OTHER TIPS

OTHER TIPS
Make it easy on yourself
Take cosmetics, toiletries and even jewelry out of Dopp kits and pouches and seal them in plastic bags or see-through containers. "If you use an opaque bag, the security employee must unzip it and search the contents," said Susan Foster, author of "Smart Packing for Today's Traveler." "Repacking it will just take more time."Don't lock your bags till check-in, to make the random checking process flow more easily.Remove belts and all metal objects from your hand luggage or person and pack them in checked luggage, advises Peter Savage, author of "The Safe Travel Book," because airports have reset the tolerances on metal detectors to very low levels.Eliminate as many electronic items as possible, such as hair dryers and shavers, recommends Lani Teshima, on her Internet site Travelite (www.travelite.org), because airport personnel will probably ask you to turn them on. If you must carry a laptop, two-way radio or other electronic device, make sure that they have fully charged batteries.