Carry-On Luggage

[TrishandIan]

Hi there,
So for all our trips to Tulum, the last being in '06, we would carry our luggage on board the flight. I've seen folks discussing it lately as well. It's just so easy that way and we don't bring alot of stuff with us besides the luggage and our snorkel gear. My question would be about sunblock and the carry on restrictions. We usually bring two large bottles of 15 or 30 spf. Since our last trip they have those liquid restrictions at security. What do you folks, who carry on your luggage, do? Do you buy sunblock when you arrive? I was thinking of the Chedrai (sp??) in PDC or something like that, since I'm sure its a fortune in Tulum. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks Trish

[austxdan]

Probably not the answer you're looking for Trish, but we had to start checking a bag. We used to make all trips with a backpack apiece, and that held all clothes, sunblock, whatever. But since the new restrictions, we've gone to one backpack and one checked duffle.

I'm choosey about sunblock, we search around for the eco-friendly stuff and buy a bunch online before we leave. I'm sure I could find some down there, but I'd probably pay more and I don't want to waste "beach time" :eat-drink: in a store.

So, rather than buying deodorant, toothpaste, sunblock, etc down there we just pack it in the duffle and wait at the conveyor with the masses :(.


Dan

[PhyllisB]

We've done it both ways, but we LOVE the convenience of not checking anything so much that lately we've been buying stuff there and just paying the extra pesos. We visit the San Francisco often enough that picking up some sunscreen there wasn't a big deal (although it was a little hard to find the first time!). We've also purchased bug spray there. It's pricey, but we skimp on so many other things that we just try to overlook it--figure we're willing to pay a little extra to get out of the airport quicker.

If I was staying longer than 6 or 7 days, though, I'd have to check bags, probably. For shampoos, etc., we brought hotel shampoo & conditioner with us, since they are nice and tiny, or travel size stuff that we picked up at Target. But those little containers run out before long, so it wouldn't be as helpful for a longer trip.


Phyllis

[Lynnette]

It's possible to pack light and not have to deal with checked bags. You can buy little 3oz bottles at stores like Target...they even have spray bottles. You can buy mini toothpaste and other necessities, too. You put your liquids in a clear, quart size (check the TSA regulations) zip lock bag and place on top of your clothes. You will have to take it out for security to examine. I just did this for a long week-end in Atlanta and it worked out great! Of course, when we travel to Tulum, we take snorkel gear, and bring home "stuff", so we have to take one bag to check. :)

I just saw your Target advise, Phyllis...great minds! lol

[Gale in KY]

I am sure Beachreader (hehe) will describe my crazy way of packing for travel..lol. I am the carryon queen. I haven't made a trip with checked luggage since 2004. How?
With carryon, you have to do the 3-1-1 rule. TSA rules, you want it on the plane, gotta do what they say.

Nothing larger than 3 oz bottles of liquid/gel
1 QUART FREEZER/ZIPLOCK bag..not a gallon, a quart, very specific about this.
1 Per Person.

I try to take as little liquid/gel as possible, and use travel size bottles.
Not sure what you find necessary, but this is what is in my quart bag
2 travel size shampoo
1 travel size sunscreen
2 travel bottles mouthwash
1 travel size tube toothpaste
1 travel size hairspray
1 travel size hair gel
1 travel size spray bottle of windex-good for the painful stings of jellyfish etc.

I do bite the bullet and buy bug spray when I arrive, even though it is more expensive there but I just consider it the cost of getting out of the airport while everyone else waits for their checked luggage. Carryon makes it nice when you don't have much time to make connecting flights too!

I try to take travel bottles of body soap..but if I run out of room, I take a plain old bar of soap..it's not a liquid or a gel so it doesn't have to be included in the TSA rules for that stuff.

Just a word about carryon too..check the airline's size limits and then try to use a bag just a bit smaller..especially if you are doing the connecting flight thing and one leg of your flight might be on a commuter aircraft without alot of room for carryon items. If it doesn't fit..lol..they are happy to check it and hand it back to you when you deplane.

