The Travelite® FAQ

Surprise, you’re not alone.

According to an article in the New York Times, approximately 12,000 laptops are stolen per week from airports around the world.  Each week.

There are some things you can do. Consider using a checkpoint-friendly laptop bag that lets you lay out your laptop bag on the security screening conveyor belt instead of removing it from the bag. Never place your laptop as the first of your items on the conveyor belt. By the time you’ve finished laying your plastic bin (with your shoes), your empty laptop bag, your purse, your carry-on bag, that laptop can be long gone. If you run the laptop in last, make sure you see it through as it enters the draped section of the X-ray machine so no one else will grab it back out on the other end.

Finally, if the worst happens and your laptop is stolen, what do you do? What if your flight leaves in half an hour; do you have time to file a police report?

According to the article in the New York Times, what you might want to do is buy some “spyware.” No, not the programs that sneak into your computer and steal your info, but programs you can turn on remotely, and which snoops around to find out information about your laptop’s thief! Different programs do different things, but they include things like record the IP addresses the thief uses to get on the Internet, take screenshots of various activity, and even remotely turn on your laptop’s webcam to take snapshots of the unwary burglar!

Read all about it in the article, found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/technology/personaltech/17basics.html.

Stuff is flying (and I don’t mean airplanes) since the foiled bomb attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Northwest Airlines flight 253, specifically on how the government and airlines are reacting.

The Transportation Security Administration under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security umbrella issued Security Directive SD 1544-09-06, which it sent to all airlines and airports on the same day as the incident. In it, the TSA outlined what was not allowed in air travel. The directive, which was to be in order through December 30, required that flight crew could not make any announcements regarding the position of the aircraft. And beginning at an hour before landing, passengers were required to remain in their seats beginning, could not access their carry-ons, nor have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on their lap. And worst of all for many electronically savvy travelers, the directive banned the use of all “aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services” during all phases of the flight (such as phones, Internet, GPS, etc).

Travel writers Christopher Elliott and Steve Frischling were sent copies of the directive from industry sources, and representatives from the TSA came down with a hammer in the form of a subpoena to find out who their sources were. Fortunately for both of them, calmer heads prevailed, and the subpoenas were withdrawn after a few days (I’m sure in no small part to the people who came to their support). Talk about a terrible way to spend one’s holidays.

Security policies by the airlines however, seem not to have calmed down yet. I have heard a number of reports via email and on various online posts that airlines are imposing new policies that make you scratch your head.

I have read some accounts of airlines only allowing travelers to take on a small personal item, requiring them to check in their larger carry-on bag. If I were to travel with just my carry-on bag, and it’s not at maximum size, I don’t know what they would do.

Most recently, Nate Silver of the FiveThirtyEight.com political statistics Web site tweeted that on his flight today from Montreal to JFK (New York City), Delta Airlines prohibited all carry-on—and oh-by-the-way, you have to pay $20 to check in your carry-on! Because you know, it’s now a check-in bag.

Silver amended his original tweet to say that :

Correction: you’re allowed to bring on a carry-on bag if it contains a computer but **not if it doesn’t**. Wish I were making this up.

The only reason for this that I can think of is that Delta doesn’t want the added responsibility for being liable for people’s laptops, since people typically don’t (or lack the ability to) lock their carry-ons. If Delta decides to continue with this security theater, might I suggest you buy yourself a very cheap netbook to slip into your carry-on? For giggles, try the pink Disney-branded ASUS netbook with a Hannah Montana screensaver.

I read an account online where some TSA agents are not allowing unbranded bottles of toiletries. Because you know, someone who wants to use the same method Abdulmutallab used, would never think to decant bomb-making chemicals into an empty bottle of Head & Shoulders. Right?

