Limit your luggage to carryons so you don't have the check your bags with the airlines. Now more than ever, huge numbers of checked luggage are pilfered every day. Another good reason not to check a bag with the airlines is that airline baggage compartments are regularly bombed with pesticide, so our effects can become contaminated.

PACKING YOUR BAG

Before you choose what clothing to bring on your trip, do a visualization. It works like a charm.

Imagine you are sitting in a movie theatre, the picture comes on, and you see yourself at your destination. Watch several scenes as you enjoy you trip. Then notice what you wearing. Ah-ha! That's what you need to pack!

CARRYON COMFORT PROPS

• Bottled water
• Spritzer
• Cotton handkerchief
• Local currency of your arrival destination
• Carbohydrate snacks
• Socks and sweater or shawl
• Eye-mask inscribed with the message"Do Not Disturb"
• Edible Oil for the delicate membranes inside the nose.

STAY LIGHT

1) Use small bottles to miniaturize toiletries. This saves on space and weight.

2) On board, wear your heaviest clothing in layers. Your carryons will be lighter, and you'll be more comfortable as the climate inside the plane changes (sometimes its is drafty, sometimes it's stuffy).

3) Ship stuff home as you go--as you're finished with things, send them home. Gifts, too. Send them home or to the recipients so you can stay light.

RELATED PAGES

Traveling with Wine
Smuggling at Security
Sprayed with pesticide

FROM READERS

"We flew from Denver non-stop to New Orleans, la. My husband a disabled passenger needed a wheel chair and oxygen. We had e-tickets and checked in 2 small bags at the United Airlines counter. We cannot pick them up and carry them on because of our age. When we got home, I found my jewelry had been stolen. United told me they have no liability. Is therre anything I can do about this or is it just "tough"-Mrs. Mullen

Dear Mrs. Mullen, I'm glad you found my website, and I am sorry you didn't find me earlier. For over 13 years, I've been advising passengers not to put their valuables in checked luggage. Although theft (from checked luggage) has ALWAYS been a problem, the situation is worse now that passengers are not permitted to lock their luggage. And because the baggage handlers, for the most part, are not loyal airline employees, honestly does not appear high on their priority list. From the time you hand your luggage to an airline and see it disappear on the belt behind the ticket counter, until you grab it off the carousel at your destination airport, that bag is handled only by minimum-wage persons who have no pension plan from that airline. I don't know if you have a case or to whom it would be against. What I can do is publicize your plight, so that other innocents such as yourself can be aware. Aware that your checked luggage will most-likely get riffled through. From now on, if you can't carry on your valuables, send them insured by Fedex or UPS. Just because United said they have "no liability" does not mean it is so. I suggest you talk to an attorney re: your rights vis a vis United Airlines and TSA. Please keep me informed.-Diana