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Going through security can be a pain, especially for those who don’t prepare. In the U.S., most savvy travelers know how to zip through security checkpoints by getting TSA PreCheck and CLEAR and to place all of their loose belongings in their carry-on bag. I even take my belt off even though with TSAPre, you don’t have to. But I know that once in a while, it sets the metal detectors off and it’s a pain to go back. RELATED: 10 Airport Security Hacks Every Traveler Needs to Know
If there are multiple security lines, I always scope out the crowd for length but also for who’s in it. In the movie Up In The Air, George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham hilariously says, “Never get behind people travelling with infants. I’ve never seen a stroller collapse in less than 20 minutes.”
FYI: Ryan has never been behind me or my wife because when we had really little ones, we never traveled without our Doona stroller and we’d have that thing collapsed before he could put his briefcase on the conveyor belt.
If you think going through security in the U.S. is a pain, then you’ve never been through London Heathrow. They don’t mess around and their screeners have no problem holding you up for 30-45 minutes if your bag gets flagged for the slightest thing.
That’s why, when I travel through Heathrow, I make sure all of my electronics, including the cords, and liquids (even a little tube of lip balm) are placed in a bin so they don’t take what seems like hours to go through my bag.
Well, one thing I learned about going through UK airports from Sammy Vagabond, an English travel content creator, is this: “If you cannot turn on your devices when requested by security, they can confiscate it, placing your vacation contents in jeopardy.”
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Sammy’s right. This is straight from the UK Government’s website: “Make sure your electronic devices are charged before you travel. If your device does not switch on when requested, you will not be allowed to take it onto the aircraft.”
Besides having your device confiscated (which would SUCK), traveling with a portable charger like this one is always a good idea because a dead device is a useless one and you won’t be able to use it in an emergency, make a phone call, send a text, get an Uber, find directions, find a last-minute hotel, order a pizza … that’s why a portable charger is the one thing flight attendants say they never travel without.
I suspect most travelers leave home with fully charged devices but throughout a travel day, phone batteries can drain quickly, especially if you’re using your device for hours on the plane, watching movies or playing games. If you’re landing somewhere and connecting and need to go through security again, you’ll want to make sure you can charge your device, so always make sure you have a portable charger on you.
All of this is good information to have since it could seriously make or break your trip. Always make sure you know the security rules of any country you’re traveling to.
H/T The Sun
KEEP READING:
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Johnny,
You mentioned the difficulty at Ben Gurion Airport. I have a trip planned to the Holy Land in March. I will arrive in Cairo but departing for home at Ben Gurion. I went to the airport website but it didn’t really have much out of the ordinary info. Could you please elaborate on why Ben Gurion is a difficult airport.
Thank you,
Barbara
Hi Barbabra
I didn’t mean to scare you. You won’t have any problem it just might take longer and they will ask you a lot of questions
Thank you for your prompt response. I did Google what kind of questions do they ask at Ben gurion. Some of them made me smile and none seemed offensive and I am in their country so they can ask me all they want. Much more at ease now.
Thanks again,
Barbara