Random Baggage/Security Rules

Recently, when I was double checking if I could bring scissors in my carry-on, I came across some random rules for what you could and counldn't put inside your carry-on and checked luggage. Here are some specific items that might surprise you:

What you Can Bring Carry-ons

• Liquids & personal care aerosols under 100ml/3floz
• Contact lens solution and medical gels & creams over 100ml
• Baby food, formula, water and juice over 100ml {until child is 24months}
• Scissors {with blades measuring 6 cm/2.4 in.}, cuticle clippers, nail clippers, tweezers and disposable razors
• Razor blades in a cartridge
• Gel-filled bras and similar prosthetics
• Toy weapons like squirt guns that do not look like real weapons
• Dry ice {up to 2.5 kg per person in a labelled package must permit the release of carbon dioxide gas}
• Duct tape
• Lawn darts {measuring 6 cm/2.4 in. or less}
• Whips {may be permitted by airline carrier provided certain conditions are met}
• Bricks of cheese, meats, nuts, fruits & veggies {anything liquid like yogurt must be under 100ml}

Checked Bags

• Ammunition
• Arrows used in crossbows & crossbows
• Axes
• Belts made with fake bullets
• Bullet casings
• Firearms {unloaded}
• Sabres, swords and scuba knives

Other: batteries are allowed in your carry-on but NOT in your checked bag. For your carry-on, aside from what's already in your walkman electronics, you're only allowed 2 spare batteries per person.

{Trip Styler Tip: for a full list of what you can and can't bring go to Catsa's Pack Smart in Canada and the TSA's they-don't-have-a-cool-name-for-it in the US.}

Related Liquified :: Larger Liquids May be Making a Comback in Carry-Ons Packing 101 Packing 102

[photo by shamanic shift]

Travel Etiquette :: Tipping

This month we're featuring a topic that's become more and more relaxed since the golden age of travel has disappeared: etiquette. During a time where the Juicy tracksuit is considered appropriate travel wear and loud-talking cell phone users are commonplace, to borrow a line from Anchorman's Ron Burgundy, let's "stay classy" and bring some Pucci-inspired yesteryear back into travel. The first travel etiquette subject we'll tackle is North American tipping.

Like it or not, tipping everyone from the housekeeper to the concierge is a highly suggested travel practice in North America and other select destinations worldwide. Although tipping is not required, and should be based on excellence, it's generally uncouth if you don't. In fact, it has become such a significant part of traveling, it's worth adding a line-item in your travel budget so you don't wonder where all your USD $1s or Canadian Twoonies went at the end of your trip!

Not including restaurant or cab tipping, one could easily spend $20+/day tipping at their hotel alone. With this in mind, it's important that you load up on small bills pre-trip, or exchange money during your trip, so you have appropriate amounts to give those who help you on-demand.

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, here are some estimates of whom you should tip and by how much. The below amounts are based on 4- to 5-star travel experiences.

Hotels Valets - each time you call your vehicle - $2-10 {ie - if you drive a lambo, don't tip $2} Bellhops - when they help with luggage - $3-10 Door Men/Ladies - $1-2 for calling a cab Housekeeper - $2-5/day Concierge - $5-20 depending on how much advice you ask Pool/Beach Attendants - $2-5/day Restaurants - 15-20% of your bill pre-tax When you ask for something to be brought to your room that's extra - $2-5

Transportation Taxi or Limo Driver - fare + 15-20% Airport transfer - fare + 15% {for an all-inclusive shuttle, $2-5/person depending on length} Courtesy Shuttles - $1-2 per person, or $4-5 per small group

Tours Tour Guides - 10-15% of total price Tour Driver - $1/hour

{Trip Styler Tip: Pay close attention to the tipping practices in the countries you visit outside of North America. It's a faux pas to assume everyone has the same systems in place. For example, you don't tip much in Australia and you only round-up the restaurant bill in Italy. Do your research before leaving!}

Upcoming Tuesday, March 8th - Travel Etiquette App Friday, March 11th - Hotel Guest Etiquette Friday, March 18th - Plane Etiquette Monday, March 21st - The importance of USD $1s & Canadian Twoonies

[photo credit]

Travel Beauty :: 3Floz

For this month's travel beauty fix, we're excited to interview a gal who knows what she's talking about when it comes to travel beauty. After constantly globetrotting for work, Alexi Mintz wondered why it was so hard to find carry-on size versions of her go-to beauty products. Turns out, the answer to this question lead to the co-creation of 3floz, a website dedicated to top travel beauty brands all 3floz or less---compact enough for a weekend trip style or an epic adventure! Alexi dishes on 3floz, her favorite trip styles and go-to travel beauty products.

1. How did you come up with the idea for 3floz.com and how does it work? Co-founder Kate Duff and I traveled together all the time when we worked at Archipelago Botanicals. She always checked huge suitcases filled with full-sized beauty products, and I just carried on and skipped bringing travel-sized products because I could never find my favorite brands. We realized that our bad packing habits were the result of a void in the marketplace. We need one convenient location to get all of our favorite brands in travel sizes, so we created the online store 3floz.com. We ship from our offices in NYC. *3floz has been mentioned in a host of news outlets and mags from BBC Travel to In Style, and we're proud to have featured the company back in August as part of Travel Beauty Month.

2. What are your favorite trip styles (beach vacations, adventure travel, etc...) and why? I like to alternate between adventure trips and beach trips. If I only have 4 or 5 days for a vacation, I look for a spot that is a 3-4 hour flight from NYC so I don't waste a whole day traveling. It is hard to see a destination in 4 or 5 days, so I usually chose a beach vacation for shorter trips. For a longer 7+ day vacation, I usually opt for an adventure trip. I can spend a day traveling and not feel like it is cutting into my trip. I love exploring new places and I don't want to feel rushed. Recently I spent 14 days in Vietnam, moving around each few days to a different spot. The vacation was the perfect hybrid between adventure (I went on a jungle hike!) and beach.

