AVOID These TSA Line MISTAKES (9 Must-Know Airport Security Tips)

getting through airport security can be confusing surprising and sometimes very frustrating and there are some key airport security mistakes that you want to be sure to avoid in this video I'm going to cover the nine most common airport security mistakes that people make in the TSA line and I'll give you proven tips to make your airport security process simple and stressfree hey guys Nick here from away together I've taken hundreds of flights in my life and one thing I can confidently say is that going through airport security is not a lot of fun but if you're prepared it can be made quite a bit easier and so I want to share with you nine of the most common TSA mistakes to be on the lookout for and tips to help make your next trip or maybe even your first trip a little more enjoyable the most common mistake when going through airport security is simply not knowing the tsa's rules and requirements here's what happens when you go through airport security in the USA you show a security agent proof of your identity and your airline ticket your belongings go through an x-ray machine and you go through a metal detector or body scanner of some sort when you go through airport security there are a number of rules and stipulations about what items you can or cannot bring with you as well as which ones stay on your body versus go through that x-ray machine now usually you'll need to take off your shoes your jacket and if you think it'll set off the metal detector your belt usually you're going to need to take your laptop or tablet out of your backpack or briefcase and place it into the bin where it's visible sometimes it's own bin I'm not going to cover every item that can't go through TSA security here but I've linked to a list below and also it's very easy if you have a question you can contact the TSA directly through ask TSA on Twitter messenger or by texting travel to ask TSA you can literally ask them is this okay to go on the plane can I carry this item with me you can talk with them anytime to help give yourself a little bit more peace of mind there's some very specific rules about liquids when it comes to airport security and a huge mistake would be to ignore the 311 rule the 311 rule says all liquids gels creams aerosols and pastes have to be in containers that are 3.4 oun or smaller and all of those containers must fit into a clear one qu bag and you only get one of those bags per passenger now this applies to any and all liquids you have with you that you're taking through airport security if you checked a bag this doesn't apply to the liquids that are in that checked bag but it applies to everything else so when it comes to things like toiletry items I'll admit I don't carry all that much stuff with me I'm pretty basic but my wife Ally on the other hand is a TSA liquids master and one of the tips that she shares is to opt for solid variations of a lot of liquid products for example trading liquid shampoo for dry shampoo powder using Stick deodorant instead of spray deodorant now some people make the mistake of thinking this liquids rule only applies to your toiletry items but this applies to all liquids and there's also some things that might surprise you that are considered liquids for example eyeliner moisturizers uh even certain food items get this peanut butter technically considered a liquid I'll link below to the page where the TSA explains what all of those items are hey real quick if you're getting value out of this video I would love it if you would hit that like button so YouTube will know to suggest it to other Travelers like you thank you a big mistake when going through the TSA line is not having a plan for your stuff when you go through airport security there are certain items you're just going to have to remove from your bag so put that liquids bag we spoke about in an easy to reach Place certain electronics are going to have to come out so make sure you know where those are and make them quickly accessible you know we carry camera equipment around with us when we travel and inevitably they always want to look at my camera and I've made the mistake of having that buried at the the bottom of my bag then I have to unpack my entire bag I hold up the line I'm taking more of my time than I want I just want to get through and get on my flight the easiest thing to do is to have your Tech items and your toiletry items compartmentalized and in more of a frontal kind of easy to reach pocket of your bag or possibly even putting them in your personal item bag if you're carrying one of those something you want to avoid when going through airport security is wearing difficult clothing or shoes and I guess you could say that maybe there's not a wrong clothing item but there are some pieces that are going to make your life a little more difficult for example I tend to recommend people don't wear shoes that are really hard to take on and off I do recommend wearing socks in the event that you have to take your shoes off cuz you don't want to walk on that dirty airport floor Barefoot another thing is belts so I have TSA pre-check and the benefit of pre-check is that you don't have to remove everything but I have this belt that I love that always sets the metal detector off it's super easy to take on and off but I always forget to because I don't have to and then that metal buckle always sets the detector off so to make the process smoother and easier I would recommend opting for a belt without metal a bad mistake when going through airport security is not giving yourself enough time you never know how long the security line is going to be and no one there is incentivized to get you through faster in order to make your flight there's not really a hard rule here but there are some rules of thumb and recommendations and the most prevailing recommendation is to arrive at the airport 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight I know that seems like a really long time uh and this is of course going to vary by airport by time of year and by time of day but make sure you give yourself enough time on that note