About Airport Security

In the modern day, traveling by airplane can be a tricky
business. With all the new security regulations since the 9/11,
attack the rules and regulations frequently change. It is
important to know what the rules are before you travel, but
there is so much confusion it is hard to know what is and is not
allowed. Let's make the rules a little clearer and try to cut
through the confusion.

There has been a lot of fuss in the news about liquids and gels
in carry on bags, so lets start with these products. There is a
three ounce rule concerning gels, liquids, and aerosols in your
carry on luggage. Any person who has a baby or small child is
not limited to the three ounce rule for liquids concerning baby
formula or breast milk, but the container must be screened and
examined. Another exception to the rule is medications, whether
prescribed or over the counter. The three ounce rule applies to
all of these items that are not exceptions. The bottles must not
be larger than necessary to hold three ounces. This means no six
ounce containers that are only half full. No rolled up
toothpaste tubes are allowed either. All of these containers
must be placed in one single zipper lock quart clear plastic
bag.. It must be quart size, no gallon or pint sizes will be
allowed. The bag also must have a zipper lock, no fold over top
bags will be allowed through. For items that meet the exception
rule, they must be kept separate from the items in the clear
plastic bag, and declared to the security officers. The
exception applies to necessary and reasonable limits that are
only needed during the duration of your travel.

Lighters and matches are another big news item. Lighters with or
without fluid are never allowed on your person or in your carry
on luggage. It does not matter if the lighter is a refillable
Zippo or a throw away disposable, lighters are not allowed in
the passenger compartment of an airplane. Lighters are allowed
in your checked luggage, however there are some exceptions.

There is no limit to the number of unfilled, or unfueled,
lighters that are allowed in your checked baggage. You are
allowed two fueled Zippo lighters in your checked luggage if
they are in an approved Department of Transportation, or DOT,
case. If you are not sure whether you can bring a lighter, it is
better not to bring it. The airline security can not return
prohibited items and must dispose of them.

About the author:
James Brown writes about href="http://www.travelluggagebags.com/Coupons/Luggage%20OnLine.h
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7 Ways To Keep You and Your Children Stress Free When Traveling

When traveling with children, you must Plan Before You Stand!

When you dress your children for travel, remind yourself that
they too need to wear clothes with little or no metal. Overalls
will alarm. Small children will be asked to remove their shoes,
so have them wear slip on shoes.

If your child is traveling alone, parents are allowed to walk
them to the gate with an escort pass from the airlines. Just
show your escort pass to the metal detector screener. Ask for a
supervisor if the screener questions the pass.

Primary screening is hard enough for children, especially if the
screener requests the parents to divest the child's security
blanket or favorite stuffed animal. Children don't understand
why; all they know is that something they treasure and love has
been stripped away from their tiny hands, and now they are
upset. By this time they are pitching a fit. They are in the
middle of a breakdown. As the child throws a tantrum, the parent
is trying to get him or her to walk through the metal detector.
The child just stands there and cries. At this point they pick
up their child and walk through together. They both alarm. They
go back and check to make sure that all of their metal items
have been divested, and they walk through again. They alarm
again. Now there is a bigger problem as they are both required
to go to secondary screening, and the child is even more upset.
The crying turns into screaming.

Remember the child started crying at the metal detector and now
is in secondary screening. They both alarmed, so the parent
holding the child has to be screened too. You cannot pass the
child off to the other parent until both child and parent have
been cleared.

I have seen three things happen when a child is screaming at the
top of his or her lungs. One is that the parent and the child go
into private screening, which enables the child to calm down in
a private place. The second is that the parent allows the child
to scream while the screener performs secondary screening on the
child. At this moment, the child usually starts to hit the
screener. The third is the parent calms the child down first and
screening begins. Ideally, private screening would be the
perfect place for an over stimulated child to calm down. This is
not the appropriate place for a timeout.

