Scrapbook supplies and Airplanes?

Hi everyone, I really need to get some scrapping done and for the past couple of months I’ve been looking at different scrapbook retreats. I really want to treat myself to a scrapbook retreat for my birthday this year or next year (or mother’s day, heck any day to get away and scrap)

My question is for all of you that have traveled or know of someone that has traveled to a scrap retreat on an airplane, what are the do’s and don’ts? What can you bring on the flight and what can’t you bring. Some scrapbooking tools can be a little on the non-safe side so I just wanted to know what’s safe to bring and what’s not safe to bring?

Thank you for your time,
Crystal

Never been on a plane for a scrap retreat, but I do fly a lot. Really a lot!

I have a plastic 12 x 12 holder, a couple inches thick with a handle. In fact I have 3 of them.

Every time I travel I buy scrapbook papers and pick up momentos and I'm not willing to put them in my suitcase because those can get lost.

I have a large blue canvas tote bag with "Savannah" on it and the plastic holder fits right in it with enough room left over for my portable walkman stool.

That would be great for putting in completed pages or anything you wanted to keep safe and not put in your luggage.

When mine isn't full I add a sweater or something to fill up the 12 x 12 plastic case. I keep it with me at all times!

no sharp scissors, and no crop a dile...those are considered weapons and won't make it through security (yes, I have experience with this.)

Also remember no liquids, and that includes glue, over 2 oz. I mostly bring paper, photos, embellishments in a type of kit i make at home before i leave ...and post it notes so that i can remember what i want to add when i get home and dry embellishments in my carry on.

I flew to Salt Lake City last year and I put all my adhesives and sharp objects in my suitcase and I brought my rolling tote as my carry on with my paper, it fit perfectly on the plane, I didn't have any issues with it at all but I bought a ton of paper while I was there which over loaded my suitcase, so I purchased another bag for $10 and checked it, but I was flying southwest and my bags (2) were included in my flight.

I had a glue stick and they wouldn't even let me bring that LOL

As far as embellies- no brads (they took mine at security gate). I put all papers in to one baggy, stickers in another, lettering in another all into one suit case.

• homesclscrapper Said:

I found out the hard way that supplies are HEAVY! especially the paper.
And the two things I really needed but didn’t have…a chair pillow and a better light source. Next time I'll bring both. I also had to go out and buy some white-out. I found out I use it a lot more than I realized.

PS it goes without saying use care packing anything that might explode.

so true -- paper is seriously heavy.

And Mandi -- a glue stick?? seriously. That's crazy.

TSA let's one person fly with sharp objects and another not on the plane with glue stick. That makes me feel secure.

Heavy or not, I'm wondering if you woudln't be better to just box it up, insure it, and send it UPS to your destination. There's no way I'd take a chance of someone confiscate my scrapbooking supplies.

Yep.. Now mind you, that was in November 2009 but they took my glue stick- a paper trimmer that didn't have a blade attached and 3 bottles of stickles and tossed em out on me lol

• ncyankee Said:

• dwelch Said:

This is what I would suggest!

Just pack your stuff up well and put it in a suitcase and check it. The restrictions are only for carry-on.

Papers and non-replaceable things I always carry on. I do not put anything in my suitcase that would upset me if it got lost.

I have friends who never saw some of their suitcases again - stolen at the airport.

I have got to carry important things.

Trimmers and things are replaceable but new papers aren't. Neither are pieces of memorbilia - those have to be carried on.

I think I had 20 pounds of paper on one trip and it went all over the world in my carry on.

I just feel better if mh favorite stuff is with me.

The reality is that if there's a major security alert, TSA may limit what you're allowed in carry-on anyway, so you always have to assume that you may be expected to check stuff (or mail it somewhere if there's a post office box at security). Probably not likely, of course, but it's naive to think carry-on is always guaranteed.

• Henri Jean Said:

I think you are absolutely right there are some things that are just too valuble to put in a checked suitcase.
And then there is the risk that the suitcase may get damaged in some way.

THe thing I use to carry my papers and things in is large enough that I often throw my purse in it and other things. I carry a portable stool too and I throw it in the tote with my papers.

I think they pretty much guarantee you one carry on so mine just has a lot in it. I also put Bill's prescription meds in it which I would never put in a suitcase and check in.

I would never check jewelry in a suitcase either. If I care about it, its with me.

• Henri Jean Said:

Do you all bring scrappy stuff on vacation with you? We're going to Florida at the end of the month and I was thinking of bringing a light load of things...maybe enough to do a mini book or something.

Sometimes I UPS all my stuff instead of suitcase. Depends where going of course. Can UPS to hotels just give them arrival date. I always UPS to my daughter's. She'll get my bag, unpack and all I do it walk in when I get there. When its time to leave, I put everything in box, tape shut, print a label and she takes to UPS when she goes to work. Sure nice traveling with nothing. Expecially on holiday weekends. Actually cheaper than paying for a suitcase. No lost luggage. No dragging carry-on through airport. I just carry on my ipad.