By and large (in case you haven’t noticed), I am opposed to the way governments have tried to implement air travel security. I think most of it is based on knee-jerk reactions, and are a dog-and-pony show designed to deter only the casual troublemaker. This country is not willing to use profiling and probitive questions the way it’s done in Israel because we aren’t supposed to pick on people based on their race or national origin. Yet the government thinks it’s OK to introduce highly intrusive whole-body scanners that do what was promised by those cheap “X-ray glasses” you could buy years ago from the back of comic books: See through clothing. My husband and I disagree on this one—he thinks they’re fine and there’s nothing wrong with me. I, on the other hand, think they’ll be misused (there are no laws nor technological limitations) in place that prevent the images from being saved, for example. I can see a huge market for full body scans of celebrities. These scanners can also show if you’re wearing more than what’s expected. Is your baby wearing a soiled diaper? Is your grandfather wearing a pair of Depends undergarments? Maybe you wear extra padding to hide your mastectomy. These will all show up as anomalies, and you may likely be pulled aside for a secondary screening. Can we talk about invasion of privacy here? The ACLU agrees.

In a recent Morning Edition on NPR (“Passengers Cite Inconvenience as Main Concern“) Robert W. Mann Jr., one of the country’s leading airline industry consultants, put it best when he said travelers are more concerned with the inconvenience added security brings, not fear:

“Even for a trip of six hours like London-New York, the idea that you would lose three hours on each end of a trip makes it questionable,” Mann said. He said he is pleased that the Obama administration is conducting a top-to-bottom review of the Transportation Security Administration. Up to this point, Mann said, the agency’s security processes largely have been a failure. [My emphasis.]

“I would go further to say that I’d like to see the next billion dollars invested not in technology with X-rays and puffer machines, but rather with essentially police work done offshore to locate people who would do harm—whoever they may be, wherever they be—and before they ever get to an airport,” he said.

Mann said he worries about the soft underbelly of the nation’s airports, with their long lines of tightly clustered people waiting to go through security and into the safe side of the terminal. He believes more puffer machines—screening devices that the TSA says are capable of detecting traces of explosive residue on a person’s body or clothing—will not stop suicide bombers wrapped in vests of C-4 plastique.

In the meantime, what can do you as a traveler?

Consider leaving your rolling upright at home. It’s very convenient but carry-on policies are changing as quickly as today’s weather, and the rolling upright is likely a very easy target for airlines to ask to check in. Don’t forget, most airlines will then get to earn an extra $20 just by making you do this! If you are on airlines like American that charge even more for a second check-in item (and even more for a third), imagine how much more they can make! More than ever, keep your carry-on as light and as small as you can make it (even if it means wearing two layers of T-shirts to lighten your load!)

Stay away from unlabeled toiletry bottles. Or if you’re like some people, print your own professional-looking label to make it easier to identify the product you decanted into your small toiletry bottle. These days it’s very easy to find the product’s logo online for such purposes.

Consider paring down your purse to the bare essences and transferring the items to a travel wallet. Travel wallets, like the Baggallini Teenee bag I’ve reviewed, are a little bigger than a wallet, but have removable (or hideaway) straps so you can wear these on your body for security. Your other option is to use a security wallet to wear under your clothes (and there are versions with straps so you can wear it like a travel wallet). At minimum, your travel wallet should be able to carry your passport and ID, as well as credit cards and your boarding pass (which you can fold in half). Everything else you normally put in your purse, like a folding umbrella, make-up, compact mirror, hairbrush, etc. should go into a zip-lock baggie that you can stash in your carry-on. If all you have is your one carry-on, it is easier to claim it as your personal item.

Ship stuff in advance. This is actually quite feasible now. Flat-rate Priority Mail boxes mean you can ship quite a lot of things in the box for under $11. Even an overnight FedEx package will barely cost more than the cost of your check-in fee. If you are on your way home with a lot of newly acquired souvenirs, seriously consider shipping all of this stuff home. Or be like me and just buy small, flat things.

