Packing Light Pt. 3

For those who frequent the skies or for those who are first-timers or those who are planning to fly, here are some, shall I call them, tips. Since we're in the topic of packing light, I'll be limiting things to hand-carry luggage that you can bring inside the cabin.

Hand-carry luggage for most, if not all, airlines are limited to 7 kilograms per person. In other words, limit your luggage to just 7 kilograms including the weight of your bag if you don't want it checked-in. I personally don't want to check in my luggage especially if I have delicate electronics inside. I don't trust the airport personnel in handling cargo.

I once looked out the window of the plane while they were putting in cargo. They were just tossing the cargo like they were stacks of hay. Some of them even had the 'fragile' sticker on them. One even had a 'this side up' sticker and the arrow was pointing down. Seriously. Bad handling. So if I were you, limit your luggage. If you can't avoid it, make sure that whatever luggage that you'll be checking in would contain only or mostly clothes. Clothes don't break even if you toss them around.

Some items are not allowed inside the cabin and would opt you to check in your luggage even if you're below the 7-kg limit. Some of these items are as follows:

- Adhesive tape, packaging tape, duct tape. Why would you bring these things in the cabin in the first place?
- Liquids such as alcohol, colognes, perfumes, etc. You can bring these things in the cabin but in limited quantities. Make sure that the total volume of these things do not exceed 100 ml or you'll just have to check your luggage in.
- Sharp objects such as knives and the like. Obviously, for security reasons.
- Aerosols. You're canned beauty products like hair spray or body spray. Most of them exceed the 100 ml limit for liquids. And some of them are explosive.
- And with explosives in mind, lighters, matches and other flammable items are not allowed. I don't need to mention firearms and munitions.

Those are just some of the items that are not allowed in the cabin. You'll see a complete list of those at the airport. If by some reason you forgot to put those items in your check-in luggage, they'll get confiscated.

Now, while inside the airplane, please follow instructions. I've been flying for quite some time now and the story's always the same. People just don't know how to follow simple instructions and that irritates me. The flight attendant says not to turn on your cell phone until you enter the terminal building but you'll hear beeping message alerts while the plane is taxing. No standing until the fasten seatbelt sign is switched off but people stand up anyway. This is for your own safety, people. Just because the plane has landed doesn't mean you're safe. One of the worst accidents in aviation history happened on the ground when two planes collided. Think about it and have a nice flight.