The REAL ID Deal

It won't be long and I will have to renew my driver's license. Ohio has been scrambling to get new licenses to people to comply with the REAL ID Act that goes into effect October 1, 2020. If you do not have a state identification card that is compliant with the new rules, you will need a passport for domestic flights as well as international.

Our state offers two different licenses. One is compliant and one is standard. The compliant license does, as its name suggests, comply with the REAL ID Act and can be used at TSA security check points to fly domestically. The standard license would require you to also have a passport to make it through security. There are a few other acceptable identification cards that will work as well and you can find those listed here at the TSA website.

I'm guessing there is a different charge for the compliant license. There is certainly a few more hoops to jump through when applying for it at Ohio's DMV and I would assume the same in other states. You need to prove legal name, date of birth, presence in the USA, social security number and proof of residency in the state. The first three can be done with a passport or a birth certificate. If you don't have your social security card you can use a W-2 or income tax statements. For residency proof you need your current drivers license if you have one and another document such as a utility bill, property tax bill, etc. (for a complete list of approved documents go to the  Ohio BMV website and click on the compliant license document list or visit the BMV site for your state).

If you are using a document with your maiden name or a name other than what your license will have, you may have to prove your married name or if you were divorced and changed your name, you may be asked to produce some proof of that. Again, that information is listed at the BMV site.

I'm sure there are good reasons for all these changes but sometimes it feels like traveling just gets a little more complicated with each change that is supposed to make us all safer. Here's hoping it all works.

Laptop Bans On Airlines

While I haven't seen it highly publicized (perhaps because it's old news and there is so much other fodder to feed on) there is an easing of the ban on laptops in carry-ons when flying from certain countries nonstop into the U.S. The problem apparently was that there were airlines or airports that did not do an adequate job of screening or did not have the equipment to screen that was approved by the Department of Homeland Security. There had been reason to believe that terrorists were planning to and/or had the capability of carrying a bomb on board with a laptop.

The checked luggage apparently goes through a security check that is different than carry-on luggage and is a better way to see if there i
s an unwanted device hidden there. Now the airlines, mainly those flying out of the Middle East, are complying with the standards set by the DHS and the ban has been lifted for several.

I'm still leaving the laptop at home for this next overseas trip. It's time to take a break from some of the electronics. I'm not even taking a camera this time although I will rely on my cell phone for pictures and of course a connection to family and friends but that will be minimized as well. I'm not ready to disconnect all together.

Electronics Ban On Airplanes

Just when you thought security clearance couldn't get any more difficult along comes another change. A short time ago all electronic devices larger than a cell phone were banned from flights to the USA from a list of Middle East countries. Supposedly there was a concern that a bomb could be put in the device that was difficult to screen in the usual carry on screening.  Apparently the screening of checked bags is more thorough or more able to detect a device that has been tampered with.

You can stow your devices in your checked luggage although I have read that some airlines are concerned that all those lithium batteries could be dangerous down in the hold. That could be why the proposed ban on electronic devices on flights to the USA from Europe is still awaiting approval.

The last place I want my Surface tablet, my camera and my e-reader to be when I travel is in checked baggage. Not only would I be concerned about damage, since anyone who has watched the loading and unloading knows how those bags are tossed, but I'd also be concerned about possibility of theft either in the transport or in the baggage claim. So what's a wandering writer to do?

I searched for information and suggestions online and found a few. None were really acceptable. Clean the memory of your computer and store it in the cloud then download what you need. Sounds feasible as long as your computer arrives with you. If not, you will have to wait until the new one is purchased. Still, your valuable information will not be lost.

Another suggestion was to purchase some sort of container that would show you if someone tried to access your computer while in transit. It is said that those who are malicious could plug in a USB drive and load a program that would allow access to your computer later from a remote location. Now how they would have time to do that while it is going through security and being loaded on a place is questionable but it is feasible I guess.

I can live with not using my Surface while I fly. Living without my e-reader is a little harder but I can read on my phone if necessary. The question is how will the airlines respond who have restructured their entertainment to be accessed by WiFi on board through a passenger's device?

It all seems to be getting quite complicated. But backing up to the original reason for banning the devices--the fact that the screening of carry ons is not as effective as checked bags doesn't make sense. Let's get the screening fixed.

We've lived with having to take our shoes off, learned math with the 311 bag and even put up with imaging devices to be sure we didn't have something explosive (other than normal physical functions) in our underwear. What next? Guess I'll be dusting off my old Royal and oiling the keys.

Hoping To Avoid The Lines In Immigration and TSA

With all the problems that have been reported lately in the TSA delays at airports and having encountered so many long immigration lines arriving back in the USA, we decided to take the plunge and enter into the Global Entry program with Customs and Immigration. At times we have been able to enjoy the TSA Pre-Check program with several airlines but that is arbitrary and several times one of us has been pre-checked and the other has had to go through the security line.