Maybe you do most of your travels by car, or you’ve just never had the chance to fly before. As much as I’ve flown, I still get little baby butterflies (hmm… caterpillars?) in my stomach right as we take off. I know it’s all physics and engineering, and that it’s safer to fly than it is for me to drive, but there’s always that bit of nervous excitement when we take off.

But before you can get to that seat for your flight, you need to “go through security.” If you’ve had to walk through metal detectors for school or music concerts, then airport security won’t be completely alien to you. But what can you expect, and how can you make the process as smooth as possible?

TSA-friendly packing tips

If you fly to or within the US, you will be screened by the federal Transportation Security Administration, established after the airplane attacks of September 11, 2001. What you pack for your flight should fall into these four categories:

Carry-on bags – these are the smaller bags you keep at your side and bring with you to your seat in the airplane. There are numerous restrictions associated with carry-ons, such as how large they can be, how much they can weigh, and what items are not allowed in them. Most of the tips at my Travelite site are designed to help you travel with just your carry-on bag. It’s perfectly doable, with a little planning. For the purposes of making it easier to get through your security screening, consider these:

• Avoid placing loose items in your main carry-on – the easiest way to organize these is with reclosable ziplock baggies. Go ahead, use them to pack your underwear and socks. Bring extras to store your dirty laundry a well. You can even find 2-gallon ziplock baggies, and they can fit a lot! Make sure to squish out excess air.
• Keep all your paperwork in one place – a manila folder works, although a stiff Priority Mail or FedEx envelope may be a better option if you have smaller slips of paper. Slip these into a big front pocket on your carry-on for easy access
• Even if you plan to stay with your carry-on, use a luggage tag to identify its owner. Consider including the same info inside the bag as well.

Check-in luggage – these are typically those bags and suitcases that are too big to bring with you to your seat on the plane. the TSA allows you to put things in your check-in luggage that are forbidden in your carry-on. For the purposes of a security screening, you don’t need to worry about your check-ins. However:

• If you choose to put a lock on your luggage, use the newer TSA-approved travel locks. These are clearly marked on the packaging, and allow TSA agents to open your lock with a master key should they need to.
• Use a luggage tag on the outside (it is fine if you used one with a cover that makes that requires lifting to see the info; the idea is that the information is there), as well as your personal info inside the luggage.
• Use a check-in bag if you need to carry items that are prohibited in your carry-on (such as knives and large scissors) or you have too many things to fit in your carry-on. Do not assume that you should always check in your luggage, or pack your check-in luggage to the hilt just because you can. Most airlines now charge a fee for even the first piece of check-in luggage, making it an expensive choice if you don’t need to take that much with you.

Toiletry bag – TSA has instituted a new “3-1-1″ policy whereby you can only take one quart-sized transparent resealable bag with you for your liquid and gel toiletries per person, and each individual container holding liquids and gels cannot weigh more than 3 ounces. Of the various things the TSA can nitpick about at the security screening, toiletries (believe it or not) is one of them:

• Most important: Your 3-1-1 bag must be within easy reach when you approach the security screening area, as you are required to place the bag in a tray for independent scanning through the X-ray machine. Don’t pack this in the bottom of your carry-on.
• Be mindful when purchasing souvenirs. That bottle of Caribbean hot sauce? If it’s bigger than 3 ounces and isn’t in your 3-1-1 bag, it needs to go into your check-in or it’s spicy condiment time for the TSA agents!
• Be careful when packing during your trip. It’s easy to accidentally toss in a bottle of shampoo or shaving cream in your carry-on at the last minute while you’re packing up from your hotel, but those will be confiscated.
• Although a quart-sized baggie is not very spacious, you don’t need to carry your entire set of regular toiletries with you. Think carefully about what exactly you want to take. Do you really need your body wash when you know the hotels you’re staying at provide bars of hotel soap?
• Limit the 3-1-1 bag just to liquid and gel toiletries. This may sound silly, but a lot of women are used to packing their make-up together with their toiletries. The thing is, your powder eye shadow, compact, and hair brush don’t neeed to go in the 3-1-1 bag. Once you completely isolate just the liquids and gels, you’ll likely be pleased to see that you can fit everything in the baggie.