3. What are your go-to travel beauty products and why? Cucumber Towelettes are in every travel bag I own! The wipes are my favorite multi-use towelette: face cleanser, make-up remover, and sweat remover (for my jungle hikes). In Vietnam they even came into the bathroom with me (they aren't big on TP in Vietnam). Another travel beauty must is First Aid Beauty 5-in-1 lotion w/spf 30. Less is better when I travel. This product covers all my moisturizing needs, and has SPF 30 so I don't have to think about an additional sunscreen.

4. Do you ship to Canada? Yes we ship to Canada for $18.99. {Trip Styler Tip: Order a bunch of products at once to test what you like best. Take advantage of shipping once versus multiple times!}

PS - Stay tuned for a fabulous 3floz.com giveaway! Details coming soon!

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert is already whipping up her next concoctionpost!}

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Packing 102

A little while ago I wrote about Mastering the Art of Packing, aka packing 101. In it, I talked about well- and lesser-known space-saving packing tips like "slip underwear, socks and electronic chargers into shoes" and "place belts around the perimeter or your bag." I religiously put these tips {and others} into practice when I travel, and along the way have reformed my egregious overpacking tendencies into carry-on bliss.

Feeling pretty proud of my ever-evolving packing techniques---affording me a small carry-on for a 6-day trip last month---I thought I might actually have packing semi-mastered. Not so much. Conde Nast Traveler's Wendy Perrin reminded me of this while reading her Perrin Report column under a grass-topped beach umbrella in Mexico. It was entitled Confessions of an Unfashionable Traveler, yet I firmly believe you can pack stylishly AND light. There's always room for improvement!

Packing 102 Here are a few things Wendy taught {and reminded} me:

1} "You can't be a slave to the fashionistas when you're a slave to the overhead storage bin." My translation: keep the size of your bag in mind while selecting garments and shoes. Bring a few key peices that work together and double in the program. For example, when I went to Mexico last month, I wore a vintage, waist-length sweater-jacket with my plane outfit, a) because it kept me toasty getting to the airport in a cold climate, and b) so I'd have a warm option for wearing over dresses on breezy evenings.

2} "Not only can I fit {everything}... into my {carry-on} wheelie, but I can find anything at a moment's notice and NOTHING gets wrinkled." Impressive. I haven't totally mastered the no wrinkles thing, but I've dabbled and now swear by dry cleaner bags. Why? I learned: wrinkles are caused when fabrics rub up against other fabrics. So, put your fancier, wrinkle-prone items in individual dry cleaner bags and gently fold flat at the top of your bag. You can also avoid wrinkles by folding items over each other, like in this 1-minute video. *If you still have trouble getting out wrinkles and hate using hotel irons like me, pick up some wrinkle releaser next time you're in the USA. I just found some and it works well.

3} "Go light on the items you plan to shop for during your trip." This one's a given, but we so often forget this rule while frantically picking the just-right items for our trip's limited wardrobe. Take Vegas for example, I can't speak for guys, but if a girls trip to Vegas happens, you know it's going to involve at least one trip to the mall, likely for a dress! Similarly, when you go to Peru, hold off on bringing toques if you know you want to buy a llama one there.

4} "I always pack a LeSportsac nylon duffel in case I accumulate so many purchases they can't all fit in my wheelie. In that case, for the flight home, the duffel becomes my carry-on and I check the sturdier wheelie." I've mentioned this tip before, but it's so important. Plus, Wendy agrees and she's a rockstar traveler.

5} "Carry two or three accessories that instantly dress you up and send a signal to airport and hotel employees that you're a professional." Words to live by when traveling---whether you're backpacking, weekending or traveling like Posh Spice. I always wear some nice, understated, non-metal-detector-beeping jewelry and scarves for this very reason. They can dress up any outfit. For men, a scarf works well too.

Related Content {Apparently I'm a little obsessed with this topic} Mastering the Art of Packing High Rolling :: To Roll or Lay Flat? A Summer Weekend Packing List Go-To Carry-On Toiletries Choosing the Best Type of Carry-On Travel iPhone Apps :: PackingPro The Art of Carry-On Travel Going Away? Packing and To Do List

[photo by ben husmann]

Travel Apps :: Get Packing!

Today I'm going to write about an unusual packing companion. It's a travel app you wouldn't think to download for its packing list prowess, yet is free and the usability fantastic. But first, the back story... A few months ago my apps disappeared from my iTunes account. Long story (cue the violins). The saddest part was I lost some of my beloved paid-for apps like my $4.99 Tetris, as well as my $2.99 Packing Pro.

When I realized my go-to packing companion was gone, I remembered that Kayak's fantabulous do-everything-that's-travel-related app has a decent packing list feature. So, rather than re-downloading and paying for a packing app, I created a "sunny extended weekend getaway" list for free.

Details Even though you can't organize Kayak's packing list by topic (ie - clothes, toiletries, etc...) it has pre-loaded lists, flexible editing, sorting and the ability to tick off items as you pack them. If a free version isn't going to cut it for your constant round the world trips, spring for the most highly acclaimed packing app on the market: Packing Pro ($2.99), or the less feature-rich but still pretty great Packing (+ To Do) list for $0.99.

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Other Travel Apps Don't forget to peruse the other 50+ travel apps we've reviewed from travel first aid, to camping, to border waits, to trip itinerary management. Here are the most recent:

• Picture Translate
• Flightcaster
• Boiling Frog
• PageOnce
• 2010′s Most Useful Apps