What does it mean to be pre-checked? Well, it certainly saves time. You do not have to get out your computer or your 3-1-1 bag. You can keep a light jacket or sweater on as well as your bet. And the biggie, you don't have to take your shoes off! That makes it nice especially if you wear shoes that tie. They send you through a metal detector rather than the millimeter wave unit.

The TSA Pre-check costs around $85 but for a little more ($100) you can get Global Entry which not only includes the pre-check advantage but also is supposed to get you through immigration and customs sooner. Many airports that have heavier international traffic have kiosks set up where you can slide your passport through a reader and place your fingers on a print reader and get through immigration much sooner.

If you travel a lot and especially out of the country, the cost of the five year GOES program could save you money in time saved as well as the anxiety over missed flights that could have a domino effect on your other reservations.

To qualify you must go to the Customs and Immigration website and set up an account and then fill out an application along with payment. There will be a background check done on you and then you will meet with an interviewer who will confirm your residency and have your fingerprints printed. We are between the online approval and meeting for our interview. The online part took about two weeks but finding an appointment time in our area put us into August.

So, will this be a good easy way to avoid the lines? I sure hope so. Otherwise I'm gonna have to bring a folding chair for those long waits.

Save Yourself The Security Hassle For The Hoidays

Traveling by air for the holidays? Bringing gifts along? Afraid to check them? Here are some ideas to help save you the hassle through security.

First off DO NOT buy anything that resembles a weapon for your grandchildren. We were taking home a Buzz Lightyear gun from Disney World once for our grandson. It was obviously a toy, bright yellow and lime green colors and plastic. It wasn't wrapped but it was in its box. When we checked in, the attendant told us we had better take it out of the box and put it into our checked luggage because she was sure it would not go through the security check.

No matter how gifty something may be, if it has liquid or gel in it and cannot fit in your 3-1-1 bag, it goes in checked luggage or if you're afraid of it breaking, send it home or on ahead of you. Case in point: my sister-in-law wasn't thinking about her small snow globe ornament she bought as a souvenir as a liquid. She was stopped at TSA check in and my brother-in-law had to scurry to a mail service in the airport to have it mailed home because our luggage was already checked.

Keep your gifts to a reasonable size if you intend to carry them on. Do not wrap them (even if you check them in your luggage). When we carried gifts to our grandkids one Christmas, we carried them all on along with a roll of wrapping paper and some scotch tape. I had a small little piece of plastic that I could use as a cutter (fold the paper and run the plastic along the fold) and we wrapped the gifts after we got through security. If your kids aren't meeting you at the airport, you can probably wait to wrap them. I was afraid they'd be into our bags before we could get their gifts wrapped.

And then the usual routines. Keep your pockets empty--completely empty. Even a tissue in your pocket (or a forgotten cruise card tucked in your back pocket) will get you wanded if you go through one of the imaging machines for screening.

Most of us all know the 3-1-1 rule but just to refresh: no more than 3 ounces of liquid/gel in 1 container and all containers must fit into a 1 quart see through (read self-seal plastic) bag.

Traveling with a laptop? It must come out of your bag and go into a tray by itself. Cell phones, e-readers, tablets can stay in your carry on but do put your cords in a plastic bag and do not leave them attached to your electronics inside your bag.

If you've been hoping for that white Christmas and it looks to be cold enough to accommodate you, keep in mind that you will have to shed coats and cardigans before going through security. And those boots will have to come off. It might be better to shed the boots before security and pop on some slip-on shoes to get you through a little faster.

Remove a belt with a buckle or wear something that doesn't require it.

The more you can do ahead of time to make the transition through security easier, the faster it will go for you and everyone will be jollier in the holiday crunch.

That's A Service Animal On My Plane?

Did you know that the TSA actually has guidelines for taking a service monkey through security? A service monkey? Who knew? But yes, there apparently is such a thing. Some monkeys can be trained to do things for the disabled like grasp things and do manual tasks like open doors or fetch items.

That opened the door to my curious little mind. What other animals might be considered service animals? There seems to be quite a list according to some people. I found pigs and miniature horses trained like assistance dogs. A parrot helps a man with his Bipolar Disorder. Ferrets can help detect the onset of seizures.

The one that truly amazed me (and frightened me) was a man who claimed his boa constrictor could detect the onset of a seizure and would alert him to take his medicine. How? By constricting. He wears the snake around his neck.

So I ask, quaking at the thought of sitting next to a man on a plane with a snake wrapped around his neck, are these allowed on a plane too?

While the TSA does have rules about how to take a service animal through its security, it doesn't list what it will allow. The service animal does have to be certified but that largely depends upon the regulations in the state where the animal resides. If you look at the ADA regulation changed in 2010, it states that only dogs can be recognized as service animals leaving the rest to be called "therapy animals." I'm confused. All I know is, I'm happy for the man with the snake but I don't want to be traveling with it loose on a plane.

Isn't there a movie. . .?