Laptop case – you can pack your laptop in your main carry-on, or you can carry it in its own case separately. The airlines allow “one carry-on and one personal item,” and the personal item includes a laptop case (as well as other small totables like purses and camera bags):

• Make sure your laptop is charged enough to turn on if a TSA agent asks you to.
• Be prepared to remove your laptop from its case so it can be screened by itself in the X-ray machine. Some bag manufacturers make special laptop cases with a transparent pocket for your laptop; these must be approved by the TSA (the labeling will indicate this). Such bags let you lay the laptop sleeve open but keep your laptop in the bag through the X-ray machine, providing a little more security from laptop thefts.
• If you expect to be flying with your laptop frequently, consider purchasing travel-friendly cords that retract into a spool, minimizing cable clutter.

Secondary screenings

Look at your boarding pass. There is a corner of the ticket that can sometimes include a notation that looks like “S S S S S S S”—this is the dreaded “secondary screening” code, and it can be added to your ticket for a number of seemingly random purposes. Perhaps you purchased your ticket with cash, at the last minute, just for a one-way trip, or some other behavior that caused the trigger. It’s also altogether possible that during your routine screening, you set off the metal detector, or the X-ray inspector found something unidentifiable in your carry-on. If you do get pulled aside for a secondary screening, relax, breathe, and be polite. The TSA agents are just going through their normal tasks, and your goal is to make the process as smooth as possible so you can get out of there and off to your gate. A TSA agent will pass a handheld detector wand over your body, and they may need to inspect every item in your carry-on (and this is where having everything organized will come in handy).

Things to avoid having on your body when walking through a metal detector

• Keychains and keyrings with keys – it’s easiest to stash this in your carry-on or purse. Many bags have keyfobs so you can snap your keyring in place and forget it until you get back and need to get to your own car.
• Belt buckles – OK so you won a rodeo and you wear your winning buckle proudly! Except through the metal detector. It’s easiest to remove these and stuff them in your carry-on, place in the tray with your shoes (more on that later), or loop around the strap of your carry-on. Don’t worry; your pants won’t fall down in the 10 steps you’ll take through security.
• A pocketful of change
• Big pieces of metallic jewelry
• Your watch – it might not set off the metal detector, but you might as well stash it.
• Your metal sunglasses/glasses
• If you have metal rods and such in your body, consider traveling with your doctor’s note indicating this. Chances are you will still be wanded, but the process is made a little smoother with a doctor’s note.

