bag. You shouldn't have to pay any fees for the carry-on bahg, however if your suitcase goes over the weight they set you will have to pay to be able to take the extra weight. If you are travelling light enough to not reach this weight you should be fine. But just in case check how must the airline charges per kilo of extra weight. P.S I think they only scan your suitcase on those X-ray machines, they don't look inside your suitcase. Hope this helped =)
3 :
If you're flying out of Dulles (IAD), they're going to be much, much stricter than other airports around the country (from my personal experience at least, and since Dulles is my home airport, I fly from there regularly). For your toiletries, put them in your checked bag. Don't bother with the things that are in a compressed container, they'll take them away. Those are things like hairspray and mousse. Better yet, if possible, just buy new products when you get to your destination. It's alot easier to do this rather than worry about them spilling. As far as I know, it doesn't matter how many you have in the bag though. You're allowed to bring two carry-ons, but one is def alot easier. Usually they make you turn on your laptop at security, so make sure you can access it easily. The rest of those things (book, ipod, etc) are fine, you won't have a problem with them. You will have to pay for your bags to be checked. Go to US airways site to find out their rates. Lastly, the lock. Different airlines have different opinions on that, so I would go look at the frequently asked questions on United's site, and if it's not there, there should be some sort of help desk number that you can call and ask. That would be the safest option. Hope that helped!
