Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Every year Steven Wright, (one of our mentors) does a great packing demonstration for students that are traveling by air.
This year we decided to record it. Take a look.. even for seasoned air travelers Steven makes some great points about efficient packing and moving through airport security.

His best comment is about being courteous to everyone at the airport...

Here is Packing 101:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PybJQyLgkFM

Thanks Steven... We are so happy to have you as part of the Skunkworks Family!

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Thanks for this - definitely some great tips!

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Thank you, we really appreciatte the advice since we are travelling from Mexico to Miami and then to St. Louis.

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Seems like a good tutorial for any trip(robotics or not).


Sure beats my usual packing strategy of, "Pack as much as you can fit in the suitcase"

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

This is excellent. OK to put on the NEMO website after the CMP?
http://www.firstnemo.org/resources.htm

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Sure no problem putting it on NEMO if you would like to.
Yes it is valuable for any kind of trip. Steven travels the world in his job. He lives out of his suitcase. He is a really great guy too...and very talented and dedicated to our students and FIRST

How to go through airport security with a team
 

Wow! Nice job to the team that put this together! A MUST video for teams to watch while traveling....ESPECIALLY for rookie travelers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PybJQyLgkFM

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

You know, I hate it when that happens. As soon as I hit the post button, the thought came into my head...search first. I'm a dope.

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Really nice job....It is also circulating on that OTHER social network we all use.

Re: Packing and Travel Tips for St. Louis
 

Great! I'm notoriously bad at packing so, this will be helpful. Passing it along to teams I work with as well. :)

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

I don't know who's the bigger dope: you for not searching or me for not searching ;-)

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

So just have the mods combine the threads.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Another helpful travel tip, learned from Team 1923 experience:

Arrive earlier than you would alone to the airport.
Huge groups take extra time, but you're probably underestimating just how much time you'll need.

If, for example, one of your team members shares a name with someone on the no-fly-list... (ahem)... you'll need the extra time. If you get through checkin quickly, then you'll have some time to relax, read ChiefDelphi, or take a nap before your flight.

Then again, we fly thru either of two very major airports, Newark or Philly- so your mileage may vary.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Thanks to your team for producing this video and to you for passing it along. See you in St Louis, if not at SeaTac.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Only Aviation High School could be so well rehearsed on flight travel :) Thanks so much for the video and especially the help and assistance in helping us get to St.Louis

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Something important to note: taking things out of your pockets is actually really important at airports that use the body scanners. So even if you think you're okay with non-metal items, you won't be if you try to go through one of those things. They'll make you go through again even if it's something as small as a gum wrapper or receipt. And here's the TSA list of prohibited items.

For international teams, most of the security stuff holds up (though you might not have to take off your shoes--it depends on the country) and you may have to go through an extra security checkpoint at your gate. They'll just have you open your bag(s) for them and give it a quick check. I've had to do this before when flying back to the US.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Make sure and get to the airport good and early.
Last year after champs the lines went out the door and I was two hours early and barely made my flight. It might be a good idea getting there three hours early to assure you make your flight. Better safe than sorry.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Good tip. This even includes something like your boarding pass & ID -- which they just looked at -- put in your shirt pocket. Guess how I know this? :o

To the original -- this was a nice video and had lots of good advice. Thank you for sharing it.

I don't travel as much as Steve, but I'd like to add a couple of things I don't recall seeing in the video:
1) Take everything out of your pockets & put it in your laptop bag (or whatever carry-on you're using) BEFORE you get in the security line. When you get into the security line and are waiting for the folks in front of you, do what you can to speed up (or at least not slow down) the process. Loosen your shoelaces, take off your jacket, whatever.
2) Steve mentioned making sure you bring your chargers. It's amazing how much all of that wire, plugs, and transformers weighs when you put them all together; consider putting all of that in your suitcase with wheels. Think about other things that might weigh a lot, and put them in your wheeled container as well. It's nicer to walk through airports without a ton of weight on your shoulder(s). Just make sure you put everything that has to be shown separately in the security line into the same container, so you're not digging through multiple bags.

I'll also second one of Steve's tips: be courteous and smile. The folks working security frequently have people upset at them; seeing smiles & having people be nice to them helps their day too. Even if something goes wrong, don't be one of those folks that cause problems.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

That's a really useful video.

I noticed one little error: at security checkpoints in the U.S. and Canada (and probably in other places), you do not need a prescription for medically necessary liquids/gels, and they may be in containers exceeding 100 mL.¹ Present them at screening and state that they are medically necessary. The regulations require that you be allowed to travel with them.