How to go through security

1. Before you enter the queue:
   • Remove all large metal objects from your body and place them in your carry-on (see the list above).
   • Make sure you can easily get to your 3-1-1 toiletry bag and laptop computer.
   • From your wallet, remove your official government-issued picture ID card, and keep it with your boarding pass in your hand.
2. As you approach the security screening area, you might see different signs for queues for business travelers, or for travelers with children. There are no strict laws regarding which queue to enter, although if you are new to the process, you should probably avoid the queue for the business traveler. They tend to be veterans at the process, and may be impatient should it take you a while to get yourself oriented.
3. Near the entrance to the queue will be a uniformed agent – hand your ID card and boarding pass to this agent. The agent will scan both the ID and boarding pass, making sure the names match, and that you match the photo on the ID card. Most of the time, the agent will also mark a notation on the boarding pass.
4. Once you get into the queue area, there may be several queues. Unless you are directed into a specific one by an agent, you can choose which queue to stand in. The multiple queues are there to expedite the screening process.
5. The actual processing area usually holds about four or five people at a time. The first thing you will be able to do is to grab a large plastic tub from a stack near the counter. You will need at least one, maybe two:
   • Remove your shoes and place them flat in the plastic tub.
   • Remove your 3-1-1 toiletry baggie from your carry-on bag and place it next to your shoes in your plastic tub.
   • Place any small electronics like your cell phone in the tub.
   • If you are carrying an empty refillable water bottle, place it in the tub to show them that it’s empty.
   • If you are wearing a light jacket, you can also remove it and place it in the tub if it still has room. If it’s already full, or you are wearing a thicker coat, use a second tub.
   • Use a second tub if you have a laptop. Place the laptop flat in the plastic tub, with nothing on top of the laptop. If you have a TSA-approved laptop case, unzip the case so that the portion containing the laptop can be laid flat on the X-ray conveyor belt.
6. By this time, you should be about ready to pass your articles through the X-ray machine:
   1. Lay your main carry-on bag flat and have it be the first item that goes through the machine.
   2. Place your “personal bag” (purse, camera bag, laptop case) laid flat as your second item through the machine.
   3. Your plastic bin(s) should be the last item to go on the conveyor belt.
7. Do not take your eyes off of your belongings until you have ensured that the last of your plastic bins has successfully moved into the closed X-ray machine mechanism, even if it takes an extra moment. Sometimes a TSA agent will pause the X-ray machine and even back up the conveyor belt for a closer inspection, so the belt may be momentarily paused. The idea here is to minimize the chances of anyone in the queue sniping your valuables, so take the moment to make sure your tubs have moved into the mechanism.
8. Do not place your ID and boarding pass in the tub! Hold onto these.
9. Now, it is your turn to walk through the metal detector, which is parallel to the X-ray machine. Stand on your side of the metal detector and look to the other side. There should be a TSA agent standing there facing you. If there is no agent there, or the agent is busy with someone else, wait your turn. Only when the agent is ready and acknowledges you, should you walk through the metal detector. Walk through calmly and continue walking.
10. Assuming you do not set off the metal detector, you are now clear to retrieve your belongings. A few more steps, and you are at the exit end of the X-ray machine conveyor belt.
11. You will see your main carry-on and your personal bag come through first. Let these continue to roll; your goal is to retrieve the items in your tub first:
    1. Put your keys, cell phone, etc. away in your pockets
    2. Grab your shoes, place them on the floor and quickly stick your feet in them. Don’t bother lacing them or strapping them completely for now.
    3. Grab your 3-1-1 toiletry bag.
    4. Check that your first tub is completely empty.
    5. From your second tub, grab your laptop.
    6. Now grab your main carry-on bag and your personal item bag. At this point you are probably carrying your main bag, your smaller purse/case, your 3-1-1 bag, your laptop, and your ID card and boarding pass. And your shoes are flopping on your feet.
    7. Optionally, place your now-empty tubs in the stack at the end of the counter.
12. You’re now done with the security screening. Most screening areas provide benches in the exit area; spend a moment to put all your items in order here, making sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

You’ve now successfully gone through an airport security screening! Now let’s go have fun on your trip!

The TSA has some helpful Web pages:

• Screening process
• “Checkpoint-friendly” laptop case information
• 3-1-1 toiletry bag

Let’s talk about body piercings today. No no, don’t run away. If you don’t have any, read on with morbid curiosity. If you have them, please stay, because this affects you directly as it relates to going through airport security.

Do you wear body jewelry in private places and you’re worried that you may set off airport metal detectors?

One person who would know is professional body piercer Elayne Angel. Elayne is not only covered in various forms of ink and metal herself, but she is also one of the pioneers in professional body piercing, a field she personally helped expand decades ago. Elayne has served multiple terms on the board of the Association of Professional Piercers as an advocate for field safety, and her most recent project has been authoring The Piercing Bible, the definitive guide for consumers and professional body piercers.

With activities like attending conventions and being on a book tour, Elayne travels extensively… with her body jewelry on. “I haven’t had any trouble personally, and I still wear almost 40 pieces of body jewelry regularly and travel frequently,” she said.

