Carry on baggage: suckered!

Just got back from a brief trip to the U.S. I had the good fortune(?) to fly out only a few days after the ''water bottle plot'' was uncovered.

I phoned my airline to ask about the carry-on status, and was told:

-No pens
-Nothing in pockets
-No wallet; rubber-band your credit card and money together

I **had** been intending to bring my digital video camera, in carry-on. But I didn't feel comfortable putting it in my luggage (possible damage; possible theft), so I left it at home.

Here's my actual carry-on, then:


And, here are the contents:


(It was my own innovation to sort things by zip-lock baggies.)


And of course, when I got to the airport, people were toting their dufflebag-sized carry-ons, just like usual. Just no water bottles.

Ah well. I discovered just how lightly I could pack. And my entire carry-on fit in the seatback pocket.

The biggest nuisance was that I had to pay three bucks for a ''fancy'' ball-point pen at the airport gift shop, to fill out my arrival documentation, because I'd stowed my cheap-but-sturdy pen in my checked luggage. Ah well: now I have a fancy pen.


--GG