¹ Details for Canada & United States.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

My particular brand of contact lens solution used to trigger the machines at my local airport. I started putting it in my checked baggage. Make a note of the brands you use of items like this, in case they should get confiscated! There is a full grocery store a few blocks from the venue in St. Louis (Culinaria on 9th) if you need to replace something.
Besides being courteous to people you encounter, be cooperative! If you are pulled aside to be searched for whatever reason, cooperate! Do NOT joke about security threats. It's not a joke as you will quickly discover.
And based on my flights yesterday to St. Louis from Hartford through Chicago, allow for plenty of extra time. Due to lower staffing of air traffic controllers starting this week, both my flights were delayed. Bring something to snack on in case you are delayed, and also have the phone number of any bus or shuttle service you may have booked to pick you up. That way you can call to let them know you are delayed (I was about two hours late by the time I arrived.)

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

I just tried googling it and it is now apparently called Schnuck's.

315 N 9th St, about three blocks straight out of the Americas Center main entrance.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

My favorite saying is "better 3 hours too early than 3 seconds too late".

For keeping the entire team accounted for, we use a nifty trick: Students are organized by room, and one is the "leader". When we call for attendance, each leader raises their hand ONLY if they see the others in their room. Each mentor has 2 or 3 leaders to watch, and they raise their hand when their leaders have their hands raised. When the coach sees the 5 or 6 mentors with their hand raised, everyone is accounted for.

In this way, we take attendance maybe a dozen or more times as we traipse through the airport, maybe 30 times in a trip, each one taking just a few seconds.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Remember no OINK OINK-ing or BOOM-ing in the airport or on the flight. they really don't like that. ;)

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

TIL you can bring screwdrivers less than seven inches in length on carry on bags on a plane.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Yep. They just changed some of the restrictions regarding sharp items under a certain length.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

They just delayed some of the changes.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Here's another thoughtful airport security travel tip, courtesy of the movie "Up in the Air":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=636ZFJODQU4

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Thanks so much for the great video, we sent it to all of our teams members traveling to watch before our flight tomorrow morning.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

My students in Seattle would call me Gunn (last name). In the airport, they got some startled looks when they called out to me (I am always delayed in security), but they quickly recovered with "MR. Gunn!", which sounds quite odd in the group.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Thanks everyone for the video and their advice. I just forwarded a link of this thread to my team.These tips still seem valid. Does anyone else have new tips for traveling to Worlds?

What team policy do you have for allowing students to check-in bags or do you require them to only carry-on their luggage? I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of travelling light and would like to know what were the situations that teams found it necessary to check-in luggage.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

We usually check in luggage filled with tools, spare parts, etc. Wish we didn't have to but you can only fit so much into a crate...:D

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

We usually fly Southwest, so everyone gets two free checked bags. One of them is a personal bag, the other one is a team bag/toolbox/whatever. When we're not flying Southwest, the team pays for all toolboxes that need to be checked, and if people want to check personal bags, they pay for it themselves.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Does anyone know if buttons are allowed in carry on luggage?

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Most likely not. Put them in your checked bag. You run the risk of them being confiscated if you try to have them in your carry on.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

I've flown with them in my carry-on and have never had any issues, and neither has anyone else on my team, whether they had 1 button or 40.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

In my experience, buttons with sharp pins are not allowed in your carry-on. You can check them just fine though.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Yup I've brought back a fair number in my carryon. The only time I've had issues with getting pins on the airplane was when I forgot that I had one on and walked through the metal detector. The operator said I bet it is your button. I took it off went back through and then picked it up and put it back on.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Does anyone know how early I should be at STL airport for a flight out at 6:45 AM on Sunday? Is it going to be nuts or am I good?

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

My hunch would be that you'll probably be okay, since most teams will probably be leaving later - speaking from experience, it's hard to get high schoolers out of bed that early :)

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

You don't need to get them out of bed if they were never asleep in the first place :P

A variety of caffeinated beverages can produce the desired result.

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

Water works better, but, maybe spiking water with caffeine will help...

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

If you send team equipment with individual team members, make sure that the person in whose name the bag is registered has personally packed the contents and understands what is not permitted on an aircraft (or across a border, as the case may be).

Re: How to go through airport security with a team
 

My best memory of flying with the team was trying to get through security with a dial caliper I had in my backpack. They caught it on the x-ray and thought it was a pickaxe or something. They let me keep it, but only just. I would not recommend traveling with tools if you can help it. Even if it's allowed, it may cause delays if they can't tell on the x-ray. You also shouldn't keep calculators and spare laptop batteries in the same pocket, apparently that can look like one very not ok item on the x-ray...