In every case, the screener should clear the child first. Then
the child can sit in his or her stroller and recover from such a
dramatic experience while the parent is cleared. Some children
don't have a problem with undergoing secondary screening, even
if they don't understand what's going on. The reason is
collaboration between the parents and the screener. A parent
must be present in order to conduct secondary screening on your
child (under 18 years old). The parent will need to explain the
process to their child, and if the child is too young, it is up
to the parent to ease the child's fear of the process.

Strollers, car seats, and baby carriers in any form must go
through x-ray.

TIPS

1. An infant will either have his or her own boarding pass or
there will be a stamp on one of the parent's boarding passes.
Check your tickets before leaving the ticket counter.

2. Carry your baby or small child through the metal detector to
avoid stress.

3. Make sure your children are not placing their hands on or
near any part of the x-ray belt to avoid injury.

4. Once you are through the metal detector, pick up your items
and move down. Leave room for others to come through too.

5. Place all carry-on items, including baby blankets, toys, and
food, in a bin or bag.

6. When going through the maze (roped area leading to the x-ray
machine) keep your children close to you. This is for safety and
security reasons.

7. Ask the airlines for an escort pass if your child (under 18)
is traveling alone.

About the author:
Natalia Ippolito, a former airport screener and author of: I
MIGHT AS WELL BE NAKED: How to Survive Airport Screening With
Your Clothes On.

Receive her FREE Tip of The Week, Sample Chapter Ultimate
Packing List or Unknown Violations and Fines Report at
http://www.airportbook.com

5 Must Know Tips For Parents Traveling With Children At The

It takes a lot of time and energy to get through airport
security screening. Add to that traveling with small children
and the stress of toting all the extra bags, it is a major
challenge. As a former TSA Security screener, I saw my share of
overstressed parents and very confused children.

My first week on the job as an airport security screener, I was
at the Walk Through Metal Detector (WTMD). A family of five
approached the divesting table. Mom and Dad were no doubt
stressed out. Dad tells his four and six-year-old to walk
through the WTMD. Dad goes next and alarms. I stop Dad and tell
him to divest all metal and walk through again. In the meantime,
the kids are running around having a ball, and Dad is
frantically yelling for them to come back. The kids ignore dad.
Dad walks through and alarms again. Now he is required to go
through secondary screening. I have never seen a man turn that
shade of red before. In the meantime, Mom is desperately trying
to collapse the stroller while holding the baby and taking off
her shoes at the same time. Dad is yelling at Mom to hurry
because he is stuck in secondary screening and the boys are
still running around. I hope that those parents learned
something that day. I know I did.

First of all, Dad and Mom should have controlled their family by
keeping the kids between them. Dad holds the baby so Mom can
take off her shoes and then he gives back the baby to Mom. Dad
collapses the stroller and places it on the x-ray belt with all
the bags and bins, and walks through first while Mom watches the
kids. After Dad gets through, one by one the kids go through.
Finally, Mom and baby go through together. See how easy that
could have been?

After witnessing this family's circus act, I decided I would
teach passengers how to make the process a pleasant experience.
It is the parents responsibility to control their children and
for the children to listen to their parents; however, we know
this is not the case some of the time. I had a bird's eye view
of how things needed to be orchestrated, and from that day on, I
took command of the WTMD. After that day, passengers had no
problems walking through with me there guiding them.

On another day, I witnessed a young couple make a big mistake by
allowing their three-year-old to walk through the WTMD by
himself. First, the child stops and starts to walk, which is
incorrect. You must walk through without stopping. Second, the
child teeters and holds onto the side of the metal detector, and
now the child has alarmed. Don't allow this at the WTMD. Carry
your young children; it is easier for everyone involved.

1. Prepare you children in advance. They will need to divest all
of their toys, dolls, or security blankets for screening.

2. Expect the screener to require everyone to remove his or her
shoes (think slip-ons).

3. Collapse your stroller and place it on the x-ray belt.
Parents help each other out. It helps to buy a stroller that
will collapse at a touch of a button.