when you arrive at the airport and you get to security this may sound dumb but don't just get in the first line you see look for the short one okay this could be the hurried Westerner in me but I can't tell you how often I see people just go get in a line and this kind of herd mentality of oh this is where the people are let me go stand there but that's not you because you're watching this video look for the Short Line one more thing in regards to this I wouldn't call it a mistake because it's not right for everyone but I strongly recommend an expedited Security Service like TSA Pre or clear TSA Pre is around $70 for 5 years and I would argue it's been worth every penny because lines tend to be shorter it's not as strict I don't have to take as many things off um it may not Mak sense if you don't travel very often however a lot of travel rewards credit cards these days include TSA Prem membership or even Global Entry membership as part of their process and you might already have one of those cards I've linked to our favorite travel credit cards below a big airport security mistake is not keeping an eye on your belongings you know we've all got these massive bins we're all just kind of stripping down and throwing our stuff in there but the TSA is not responsible for lost or stolen possessions in their line keep an eye on your stuff you don't want to lose your passport you don't want to lose your boarding pass and you can carry your passport with you or even stuff it deep in your bag don't just let that hang out Loose in the bin because anybody could grab it and walk don't forget to empty your water bottle this happens to a lot of Travelers especially if you're running late and you forget to finish your water before you go through security this always happens to me always and I always have to chug my water in the security line every time Ally thinks it's hilarious make sure to empty it completely before you go through TSA and you can bring an empty water bottle and fill it up on the other side which will save you money from buying expensive water bottles at the airport but do not try to walk through TSA with a full bottle of water something to look out for if you're traveling with infants or small children is not understanding that there's going to be extra steps and layers to the TSA process you know I can't believe it but almost exactly a year ago now allly and I welcomed our first child into this world and we've had the great blessing and privilege of traveling with her a couple times now and the TSA process was an extra little bit stressful so that's why you need extra time that's why you need to know the rules and why you need to be prepared a couple things you need to know if you're pushing your child through a stroller they're going to have to come out of the stroller and the stroller is going to have to fold up and go on the conveyor belt so opt for a stroller that's pretty quick to fall down and one that's going to fit through the conveyor easily secondly children that are in a stroller can be carried through the metal detector in your arms and they're not going to separate you from your child or anything so don't worry about that there are modified screening procedures in place for children under 12 they're less likely to need to remove anything they they try to make it pretty easy on kids and there's even some exceptions to the liquids rules when it comes to infants and children under a certain age you're allowed to bring certain snacks you're allowed to bring breast milk you're allowed to bring pre-made bottles you're allowed to bring bottles filled with infant water but you'll also have to be taken aside once you go through security because they're going to want to screen those items and this is totally normal just know that the process is going to be a little bit more cumbersome it might be more involved and when it gets stressful just try to think about the awesome memories that you're getting to make with your family a big mistake when going through airport security and I hope you hear me deliver this with Grace is letting this part of the travel process ruin your day look there's a lot of us that are like dude is this all really necessary is this just security theater and why does some of these rules seem so inconsistent you know former TSA leadership is even on record a few years back saying that they have built unpredictability into the security process by Design so you'll notice things being different day-to-day airport to airport and it's not fun you might didn't counter some really negative people and I think the mistake would be going in not ready for that I'm sorry if you've had a bad TSA experience we definitely have in the past honestly after hundreds of flights the mindset that I'm trying to embrace with this stuff is you know what this part of my day probably not going to be very fun just focus on the memories that you're about to make and no matter what happens just be optimistic I think the best Travelers are optimists be humble be resilient get it done and move on and hopefully with some of the tips that I've shared today the TSA is a little less stressful and this will be a smooth process for you I hope this video was helpful if you're interested in more info about how to TSA proof your toiletry bag you want to check out this video and maybe you've got a long haul flight coming up and that's why you're interested in airport security info if so check out this video thanks so much for watching happy [Music] travels

Channel: Away Together w/ Nik and Allie

Views: 298,698

Keywords: TSA line mistakes, TSA line tips, airport security tips, travel tips for airport security, airport security mistakes, airport security, tsa security, tsa precheck, airport mistakes, travel mistakes to avoid, airport hacks, tsa, airport security check, how to pack for the airport, worst airport mistakes, tsa carry on rules, airport security rules, how to get through airport security, airport screening process, tsa travel tips, tsa tips and tricks, tsa airport security, travel

Id: 0-aG_3O0TKk

Length: 10min 52sec (652 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 03 2023