Elayne addresses this topic in her book, The Piercing Bible – The Definitive Guide to Safe Piercing (Random House/Crossing Press, May 2009).

Master piercer Elayne Angel. In addition to performing body pierces, she is liberally adorned with body tattoos, including a very elaborate back piece of two full angel wings. Her legs are tattooed with a rainbow of fish scales, and vines cover her arms like long-sleeve gloves. Elayne as she currently appears (“with hair!” as she says; photo by Michael Alago) on the left, and a poster highlighting her tattoos (right). Images courtesy of Elayne Angel.

The following is an except from her book that addresses body piercing and airport security specifically (reprinted by permission):

Metal Detectors and Security

Many piercees are concerned that their piercing(s) will set off a metal detector in an airport or other venue. Precautions have intensified markedly since the events of September 11, especially in airports. Security personnel will react differently to the presence of piercings, and so will the metal detectors.

Many heavily pierced people will tell you in all honesty that they have traveled extensively without so much as a single beep. Other stories circulate regarding piercees enduring strip searches or being required to remove body jewelry before boarding a plane.

When your travel companions are unaware of your penchant for piercing, you may be concerned about an unplanned disclosure during the security screening. If revealing your piercings during travel is unacceptable, wear nonmetallic jewelry. Quality metal body jewelry is non-ferromagnetic and will not set off the large walk-through metal detectors. However, the hand-held wands are often more sensitive and frequently do sound an alarm when scanning directly over metal body jewelry.

This is precisely what happened to a woman who was required to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to be permitted by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents to board her plane. This sparked a lawsuit and a change in policy by the TSA. As of March 2008, a passenger has the option to request a visual inspection in lieu of removing body jewelry.*

Depending on the location of your piercing, you may be examined in a private room by a security officer of your own gender. If you wish to take your trip, it is best to be calm and cooperative. Don’t wear or carry long spike-style jewelry during travel, as these are sometimes construed as weapons and confiscated. Spikes aside, you should not be compelled to remove body jewelry, since it isn’t a security threat.

* Transportation Security Administration, “Statement on Alleged Improper Screening at Lubbock, Texas, March 28, 2008,” www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/lubbock.shtm (accessed May 8, 2008).

The cover of Elayne’s book, The Piercing Bible.

So there’s mostly good news and some bad news. You can still wear your metal piercing jewelry when you travel, and the TSA will not ask you to remove them. That’s the good news. The bad news is that if it sets off a metal detector, you will still be pulled aside and asked to get inspected. And if you are modest about disrobing in front of strangers or you prefer not to deal with the additional time such a secondary screening or inspection may take, then temporarily replacing your metal jewelry with nonmetal jewelry (such as those made of lucite) may be a good option.

The following is the text that is at the TSA URL that Elayne refers to in her article:

March 28, 2008

TSA has reviewed the circumstances related to the screening of a passenger with body piercings that occurred recently in Lubbock, Texas. It appears that the Transportation Security Officers involved properly followed procedures in that incident. They rightly insisted that the alarm that was raised be resolved. TSA supports the thoroughness of the Officers involved as they were acting to protect the passengers and crews of the flights departing Lubbock that day.

TSA has reviewed the procedures themselves and agrees that they need to be changed. In the future TSA will inform passengers that they have the option to resolve the alarm through a visual inspection of the article in lieu of removing the item in question. TSA acknowledges that our procedures caused difficulty for the passenger involved and regrets the situation in which she found herself. We appreciate her raising awareness on this issue and we are changing the procedures to ensure that this does not happen again.

The Piercing Bible is available in general release and you can purchase it at your local bookstore or Amazon.

You can also purchase Elayne’s “angel wings” poster online from body jewelry retailer LeRoi.com.

In case you hadn’t heard, the Clear Pass system (which I’ve mentioned before) is going bye-bye. If you go to FlyClear.com right now, you see the following message:

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available.