4. One adult should walk through the metal detector first, then
the children. Follow this order to keep the family unit together.

5. Carry your child if he or she will not follow your directions
or is upset (remember that children do not understand what is
going on).

About the author:
Natalia Ippolito, a former airport screener and author of: I
MIGHT AS WELL BE NAKED: How to Survive Airport Screening With
Your Clothes On.

Receive her FREE Tip of The Week, Sample Chapter Ultimate
Packing List or Unknown Violations and Fines Report at
http://www.airportbook.com

Lets Go To Mexico - 5 Great Mexico Vacation Destinations

So your finally going on that oft dreamt about vacation and your
destination is....Mexico, ole'! The allure of Mexico is
appealing for many reasons. You have the acient ruins of the
Mayan temples, the big city life of Mexico City, and let's not
forget the beaches!

Mexico is known for its fabulous resorts and luxurious beaches
with a dash of fantastic night life. Spring breakers have known
this for years and often decide to go back, albeit on a much
tamer vacation then when they drank tequila from a stranger's
shoe for a tee shirt. Mexico hosts a wide range of natural
wonders that appeal to many of those that want to explore
outside their home countries. You have mountains, volcanoes, and
sea life that can't be found anywhere outside of the waters of
Mexico.

Some of the more traveled Mexican destinations include Acapulco,
Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cozumel.

Acapulco is rated as one of the top tourist attractions in the
world. It is also Mexico's largest beach resort. It is home to
some of the world's finest hotels, as well as miles of beautiful
white sandy beaches. As in most tropical climes, Acapulco offers
a wide range of water activities such as snorkeling, deep sea
fishing, and scuba diving. If you are going for the golfing then
you won't be disappointed as Acapulco has fantastic courses with
a wide range of difficulty for all players.

You can rent a boat and sail the coast for a long weekend or
even a daily excursion. Acapulco is also a great family vacation
center and you can't be the romantic getaways. Most of the
hotels offer an all-inclusive package for couples and families
at fantastic prices!

Cancun, what can you say about Cancun? It is one of the world's
most famous resort destinations. Cancun has grown into a large
city and one of the world's most popular vacation getaways. When
looking for a vacation destination most people consider Cancun
as their top pick for its great nightlife, access to the Mayan
ruins, a theme park within a half hour drive, and the fantastic
resorts and beaches.

Puerto Vallarta is another Mexican treasure. It is without
question a tropical paradise. Like Cancun, there is plenty to
local historical sites for the history buff in you. Book
yourself a guided tour to see the Sierra Madre Mountains and
take in some of the most exotic wildlife you could ever see on a
tour. Fishing, sunning, and scuba diving are great ways to pass
the time during the day and plenty of bars and nightclubs to
dance the night away.

Another popular past time of Puerto Vallarta is the shopping.
You will love perusing the many high end boutiques as well as
the local craft booths that make up the shopping district.

Mazatlan is THE destination to visit if you are going to Mexico
for the fishing as one of the world's greatest ports. The waters
are known as being the perfect depth and temperature for
fishing. Some of the other popular activities available in and
around Mazatlan include surfing, tennis, golf, and fishing.

It is also known for the malecón. The malecón is a long winding
stretch that runs through nearly the entire city and covers
roughly five miles of beach. Mazatlan is also home to a Mardi
Gras type festival that is held before Ash Wednesday and lasts
for five days. Cozumel is Mexico's most populated island. It is
a popular attraction for snorkeling or scuba diving. Cozumel has
some of the most beautiful coral reefs you could ever imagine.

Without question Mexico is one of the best travel destinations
worldwide. It does not matter if you prefer to swing in a
hammock while waiting for your next buffet to begin or climbing
the steps of the Mayan ruins, get out and live life like you
mean it!

About the author:
Darren Slaughter writes for http://www.mexicovacationideas.com