The differences in airport security…

I flew 3 different airlines, through 3 different countries, on 4 flights in 2 days…and these are a few things I encountered…

Firstly leaving the USA I went through the TSA checkpoint which has become standard procedure to me. I have since realized the American standard is not necessarily the world standard. I remember flying via Dubai and having to remove my shoes and all my jewelry (1 nose ring, 5 ear piercings and 1 belly ring) but I can’t remember what else.

While flying in America I was called a good traveler as I took off my shoes, removed my coast and hoodie, and took my laptop out of my bag as well as my liquids bag without being asked to do so. I later realized I was wearing *Left/Right socks* which are a semi-matching pair of socks that are labeled right and left respectively, but one is black with neon pink and blue, while the other is purple, white and black. This is pretty standard practice for me, however judging by the looks I was receiving people found this look slightly strange.

Next was Germany, where when I asked if I should remove my shoes they gave me a fairly strange look and said no. But laptops and liquid bags are to be removed, they super scanned my bag and asked me to find certain items that they could see on the x-ray screen. Do you know how hard it is to find a pair of tweezers in an over packed piece of hand luggage, when you didn’t even know it was there?! Then they found a pair a scissors which was originally packed in my main luggage (til we had the small weight problem). I told them to keep them, but the officer measured them and said they were legally allowed on the plane because they were small enough. Then they did a pat down (or feel up) search of my, and then had to test my camera (my baby) with a swab.

Then I arrived in South Africa, and asked again what I should do and what I should remove and I was told my laptop…that’s it! I didn’t remove my shoes, or my liquid bag (of course by this time I had voluntarily removed my coat and hoodie.

I can attest to the wildly erratic standards of the world’s various airports security. I too forged through four different airports on two different days myself. Having the American system down through my various business travels that was an easy test, however traveling through London Heathrow posed its own sorts of challenges. Firstly changing airlines was a lot of fun as they made me pick up my bags at baggage claim and re-run them through security, initially I figured this would be no big deal, until I realized that London’s finest were slightly stricter than their American counterparts. They had no particular interest in anything I was carrying on my body, however they decided it might be fun to rummage through my bags a little bit. Luckily for me I was carrying some of Robyn’s stuff and had the fantastic opportunity in front of a crowd of travelers to answer the question of it I was traveling alone (answer was yes) and then they continued to pull bra’s and women’s underwear out of my bags… as you can imagine this led to a few odd looks. Luckily they found nothing that was illegal and they left me to re-pack my bags and head to my terminal with the many strangers who I am sure had many great opinions of me at that point.


If you are not at this point imaging Tyler standing at the TSA check point and having security guard pulling out bras and panties and deciding whether to put him on a 'deviant watch list'... Let me help...

No, that's NOT Tyler but I'm sure this is the image the TSA had (google image)