At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.

Although some people weren’t comfortable with giving up so much personal data, a lot of frequent flyers liked the ease that the Clear pass provided.

I opened my inbox this morning and discovered email from travel supplier Magellan’s (one of my favorite) with the following subject:

“Ultra-Light Luggage! Check it in, or carry it on.”

Ooooooh, I thought. Just what me and Virgin Atlantic check-in crew were looking for! I excitedly went to read the mailer, and I see that the luggage they are promoting is from Eagle Creek. Hmmm…. a new item, perhaps?

I click the link in the email.

The $149.00 Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote from the Magellan’s travel supplies online store. Photo from Magellan’s.

Kachow! It takes me to a page describing the Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote. Basically a MiniMe version of the rolling upright. At 13.5″ by 13.5″ by 9.5″, it’s definitely within carry-on limits. But then I check its weight:

Five and a half pounds!

Let me tell you, even with a gnome-sized carry-on, the wheel and handlebar mechanism just adds so much weight. And I guess we all have different ideas of how light “ultra light” should be. Thanks to a reminder from Skip, we’ll probably travel with a couple of Outdoor Products Essential Carryon travelpacks. Well made enough, light as a feather (under two pounds), and only $29.99 from Campmor. How can you lose?

The “Essential Carryon” travelpack by Outdoor Products. One of the most plain travelpacks on the market, this one is also one of the lighest, at under two pounds. Photo from OutdoorProducts.com

My plan to pack my carry-on lightly enough to fit Virgin’s strict 13-pound limit (for our upcoming trip to Europe) is going well! Once I finalize my list, I plan on packing everything and putting it on a scale, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be OK. The challenge is in seeing if we can do the same for my husband, who is considerably taller and larger than I am. However, over the years he’s devised his own carry-on system; he already has the concept down pat, so he will just need to make a few adjustments in his wardrobe to lighten his bag. His biggest challenge will be his camera gear, since he wants to take his digital SLR with him. Depending on how much spare room I have, I may carry some of his clothes just for the Virgin Atlantic segments.

Edited to add:

I’ve gotten some requests to provide links for those retailers who carry this product:

• Campmor.com: $29.99
• OutdoorPros.com: $36.86
• LetMom.com: $37.23
• Great Outdoors Depot: $39.95
• CampBound.com: $49.95

Note: Although prices vary widely, check each site to see which is the best deal for you. Some sites, like LetMom, had a promotion (50 cents shipping for backpacks) that may be worth shopping around. Some sites carry a lot of other good merchandise you might want to buy, and in most cases you save on shipping if you shop for more goods from one place rather than a few items from a number of different vendors.

This is just a short post for anyone who paid their $100 to the TSA to get a Clear registered traveler card that lets you go through an express line at the airport security checkpoint.

A laptop containing uncrypted data for 33,000 customers (of 200,000 applicants) of the program was stolen from a locked office in San Francisco International Airport on July 26, 2008 (link to news article). Whoever took the laptop has a lot of the information you supplied in your application form, including your full name, address, phone number, passport number, and date of birth.

According to the program’s spokesman, the data did not include your credit card information or your social security number.

That’s a big consolation, I’m sure (NOT).

For now, the TSA has suspended new applications for the program (read the TSA press release). The TSA has not said whether it is notifying all of the 33,000 persons whose information was stolen, or whether they will pay to maintain a year-long credit check for affected individuals. That would be asking too much, although I think that’s also pretty fair, considering this sort of thing should have never happened.

What do you do, when you give $100 and all your personal information to a government agency so you can clear security… and then they turn around and let your information get stolen? Besides causing some people to have even less confidence in the TSA (even though the laptop and the program are handled by a contractor), what sort of security risks are these people in now? It’s not too extreme of a stretch to imagine the possibility of these names being used for fraudulent purposes, but what if it winds up causing some people to get on the security watch checklist?

Some things just make me shake my head.