According to an article that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle over the weekend, your special friend is a-okay to pack in your carry-on luggage.
“The Transportation Safety Administration, whose job it is to consider fully such matters, has decreed that vibrators are OK. The TSA says whips, chains, leashes, restraints and manacles are OK, too.” the article states.
That’s the crux of it. But the article goes on to discuss the issue of whether or not you should carry your vibrator onto the plane. Are you a nervous traveler already? Prone to looking shifty in line? Yep, you’re going to get flagged. And when you’re flagged, you’re inspected.
Our favorite quote?
“They sell vibrators at Walgreens,” said Good Vibrations salesman Mike Korcek. “You can’t get more mainstream than that. Remember, vibrators have been around longer than airplanes.”
Size Matters
Be careful of the above statements being taken at face value. While vibrating devices themselves are allowed, they are still subject to the same stipulations as other carry-on luggage. This applies to objects that are “club-like,” which the article refers to as “anatomically correct cylinders of roughly a foot or so in length.”
Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesperson, reminds us of the prohibition against carrying on items such as “billy clubs, black jacks, brass knuckles, nunchakus and martial arts weapons.”
Generally speaking, you’re safe with anything under seven inches in length.
Thank you, Chronicle, for this gem. “In other words, according to the TSA, size matters.”
Travel Tips
Don’t want to get caught? Follow these tips:
- Remove the batteries. It will prevent your travel companion from going off unexpectedly and in inopportune places – like the security line and overhead bin.
- Make sure all liquids and gels are 3-1-1 compliant. You may want to transfer that KY into an unmarked container as well.
- Handcuffs are legally allowed, but you may want to check them … or opt for a less conspicuous silk or cotton variety.
- Whips and leather floggers are legal. Do not back down, says Carol Queen, owner of the Good Vibrations website. She suggests that a simple “that’s my whip” should suffice.
- Be careful where you are traveling – foreign countries may have different restrictions.In Saudi Arabia, the article notes, alcohol, weapons, pork and pornography are not permitted.
We leave you on this note from the Chronicle: “Sometimes after a hard flight,” said Queen, “what a woman really needs to do is go to the hotel and plug in.”
[Flickr via charlesfettinger]