10 Weird Items That You CAN Travel With

The prohibited items list from the TSA might seem long, but as it turns out, there are plenty of weird things that you can in fact travel with.

1. Snow Globes
As long as it appears to be less than 3.4 ounces (which the TSA points out is about the size of a tennis ball), and you can fit it into your clear, plastic bag with all your other liquids, feel free to pop your favorite snow globe in your carry-on.

2. Ice Skates
You might think that a blade that allows you to do double sow cows on frozen water wouldn’t make it past security, but ice skates are carry-on friendly.3. Antlers
Just like a bicycle, as long as its correctly packaged and you pay the fee, you can check a rack of antlers (provided there’s enough space on the plane). The skull must be wrapped and the tips covered though, and on some airlines they need to be in a hard sided box, so be sure that you work on your antler packing skills before you head to the airport.

4. Christmas Trees
Delta is all about the holiday spirit, and is happy to accept your Christmas trees as long as they’re wrapped in burlap.

5. Really big musical instruments
We’ve all seen the 20-something indie singer songwriter get on the plane with his/her guitar. But what about those instruments that won’t fit above or under the seat in front of you? KLM will actually let you book an individual seat for your instrument. Just in case you didn’t want to be separated from your harp for too long. That piano will have to travel as freight, however.

6. Needlepoint
Didn’t have time to finish up that needlepoint sampler while staying at Grandma’s? Pop it in your handbag along with your knitting needles.

7. Live lobsters
Yes, live lobsters and even crabs are perfectly fine to check on many airlines, like Southwest and Alaska even lets you pre-book live animals as you would your dog. It’s all dependent on how you pack them though, so check individual airline regulations. You can even have the animal as carry-on, as long as it’s in its own bag with nothing else in it.

8. Crematory remains
Depending on what airline you’re flying, you can carry-on and check crematory remains, according to TSA regulations. Little known fact: TSA agents are not allowed to open containers carrying remains, so be sure to pack in a container that can pass through the x-ray, like plastic or wood.

9. Parachutes
Yes, you can bring your parachute, as long as you arrive an additional 30 minutes early to the airport since the security officers might need to open the entire thing to inspect it.

10. Monkeys
Well, not just any monkey, but if you have a service monkey (yes, that’s a thing) they are more than welcome aboard. You may be asked to remove the monkey’s diaper for the TSA agent however.

TSA To Permit Pocket Knives And Golf Clubs On Planes (But Still Not Liquids)

Starting April 25, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will permit small knives and most sporting good equipment on planes in carry-on luggage, a new security conference held today revealed.

Bloomberg reported that the change is to conform with international rules, citing that travelers will be able to carry on knives with “retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point,” and that “the agency is moving away from uniform procedures that apply to every passenger and toward efforts to perform background checks on passengers before they arrive at an airport.”

Larger knives and items such as box cutters and razor blades must still be checked.

Sport equipment is also on the updated list of items allowed in carry-on luggage, including hockey sticks, ski poles and up to two golf clubs. Many baseball and softball bats will still be prohibited, but lightweight plastic, wiffle and novelty bats will be excluded from the ban.

The organization has not relaxed its ban on liquids over 100ml, however, and isn’t likely to do so anytime soon.

This is, of course, mildly disconcerting to the already nervous traveler – what golfer travels with just two clubs? Who carries hockey sticks on a plane? Do they fit in the overhead compartment? Couldn’t you do just as much damage with a five iron as you could with a baseball bat?

“These are popular items we see regularly,” agency spokesman David Castelveter said. “They don’t present a risk to transportation security.”

What do you think? Will you now be bringing your putter and pocketknife on the plane?

[Image Credit: redjar]