East Coast Trip - Airport security

If you travel regularly, you know that getting through airport security takes time. Combine this with getting 49 students and adults all through all together, and it becomes a challenge.  However, with some advanced planning and smart decisions, we can all get through quickly and easily. Here are some tips for our travelers:

Photo ID – I will require all students to turn in their Rio Norte student ID at the predeparture meeting on 3/24. Sometimes the airport checks IDs on our kids, and other times they don't, but I don't want to take any chances. If you will need your ID to use a debit or credit card, just let me know and I will give it to your during the trip. Just keep it safe and prepare to give it back to me for the flight home. All adults will definitely need government-issued photo ID, and I will not carry it for you (to Mrs. Ippolito: OK, honey, I'll carry your ID for you).

Reduce your metal – Try to wear as little metal as possible on the night we fly out. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and even clothing with metal accessories attached to them always have the potential to set off the system (metal-rimmed eyeglasses are OK). Boys, if you're into those big skater belt buckles (they were really popular a couple years ago), leave them at home. Finally, any other objects (watch, camera, cell phone, iPod, coins) that could activate the metal detector should be placed in your carry-on bag. Do this in advance so you're not scrambling at the last minute. The only things that should be on your person, in your hand, or in your pockets as you walk through security should be your boarding pass. You MUST have this with you when you walk through security.

Smart shoes – The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will require you to take off your shoes and place them in a bin to be scanned. Make sure to wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on (no double or triple knots in your laces), but keep in mind these will also be the same shoes you will wear throughout much of our first day in New York City (sandals would be bad). Comfy shoes like UGGs might be a great choice, for example.

Sweatshirts, jackets, and hoodies – If your outer layer is one that can be easily shed (zip-up hoodie or jacket), be prepared. TSA will probably ask you to remove it, place it in a bin, and run it through the scanner. If it's a pull-over sweater or sweatshirt, they generally will let you leave it on.

Quart-size bags – If you're toting tons of electronics with you (iPod, iPod charger, travel alarm clock, cell phone, cell phone charger, headphones) all in your carry-on, it may look like you're carrying some sort of explosive triggering device. Make your life and the life of your TSA screener easier by grouping these items into quart-size storage bags. I'm partial to the quart-size freezer bags from Target because they're a little sturdier, but still a good price. If the TSA screener has to open your bag and go through your stuff, it will be easy for him to see you have nothing suspicious. Plus, it will be easier for you to find your stuff later without cords getting all tangled up.

Avoid liquids – In the TSA 3-1-1 guide you received in the mail from USA, it talks about the rule for bringing liquids in your carry-on.  As I mentioned in my last e-mail, I'm not bringing ANY liquids in my carry-on luggage. All my hair gel, toothpaste, shampoo, acne cream (OK, well I don't use this any more, but you might), goes into my toiletry bag in my checked luggage. Why do you need hair gel at 30,000 feet? These guidelines are mostly geared to overnight travelers who pack everything into their carry-on, and that's not us.  Ooh, and I have one more tip for you. You know you can't bring bottled water through airport security, right? But, Mr. Ippolito has been bugging you (and will continue to bug you) about staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water, right? Try this: pack an EMPTY water bottle in your carry-on bag. Once we get through security and we're just hanging out in the terminal waiting to board the plane, go fill up your bottle at the drinking fountain.

Finally, there are tons of other prohibited items that I'm not going into, but most of these are common sense. Here's a good rule: if it's not allowed at school, it's probably not allowed on a plane. OK, that's it for this week's e-mail. In my next e-mail, I will remind you of everything you need to bring to the predeparture meeting on 3/24. Take-off is just over two weeks away! Woo-hoo!

RVI