<p>If you’re not travelling alone, at least you can leave things past security with your friend/companion & hopefully get thru faster when you go back “unencumbered.” Yes, I’ve been in teeny airports and it is a challenge.</p>
<p>Don’t bother to bring a hair dryer. 15 -20 years ago you had to bring your own if you wanted to use one. But now pretty much all hotels except the very cheapest budget hotels will have one in the room.</p>
<p>Maybe you could put a day’s worth of each of your 15 medications in a sandwich bag for each day of your trip. Then you wouldn’t have to take the giant containers.</p>
<p>Don’t put anything related to electronic devices in your check-on luggage. That includes chargers of any kind. If your checked luggage is lost, the airline will not reimburse you for those items. We learned this the hard way when my D lost her Ipod and camera chargers (her suitcase arrived late and those items were mysteriously missing).</p>
<p>Incidentally, it has been really cold in the Bay area recently, particularly in the early morning and night. You’ll want a warm jacket.</p>
<p>* it has been really cold in the Bay area recently, particularly in the early morning and night. You’ll want a warm jacket.*</p>
<p>I just saw that- brr.</p>
<p>Best tip I ever got about traveling, which came from my Aunt (a travel agent with extensive travel experience):</p>
<p>Step 1: As you are getting ready to pack, put EVERYTHING on your bed instead of simply starting to pack. EVERYTHING, including the travel money you plan to take.<br>
Step 2: Put away half of your clothes, and double the amount of money.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, we use the plastic grocery store bags for the dirty clothes.</p>
<p>Bullitt, speaking as one who travels constantly, I applaud your aunt’s advice. Very wise woman. </p>
<p>Here’s a small tip for those of us without big muscles: when packing a suitcase, put the heaviest items down where the suitcase wheels are. This way, the wheels take the brunt of the weight, rather than your hand holding it up.</p>
<p>^^ You know I travel a fair bit and I never thought of that. Whenever I return from the UK I have a heavier case full of the foods that I miss. What an excellent idea. Kind of a ‘duh’ moment here!</p>
<p>Unless I am sitting in the front, I always pack food for us now. If I am really stretched for time I’ll buy it at the airport, but otherwise I’ll get some of our favorite food to bring on board. Sometimes attendants will ask if we had any extras. I don’t bring drinks. I know we are not suppose to do this, but I have been known to bring small bottles of wine/champagne onboard instead of drinking their awful $5 wine. I get them at duty free shops.</p>
<p>I usually get very cold on a plane, even when it’s hot out. I always bring a shawl with me. Airline blankets(not sure how clean they are) are usually pretty itchy and they always run out. I have a travel tote with standard stuff in there all the time - shawl, hand lotion, wrist pressure band (in case of motion sickness), tissues, earphones (airline), few coupons for drinks with Continental, gum, chargers. When I pick up that tote I pretty much have everything I need in there (kind of like a diaper bag).</p>
<p>Adding to the “wear slip-on shoes” advice… wear slip-on shoes AND wear socks! The last several flights that I have been on I have forgotten that bit, and the idea of my bare feet on that well-trod floor was off-putting.</p>
<p>Hey I love my little Santa Barbara airport. But yes the restrooms are before you go through security. How many airports can you drive up, drop your kid at the curb and watch them go through security from the car.</p>
<p>I just returned from San Fran Fri…was there for a week dropping DD off at school…</p>
<p>Temp wise it was 60-75 whole time we were there…do dress in layers with a sweater or jacket as lots of micro environements there…warm in one area…cool in another.</p>
<p>There is a city muni (local underground system), bus, and bart(underground for more out lying areas) you can buy a muni/bus pass which will save you money if you are planning on using it much comes in 1,3,7 days (3 days = $18, 7 days=$24, less for seniors or children) or you can spend $2 per trip…I believe the bart is $5 per ride…we didn’t use the bart as we were traveling with lots of luggage since we were moving dd to school…if you are flying into san fran airport without much luggage it would be the cheaper option…$5/person verses $40-$60 plus tip for cab…I did not think the bus/muni system was very user friendly for out of towners because I had a hard time figuring out the maps…(well at least the bus maps I didn’t understand very well…I didn’t actually go down into the muni so can’t speak to that)…we used the buses some…taxis some…and walked a lot.</p>
<p>If you haven’t been to San Fran before be warned there are lots of homeless there…most areas are fine but there are some we didn’t feel all that safe…</p>
<p>Union square has a very nice shopping center if you want one.(around market and 5th)</p>
<p>If you go to Safeway make sure to get their store card (ask a cashier) as it will save you quite a lot…</p>
<p>Hope you have a fun trip…</p>
<p>I liked the airport mom60, it is just that calling me extremely unorganized would be a compliment.
I was standing in line ( outside the airport) eating my lunch- but then that was too many things to juggle and I tossed it.
I had my computer, ipod, and phone with me, but I always forget what pocket I put them in so I have to look through all of them.
Then I can’t find my wallet ( which is a small cigarette case),because I didn’t put it in my purse, but in a pocket so it was more accessible
Then I drop my water bottle & of course I am by myself so I don’t have anyone to watch or hold my stuff for me.
