Traveling Plain

I don't know how long ago it's been since you flew, but when you don't fly often, and I don't, it is easy to quickly see how things have changed.

Security may be even more scary these days. I always feel vulnerable and guilty at the same time when I go through security. It reminds me of being a grade school student and the teacher asking if that was a note in my hand and didn't I want to stand up and read it to the class?

I try to eliminate anything I could be wearing or carrying that might cause the TSA agents to take a closer look at me. I wear no jewelry, wind pants with no belt and place everything I can in one of the bags going through the scanner.  You are not even allowed to have a tissue or piece of paper in your pocket when you enter these new scanners so now I know I have to unload my pockets prior to the search.

You still have to take your shoes off when being scanned, and even with those, which I placed in a plastic bin, the agent had to move them around in the bin to his satisfaction.

I do settle down a ltitle after I am through that ordeal, but when walking onto the plane (small, very small!) and seeing how cramped everything is, my first response is to run back through the tunnel to the waiting room.

I could drive to my destination, couldn't I?

Creativity Tip No. 12

Use dry cleaning bags to help pack

Our son has been doing a lot of air traveling for his job lately, and has to take enough dress shirts for a week's worth of meetings in his carry-on. To try to avoid a wrinkled mess when he unpacks at his destination, I came up with the following idea to avoid as many wrinkles as possible.

To start, lay a shirt down flat on a table or bed. Place a bunched-up used dry cleaning bag down the center of the back of the shirt. Fold the arms back toward the shirt's middle back, and then continue to fold the shirt into a rectangle, collar on the outside.  When all the shirts are folded this way, lay them on top of everything else you have placed in the suitcase. Then scrunch one final bag on top of the pile of shirts before you zipper the bag closed.

I haven't tried this with grocery store bags, but I think it would work. And this could be another good way to "recycle" these bags.