CarnalNation

Are you preparing for a sexy getaway with your sweetie? Maybe you're heading off to AVN, or some kinky event like Dark Odyssey or the Fetish Fair Fleamarket, and hoping for some action. Airline luggage limits, increasing fees and regulations set by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and other government security agencies can make packing a huge headache. Here's some practical insider info on how to pack smartly while avoiding a lengthy non-consensual interrogation scene with Homeland Security. I figure, with years of frequent travel and my taste in toys and sexy, kinky destination events, I have a bit of experience and research to draw from.

Know the Rules and Laws

Forget rumors from acquaintances and gossip you read on-line.

First, you need to know the rules and regulations that apply to both your departure and destination locales. This is of particular concern if you travel internationally. Go directly to the government agency in each destination country. Simply search on line for "air travel regulation" in each country. Here are a few popular resources:

• USA: Transportation Security Administration list of permitted & prohibited items.
• Canada: Canadian Air Transport Security Authority packing information.
• UK: UK government air travel info page
• The US State Department has an excellent traveler advisory page. Here's the Country Specific Information page. The Criminal Penalties section on this last site is very revealing. Who knew that your poppy-seed bagel could get you tossed in the stockades in Dubai?

If you can't find the official security agency information, contact your airline and request the official travel info site for the destination city. If the airline employee doesn't know, insist on talking to someone else who does.

Be careful with porn, including non-penetrative kink smut. Some countries are less accepting of it than others, according either to law or by the discretion of the individual screener. For example, Canadians may be known as being polite and reasonable most of the time, but don't try to bring porn into their country. Fortunately, Canada has lots of great homegrown smut. Buy local and you can both play it safe and contribute to the local economy.

Packing Tips

Now for the practical lowdown on packing your sex toys and kink tools:

E-Stim devices, like the one above, can easily be mistaken for explosives by x-ray machines.

What Not to Pack: Anything that might be considered to be a weapon or device of restraint should be packed in the checked luggage. You think it's a toy, but they may think it's a weapon. Sometime we forget that our beloved play toys have their roots or non-kink use as a weapon. Airport security is only concerned with an object's potential hazardous use. That gorgeous single-tail? It's a weapon. Lead-shot filled baton or heavy chain? Ditto. Ropes and heavy restraints? Totally suspect. Check them all in the suitcase with the fantasy wear and toiletries. Handcuffs and metal fetters? Never, ever take them in your carry-on. Some items look like a weapon on the luggage scanner screen. The tangle of wires, batteries and attachments of a high-end electrical toy, such as the ErosTek, may appear to be a bomb. Make sure to pack the instruction manual with the kit so you can easily explain what it is. Amusingly, electric hot rollers for hair often look like bombs as well.

Some toys are illegal or conditionally legal in some countries. Play piercing needles without prescription and accompanying medication, stun guns, Sjambok and pornography can get you in trouble in many countries. If the item is rare, expensive or of sentimental value, consider leaving it at home. Packed items go missing all the time for several reasons. You could have left it behind in the hotel. Bags fly open, zippers slide open, and items drop out onto the floor and go into the void. Some baggage screeners and handlers are thieves. The screener may decide, sometimes incorrectly, that an item is hazardous or contraband and remove it. You have no practical recourse beyond filing a lost item form—and that usually goes nowhere.

Safe for Carry-On Luggage: Standard sex toys, such as vibrators, dildos, cock toys, etc usually aren't a problem, but most people choose to check them instead of taking it on the plane. Of course if you're packing for a short trip with only carry-on luggage, it's good to know that's dildos are ok in your on-board bags. If you get bored on flights, MP3-compatible vibrators, like those made by OhMiBod, are always a lot of fun. Remember to turn them off for takeoff and landing, like all other electronic items.

Other items generally safe for carry-on luggage:

• Condoms & safer sex supplies.
• Lube and lotions, as long as they're in a 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle or less and fit into a 1-quart plastic bag, as per TSA regulations.
• Feather tickler things.
• Scarves.
• Belts.
• Small paddles.
• Scissors with blades under 4".
• Sleep masks. (We generally call them blindfolds.)
• Batteries.
• Your filthy mind.