I was a spectacle
( this was also the first time I had ever flown by myself and the previous time I had flown was before 9/11)</p>
<p>I was so grateful my younger daughter wasn’t with me, she would have teased me about it for months.</p>
<p>Once the airline lost my luggage so I have learned two things: carry a change of shirt and undies in your carry-on luggage; and when travelling with hubby and two checked bags, consider sharing each bag rather than putting all your stuff in one and all his in the other.</p>
<p>I hate spending $2.00 on a bottle of water, so I bring an empty water bottle from home, take it through security, then fill it up from the water cooler. I always pack a meal and/or snacks for the plane – I’m cranky enough when there are delays and don’t want to be hungry, too. I bring them from home in a small paper shopping bag, which the airline lets you take on as an extra carry-on bag.</p>
<p>First, since you are not well experienced with flying, I would read up on the specific airline’s baggage rules. The rule of thumb is usually one piece of carry-on luggage and a personal item (ie: a purse, a laptop computer, a camera case, etc.) </p>
<p>I would not take liquids on the plane itself (in checked luggage it is fine), unless it is a medication. In fact, they won’t let you take bottled water through the security checkpoint, so if you want water or some other drink, you’ll have to buy it in the airport at a snack bar or restaurant after passing through security. </p>
<p>Medications of all kinds should be in their original bottles (including prescriptions), otherwise they are likely to be deemed suspicious by those who search and scan your luggage. </p>
<p>If you take a computer on the plane, at the security checkpoint you will have to take it out of it’s case to pass it through the x-ray scanner. You also have to remove your shoes, belt, anything in your pockets, and your jacket if you are wearing one.</p>
<p>San Francisco is one of those cities where the airport is quite far away from the city itself. I would NOT take a taxi from the airport, as it would be expensive. Instead, check out this website for a shuttle that will costs you less: [SUPERSHUTTLE</a> - Airport Shuttle | Airport Transfer | LAX SFO DEN PHX DFW TPA JFK BWI IAD SAN DCA SMF MCI IAH LGA MSP EWR AUS SNA HOU BUR DAL OAK BNA ONT LGB RDU SJC AZA ISP PTP PIE CDG ORY BVA Airports](<a href=“http://www.supershuttle.com/]SUPERSHUTTLE”>http://www.supershuttle.com/)</p>
<p>I walked virtually everywhere when I was there, except getting from my hotel to the area around Fisherman’s Wharf. Yes, I was idiotic enough to walk all the way from Fisherman’s Wharf to a good view of the Golden Gate. If you want to do Alcatraz, I’d buy tickets in advance.</p>
<p>You can take a bottle of water , drink from it while on line and then dump any remainder into the trash barrel at security. I usually pack an empty reusable bottle in the suitcase if I am checking one.</p>
<p>I know this won’t work for someone who flies as infrequently as emeraldkity but I belong to Priority Pass International. I pay about $70 a year and $28 a person for each time I and up to 3 guests use one of the airlines’ fancy lounges. Some have wonderful buffets, some just snack things. They always have newspapers and magazines, comfortable chairs, TV and very clean restrooms. I can go into all the lounges in their program regardless of the airline on which I’m flying. (You don’t have to show a boarding pass.) Some smaller airports such as Little Rock don’t have any lounges, at Capetown I’ve not been admitted to the highest end lounge but to another perfectly nice one (the only time that has happened). They are so great for long layovers and unexpected delays. Usually I am very frugal but this is one indulgence I’ve decided to enjoy.</p>
<p>I have another question which I think I know the answer to already.
The festival I am going to attend is " sustainable" and you get points by bringing your reusable water bottle, donating old cell phones, taking public transport etc. which then go towards chances at winning prizes :)</p>
<p>I have a whole drawer full of dead cellphones that I was thinking of bringing- but that would probably make security flip out if I put them into my checked baggage I imagine.</p>
<p>Re: baggage- good thing I looked at the websites-
When I have flown before I didn’ t check anything, but since this is longer, and since S.F. weather is likely to go from warm to cold, I thought I better bring more stuff so I don’t feel the urge to spend the college tuition at Ooma </p>
<p>We are taking Alaska down and they charge for * any* checked baggage, but Southwest on the way back and they don’t , you can bring two bags per person!</p>
<p>One thing I have learned- while I am taking my laptop- I am printing out what I need here- so I don’t have to pay to use the hotels printer.
( They charge $50 a night for parking, I can just imagine what they charge for 10 sheets from an inkjet)</p>
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<p>No, checked baggage will be fine. They get fussier about carry-on baggage, but they’d probably even it through there so long as they can tell what the stuff is. In my experience they only get wound up over electronics if they can’t identify it. They are pretty used to looking at cell phones.</p>
<p>
Okay - now you piqued my curiousity - why would you want to bring a whole drawer of dead cellphones with you to SF?</p>
<p>I don’t know - a whole drawer full of cell phones might raise some eyebrows.</p>
<p>One other thing - locking suitcases. Currently if you lock your suitcase and they decide they want to search it (random or otherwise) they will cut off the lock. The recommendation is to purchase a TSA lock (which costs more) as they can unlock that. However on my recent trip to the UK they cut off my TSA lock at my departing airport in the US. (there was a note from the TSA telling me it was them that searched my bag). So if they are going to cut them off anyway I will just buy the cheaper locks in the future. And have a couple of spares for the return journey!</p>
<p>I did wonder if they had put my lock on someone else’s case and they were trying to get it off. 
Probably not but it made me smile while I was stewing over my missing lock.</p>