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“You are only allowed one plastic bag of liquids and creams,” the man at security told me. “And it must be able to close.”
“Are you serious?” I asked him, with a bit of annoyance and disgust.
Poor guy. He was only doing his job to keep me and the rest of the world safe.
Recently, while visiting my son, Robert, at his university in England—on the other side of the world, he asked me if I could help him organize his dorm room. Oh yes, Mom was there, and he wanted to take full advantage of having her there to help. He also opened his closet to show me at least 10 shirts that he needed me to iron. Great!
It was raining outside. We had enjoyed our day together, and now we were back in his dorm room watching his favorite soccer team—Marseille—play on his computer. We would sort through his clothes and things while watching, and then order in KFC for dinner. It was our last night together.
An Extra Suitcase
We proceeded to pack up an entire extra-large suitcase full of clothes, medicines, and other odds and ends that Robert no longer wanted and needed at school. He kindly asked me if I could take it back home for him.
I only had my carry-on and backpack with me. My airline ticket included a checked piece of luggage, so why not?
Oh, the love of a mother and what she will do for her child!
During the next few days, I was traveling in England for a work conference. I would have to haul Robert’s heavy suitcase in ubers, taxis, trains, buses, and planes to get it back home to Spain.
Before taking my return flight from London Heathrow Airport, I noticed that Robert’s suitcase was slightly overweight—25 kilos. There was a 23 kilo limit.
23 Kilo Limit!
I was heading from my hotel room to a taxi, on my way to the local bus station. From there, I would take a bus to the airport to board my plane back home. On the way, I quickly grabbed Robert’s toiletry bag from the suitcase and stuffed it in my already-very-heavy backpack. I quickly checked to make sure that all of his colognes and medicines were under the 100 ml limit allowed in carry-ons. They all passed the test, so I hurried along.
After multiple modes of public transportation, I arrived at the Iberia ticket counter to check in for my flight and to relieve myself of Robert’s giant suitcase. The weight was good. All was well as I proceeded to security.
Upon arrival, I heard the usual, “Please remove any computers, devices, liquids, gels, and creams.”
I removed my computer from its case, my empty Contigo—the best metal water thermos in the world—my toothbrush and toothpaste, my make-up bag, and Robert’s toiletry bag from my backpack. Placing them all in the bin, I asked the security agent if I needed to put all the liquids in a plastic bag.
Keep Your Mouth Closed!
I should have just shut up!
“Yes,” she replied and handed me a clear plastic bag with a ziplock.
I carefully dumped out all of Robert’s toiletry bag into the bin and began to place the colognes, medicines, and creams into the plastic ziplock bag.
“Those are not all going to fit in,” she said to me.
“Could I please have another bag?” I asked kindly.
“No, you are only allowed one ziplock bag per person. All items must fit in the bag, and the bag has to close.”
Is That a Rule?
“I have never heard that rule,” I said to the lady.
Another security officer came up behind me and told me that I would never be able to fit everything in the bag. I would have to leave some things behind.
“Thanks for the encouragement,” I thought to myself.
Another agent walked up to me and whispered, “Remove all the lids of the perfumes and creams, and you can fit more in the bag.”
“Great! Thanks for the tip,” I replied with gratitude.
Thankfully, I had more than two hours before my flight, so I had plenty of time to figure out the puzzle of how many colognes and creams I could squeeze into one CLOSED plastic bag.
I managed to get everything into the bag, but it was not closed. It was gaping open, but I figured the man behind the security screen probably wouldn’t notice. I placed it against the side of the security bin so that nothing would fall out.
It Looks Closed!
It looked closed to me, and hopefully the camera would give the same angle.
I didn’t remove my boots—another big mistake—so the buzzer rang as I walked through the security portal.
The agent motioned for me to walk into the additional security tunnel, place my feet on the “feet stickers” on the ground, raise my arms above my head, and to wait patiently to see if I was “all clear.”
He then motioned for me to walk over to his female colleague—a kind veiled woman—who patted me down from head to toe. She then released me.
I was almost through . . . almost.
I saw my bin of liquids and gels on the “wrong side” of the security belt. It had been “tagged” and would need to be searched.
“Great,” I thought. “What now?”
Who Does This Belong to?
“Who does this belong to?” the man questioned several of us.
“It’s mine,” I said and walked over to him.
“Love, you have too many liquids. You are only allowed one plastic bag per person,” he said kindly. (Remember: “Love” means “Dear” in British English. The security agent was not flirting with me.)
“Are you serious?” I said to him with an annoyed tone.
It wasn’t his fault. He was just doing his job, following the rules, and trying to keep me and the rest of the world safe.
“Why does it matter?” I asked him. “All of my liquids and creams are under the 100 ml limit.”
“It’s the rule, only one plastic bag per person,” he replied. “Are you traveling with a friend? They could take some of your liquids.” he said.
“No, I’m traveling alone,” I told him.
“We can mail them to you,” he suggested.
“At what price?” I said jokingly.
The agent proceeded to give me a new bag and then helped me to decide what to keep and what to discard. I managed to selectively throw out a hand gel, toothpaste, an almost-empty bottle of cologne, and a half-full bottle of cologne, a few nose sprays, and an anti-inflammatory cream.
The bag barely closed, but it finally did. Whew!
Why Isn’t This Posted?!
“It would be nice if this rule was posted on signs when people are checking in their luggage,” I told the security officer. “I could have placed my toiletry bag in my suitcase. I knew that 100 ml was the maximum volume for liquids and creams, but I didn’t know that a person was only allowed ONE CLOSED plastic bag of items.”
In all my years of traveling around the world, I had missed this one. Then again, I have never traveled with so many liquids in my carry-on. I guess it’s never really been an issue before.
In any case, I will never forget, “Each passenger is only allowed 1 plastic bag of creams and liquids—and it must CLOSE!”
I have to add this to my “Top 10 Global Travel Tips”!
Get My Free “Top 10 Global Travel Tips” Here!
Here are More Travel Stories and Tips:
Don’t Leave Late for the Airport!
How to Battle Jet Lag?
INTERNATIONAL PET TRAVEL—WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW! (PART 1)
International Pet Travel—What You Need to Know (Part 2)
How to Get Ready to Travel
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Have you ever had a challenging or frustrating moment at the airport security point? Did it involve liquids and creams—or something else?!
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