I check everything in two bags even if they aren't full. That way I have more room going home. My clothes I put in my carry on. I did put a note on the top of both of my suitcases explaining they were scrapbooking supplies. Both of my suitcases were gone through both ways

I have never taken projects to work on when we go on a trip. Just my big canvas tote with my memorbilia and papers and things I've purchased on the trip, which is in the 12 x 12 carrier.

We normally fly military so we can each have 2 suitcases up to 70 pounds each so that is 280 between us.

But my memoribilia, photos I've picked up, and paper's I've bought, those stay with me. They do not go in my luggage. I want them close at hand at all times.

If I took scrap supplies I wouldn't mind shipping them or put them in suitcases because they are replaceable but not my memorbilia and new paper supplies.

We can never ship things where we are going because we never know where we are going. We left Las Vegas once and decided to go to Japan on the way home the night before the trip.

Coming back from Germany in 2010 we went to Hawaii for 3 weeks on the way home. We never like to have plans - so there is no way we can send anyone ahead.

We went to the airport one day and ended up in Italy that night. THat is how we travel.

So I don't take any projects. I take my computer in a carry on - both of our computers go in the same computer bag with our travel docs and passports. Every night I journal when I'm on a trip. That is important to me. It goes in one long WORD file which I add to every night.

I fly every year to a Thurs-Sun retreat. I pack my Crop In Style XXL to the gills-I aim for about 47-48lb, the max is 50, and check it as baggage. I only pack the center section, I leave the outer pockets empty. I usually put something of weight in the carry-on with my clothes, usually the paper. Last year I put my punches in the carry-on, thinking there were no blades like scissors so they met the guidelines... turns out on the scanner they see all these chunks of metal and it caused them to pull me aside to inspect. When he opened it up and realized what they were, he started to laugh, then took the suitcase back to the scanner and the agent at the scanner laughed... I was lucky, they were very good-natured about it. They let me through with all of my punches, but I will be reverting back to putting the paper in my carry-on this year! Just wanted to share that little cautionary tale!

Checking my CIS as baggage has been really easy, I totally recommend it. I put anything liquid like stickles etc. in ziplocs just in case it gets so tossed around that something bursts, but I've never had any damage to anything. I put a big sweatshirt in the top to make sure it's packed tightly enough that things don't even shift, and of course I leave it unlocked in case of inspection, which has never happened (unless they forgot to leave the note!).

A few times at the beginning I shipped my supplies in advance, but I found it challenging to find a box to fit my CIS, and it was always so busted when it arrived that it took major surgery to repair it to the point of being sturdy enough to ship home. I was way too nervous about putting my supplies into a box loose without another layer of protection, I was afraid if it busted open I would lose everything. Then I was never thrilled with having to wait up to or over a week to get my stuff back afterwards.

This is why I prefer to travel to crops that are reachable by car. I hate not having my minivan to bring everything safely along with me without a worry.

When I used to be involved with Stampin' Up! I flew a few places for conferences and always checked my supplies- too many things don't meet carry-on regulations.

Has anyone ever taken a bone folder and scoreboard on the plane in your carry on? I have a 12 hour flight ahead of me and figured I could work on some Christmas projects but I will need my bone folder.

Thanks, Lane

I don't know. I did get stopped a week ago because I had a new Fiskars border bunch in my carry on. Of course... it showed up with a jagged metal edge. I was taken aside and had no problem letting security go through anything they wanted.. I knew when I looked at the x ray what it was... it was still in the packaging. They spent some time examining it even using a flashlight. I was allowed to bring it home. I don't think you will have enough room on the little pull down table to use a score board. Also if there is turbulence, you might ruin your project. I wonder if you might enjoy it more if you took some crafting magazines or a tablet with how to tutorials you upload.

I travelled a few months ago with 2 new border punches and they didn't say a word. Plus I had taken mine out of the packaging to try it out. I decorated the stationery in the hotel.

Its hard to say what will get you pulled out and what won't. Depends on how alert they are. Bill usually has a few Cokes left when we leave a place and he throws them in his carry on. Sometimes they take them away, sometimes they never notice.

The worst - and this is scary. Our suitcase was overweight. Bill took out a bag of stuff and threw it in his backpack. I couldn't believe it when I went through his backpack later. The bag he put in had 2 cans of shaving cream (that's a no-no), his razor and my razor with spare blades, a large bottle of red door perfume, a large tube of toothpaste almost full, and all kinds of other things that are not allowed.

They didn't look, but they pulled me over and went through my jacket pockets which had some tissues in it.

Maybe I wasn't supposed to get on with the border punches but they really don't seem to pay attention some of the time and are overly cautious other times.

Thanks for the information. I was thinking of the small Martha Steward scoreboard...I guess I will come up with another plan, not sure what as I can only handle so much time on the computer as I work in the computer field and that is why I love actually working with the paper and embellishments as it is a great break from looking at a screen all the time.

Happy scrapping.

I never had traveled in airplanes with scrapbooking supplies. I rather go to whatever in a car. Never have been good packing anyways! Great information here!

Like Henri things I can not replace stay in my carry-on. Most of the times we fly it is probably over the limit, but we learned to keep smiling at check-in and pretend there is no weight in it at all. So far it worked.

Last year I bought some scrapbook supplies in America and in the store they did tell me to put the brads in the suitcase, because there was a risk they would be considered dangerous.