Dazbo HT Mod wrote:

noooooobs,

Batteries are fine as long as they are dry cell. Rather than taking all that many, why not invest in 2 sets of rechargables and a battery charger so you can use one set while the others are charging? It saves money in the long run and saves having to take that many batteries. That's what I do with my external flash (that's power hungry!).

Darren

Thanks for that, they are duracell so im guessing thats dry cell? i was looking into getting the rechargable ones and a charger but there are so many different types i just bought those. I will probs get that once im back from kenya

James

noooooobs,

Yes, the ones you have are dry cell. Just get the largest capacity AA rechargable batteries that you can afford, for example 2600mAh that are marginally higher charge than the non-rechargables you have. You'll probably find a couple of sets of them and a charger are roughtly the same price as 20 quality non-rechargable batteries and depending on usage, should last you a couple of years so far cheaper in the long term and more environmentally friendly too. And saves you weight on your flights!

Darren

Dazbo HT Mod wrote:

noooooobs,

Yes, the ones you have are dry cell. Just get the largest capacity AA rechargable batteries that you can afford, for example 2600mAh that are marginally higher charge than the non-rechargables you have. You'll probably find a couple of sets of them and a charger are roughtly the same price as 20 quality non-rechargable batteries and depending on usage, should last you a couple of years so far cheaper in the long term and more environmentally friendly too. And saves you weight on your flights!

Darren

Im definately going to do that for my next holiday, thanks darren. Got a good deal for these so i just went for it. Probably wont even use all of them but better to be safe.

James

I have been asked if you can take tins of tuna (no drain !!!) in hand luggage. I thought it should be OK but thought I better ask the experts ie YOU !!!

Chris

update, I have had a look around the web and it appears to be a possible problem as the tins contain liquid, albeit a small amount even though they are no drain.

if i wanted to take a pressy home of 50ml (spray) of perfume, in a correctly sized see-through bag,in hand luggage will I have a problem ?

Chris

TFS1,

In a word, no, you won't have a problem as it's below the 100ml threshold. Just present it at security in a 1L clear plastic bag, and you'll be fine.

Darren

thanks darren,

Will have a scout around PLDA tomorrow to see what the prices are !

Chris

Cannot find a definitive answer to this anywhere online: we have bought four small sachets of kettle descaler to take to our holiday home (they're much cheaper here). But not sure if this constitutes a "dangerous chemical" even in its dry form. There are all sorts of explicit prohibitions against things like acids and sprays (in liquid form) but can't find anything about powders. Anyone have any experience of taking stuff like this in hand luggage?

Cheers,

Jock.

eviljock,

Are there any symbols on the packets? If not, you should be fine. I would place them in hold luggage if you're taking any rather than hand luggage but if not, you should be fine,

Darren

A friend tried to take a block of butter to Spain recently and security didn't allow this to go through so she had to leave it at the airport - her cheese went through ok.

My friend asked why she couldn't take the butter as its not a liquid - the security person told her she could melt it down !!!!

When we got to check-in desk at EMA my OH was putting our two suitcases on the belt and I was carrying our two hand luggage bags. The girl on the desk said you can only have one hand luggage, whose is the other one. Duh. Perhaps it was her first day, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

had similar happen to me abroad .. i think the job description includes the wording.. must be able to follow instructions no brains needed

I can go one better than that with the check-in clerk at Gatwick who assumed that the man I was chatting to was my partner and gave him my boarding pass! There were a group of us all going on the same dance trip and we were all being checked in at the same time on a group booking for the Cubana flight. It was only when I asked for my own pass as she handed me back my passport (at least she hadn't given him that as well!) that it came to light. Luckily Cubana's laid back 'mañana' attitude saved the day and she just re-issued one to me.

SM

eviljock wrote:

Cannot find a definitive answer to this anywhere online: we have bought four small sachets of kettle descaler to take to our holiday home (they're much cheaper here). But not sure if this constitutes a "dangerous chemical" even in its dry form. There are all sorts of explicit prohibitions against things like acids and sprays (in liquid form) but can't find anything about powders. Anyone have any experience of taking stuff like this in hand luggage?

Cheers,

Jock.

I would agree with the answer from Darren. , but there is also a " green " way to solve your kettle problem .

Simply put some vinegar into the kettle about 250ml , it will quickly and efficiently decalcify your kettle , for really stubborn lime scale just use a bottle brush to quickly scrub clean any residual lime scale crusts on the inside of the kettle after you have left the vinegar to sit for a few hours .
You can mix the vinegar with water and even boil the kettle , the heat helps the calcium to to dissolve faster .

This is a quick and effective way to descale your kettle without chemicals and as an added bonus vinegar is cheap and because it is something you put on food anyway , you won't have to worry about chemical poisoning if somebody accidentally boils the kettle to make a cup of tea while you have the vinegar sitting inside .

TFS1 wrote:

A friend tried to take a block of butter to Spain recently and security didn't allow this to go through so she had to leave it at the airport - her cheese went through ok.

My friend asked why she couldn't take the butter as its not a liquid - the security person told her she could melt it down !!!!

And it would then be a liquid ? And in it present form it would be the consistency of a paste ??

We have taken both butter and cheese on holiday with us when renting a villa in Lanzarote , we just put the items into a small cool bag with an ice pack and pop it in our case for the hold , it manages to stay ok for about 8 to 10 hours .

maybe she should have put the butter between two slices of bread.

I presume Camembert isn't allowed as its a soft creamy cheese - or are we to believe that this can be taken in hand luggage ?

TFS1 wrote:

I presume Camembert isn't allowed as its a soft creamy cheese - or are we to believe that this can be taken in hand luggage ?

Might smell out the cabin a bit , fellow passengers might feel that your personal hygiene is lacking

In the end of it all if you're looking for a common sense approach you are going to be disappointed , the regs and rules are made by the department for transport which is run by government officials , what do you expect ?
The staff just have to follow instructions , apparently they have their brains removed when they turn up for work , luckily they are given them back at the end of the day

Andy,

I appreciate they are only doing their job and at the end of the day keeping us all safe which we should all be thankful for.

Luckily we have never had any issues with our hand luggage. I'm a Cheddar man and none of that fancy stuff !

Chris

Chris,
To put it into perspective , is simply that they are under total surveillance the whole time , they have to confiscate things because they would be in trouble efc if they didn't , they're not confiscating things to just hack people off , I know people get upset and annoyed and they have to deal with this too but they can't have a discussion with every passenger about the rights and wrongs of what is allowed or not , they have to follow the rules . Years ago who would have thought that a soft drink in a plastic bottle would be banned ? What harm could a bottle of coke do ? ( unless shook up ) I remember seeing a tv programme about the liquids plot and it was fascinating and unbelievable , and really in the end a huge slice of luck to actually uncover what was being planned . We should never be surprised , but there is a reason for whatever may seem trivial .

In reality many are like you and have no issues with hand luggage , and the current rules have been in place a fair time now so most people know them which helps everyone , and its my view that the only fancy thing that should be next to a chunk of cheddar is a good bottle of red wine

Actually I think you might be Ok with a young Camembert in your hand luggage, but a Brie would definitely be a no-no