I have this cooler...lolol...it's on wheels..PERFECT as a carryon and when I get there I have a cooler for my room. Add to that a big tote bag (you get a carry on and a personal item)..I put my purse, extra flip flops, snorkel and mask, baby wipes, a couple of trash bags, anything really that I want to carry on but don't have room in the cooler for..in that tote bag..and then put the liquids ziplock bag on top...for easy access at the airport..they want that to be scanned seperate.



Hope that helps with the carryon idea.

[Lynnette]

That cooler idea is great...on wheels, right?!!! I would double the 3 oz bottles, too, although I find that the wind and humidity gives my hair a lot of funky volume, so I don't bring hair products anymore.

[Gale in KY]

I always figure the worst that can happen is that I have to go to the store and buy something if I run out..no big deal. We won't even discuss the state of my hair when I am in Tulum..I just make sure to get it cut short before I go and hope for the best. LOL!

The cooler..its a pullman..perfect size for a weeks worth of clothes. When I stayed for 3 weeks, I just took stuff to the laundry. Even with the carryon, I end up taking more clothing than I need..next time it will be less teeshirts and another swimsuit and a couple more skirts, I live in swimwear when I am there and love skirts with a tank to feel dressed in the evenings..they make good swim coverups too...all purpose beach clothing..lol

[austxdan]

. . . so I don't bring hair products anymore.

Nor do I :)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/771703681_c2e1d7848b.jpg

[Gale in KY]

http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/3/P10228641.jpg

The perfect carryon! Overstock.com has these 4 for $75...lol! I love this thing because it's softsided, (You can squish it under the seat in front of you..lol) and it's insulated, it is a GREAT cooler when you need it to be a cooler. The only thing it needs are swiveling wheels..it doesn't do corners so well..lol.

[Lynnette]

http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/3/P10228641.jpg

The perfect carryon! Overstock.com has these 4 for $75...lol! I love this thing because it's softsided, (You can squish it under the seat in front of you..lol) and it's insulated, it is a GREAT cooler when you need it to be a cooler. The only thing it needs are swiveling wheels..it doesn't do corners so well..lol.

I have to get one or two. What brand do you have, Gale. How sturdy is the handle? We had a wheeled carry-on, that the handle was so flimsy that it twisted while being wheeled. Obviously didn't corner well. :D

[beachreader]

I've just given up on carrying on, though I was a carryon queen in the past. For a whole week or more of travel, it's just too much hassle to give up so many things that I like to have with me just for the sake of not having to wait on the baggage. Now, I can generally get non-stop flights to most places I go--if I had a connection I'd reconsider and try to carry on, but only if the trip was a short one.

I use a lot of sunblock because I like to spend as much time as possible baking in the sun, so 3 oz. won't cut it for a week.

I wish they'd change the 3-1-1 rule to whatever you can fit inside a quart bag. I have a 3 oz. tube of Aveeno in my carry on baggie (I do bring some things on with me just in case my big bag is lost), and a security guy really scrutinized it thinking it was too big. By what, one ounce? Come on, dude! What is the difference between three 4-ounce bottles and four 3-ounce bottles? That is a ridiculous distinction. If someone is a terrorist and there's some kind of liquid explosive they want to use, I'm sure they can fit it intos 4 3-ounce bottles as well as 1 8 ounce bottle.

These seem to be petty distinctions that I do not believe add to our safety in the air.

And I don't usually complain about such things; I've always been a big supporter of security measures, but this one just doesn't make sense to me.

[Lynnette]

Nor do I :)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/771703681_c2e1d7848b.jpg


I'm envious of your cool do as well as that yummy dinner!!! :):)

[TrishandIan]

So I guess the consensus is to buy sunscreen once we arrive.
I really would hate to have to check luggage after all these years of not doing it just for sunblock. I am kinda crazy about sunblock. I'm paranoid of a burn ruining my vaca. and also health reasons, I reapply my sunblock about every hour and every time i leave the water so my hubby and I go through alot. We spend about 75% of the vacation just lounging, reading, swimming on the beach. We're going for 8 days this tim, unless I bring about 30 small bottles, there is no way I will have enough. My bug spray is a little spritz bottle and that's not an issue. And we only need a bit of shampoo and conditioner. I don't really bring any other toiletries besides toothpaste. Maybe we'll just hit the Chedraui on the way down to Tulum. We always stop at La Floresta for our first meal (such good shrimp tacos) so it only a few blocks away.

[Lynnette]

ooops, did it again...I see it's a Pullman, Gale. I think I need another cup of coffee....or glasses. ;):D

[TrishandIan]

Oh yeah, we have a collapsable cooler as well, no wheels though!
First order of business is fill it with ice and beer!

[Gale in KY]

Lynnette, I am not sure what brand it is..it was a promo gift the DH got from work. I have another one too..and I really like it as a cooler, but it has hard plastic inside and isn't as flexible as this one..plus I love that handy shoulder strap for those times you have to go tripping across (or up or down)the airport escalators in a big hurry..lol. It may be a Coleman but I am not really sure..it is very sturdy though..I have made numerous trips with it and it's still in great shape. Just dump the clothes and and the ice in..ready for your favorite refreshment!

I take sunscreen in those little tubes, but buy the bug spray if I need it.

Ditto what Fran said, this is the #1 stupid rule..why not a gallon bag??? Why 3 oz instead of 4 oz? Duh..do I feel safer..nope. After all of the things I have seen TSA miss in my carryon..I know it's a joke.

[TnTWalter]

Hey just wanted to say that there are some bars of shampoo. That would help as well.

Skip the mouthwash..pack more gum. :)

We're shooting for carry-on only. I have a large tote and DH will bring a backpack + 2 carry-ons on wheels. Hoping that still works. Pony tail holders for the hair. Very little makeup. My only issue is lip gloss....I LOVE lip gloss. Sigh. But I'll live without or get some at the Walmart when I'm stocking up on Sunscreen....will I have to worry about bug spray in May?

I might say to heck with it and shove tons of shoes and liquids in a check bag. LOL.

[Gale in KY]

Trish..wear something with a pocket..stick your lip glosses in your pockets..lol..they have never found mine, or maybe they didn't care. I carry tubes of Softlips with me all the time, being addicted to..well, soft lips..lol. I also stick a lighter in my pocket too..they have never made off with those either..didn't set off the sniffer or the beeper..lol.

[TnTWalter]

You're living on the edge Gale! Love it! LOL.:moped:

[AdGuy]

Nor do I :)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/771703681_c2e1d7848b.jpg

Unless you count shaving cream as a hair product! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_53.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762YYUS)

[AdGuy]

Trish..wear something with a pocket..stick your lip glosses in your pockets..lol..they have never found mine, or maybe they didn't care. I carry tubes of Softlips with me all the time, being addicted to..well, soft lips..lol. I also stick a lighter in my pocket too..they have never made off with those either..didn't set off the sniffer or the beeper..lol.


Tsk, tsk, tsk...I'm telling my brother on you (he heads up TSA at the Ft. Lauderdale and Key West airports). Speaking of which, it's Spring Break time. Anytime you think your job's bad, think of the crap he's dealing with right now! :)

[Gale in KY]

Sssshhh...Lee, let's keep it our little secret. Hehe...Need not bother the nice TSA man with this trivial stuff!:confused:

I agree, wouldn't want to be anywhere near a spring break destination now, nor working on a bus, train, boat or at a beach!

[jessgreen]

Neutrogena makes fantastic sunscreen -- a variety of high-SPF levels with Helioplex -- and it comes in nice sized tubes that are still under the regulations.