Just order large amounts via post. It'll cost more, but much less hassle
Flying with "weird stuff" in handluggage
- Thread starter Efour
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Just order large amounts via post. It'll cost more, but much less hassle
Anyone done it recently?
The weird stuff in my case would be 500g bags of Oregano, Basil and Thyme
Are airport security gonna just look at it, swab it?
Can I expect to be strip searched and rectally probed?
In the past I've flown with PC parts and about 200 paracetamol no real issues.
Should be fine i recently came back from morocco with load of Louisa tea leaves, they just took a swab and let me pass.
If your flying into a country where bringing in certain organic substances are banned and you then lie on the customers card you fill out, then you will get anal probed for sure....
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I flew from London, Gatwick to Arlanda, Stockholm with a large CPU heatsink and a foil lined bag of TIM in my carry on. Both the people in front and behind me picked up their bags and left, mine took an extra 5 minutes to pass through. Aside from the extra wait, I had no issues.
Brought 30 soil samples back from Iceland in my hand luggage once. Each about 3 inch cube in an aluminium cubiena tin and wrapped in cling flim. Security in Reykjavik was fine but Heathrow was a different story. Took about 4 hours to clear security as the samples couldn't be opened or they would be ruined. Thought I was getting probed for sure but thankfully the university in Iceland managed to fax through documentation to explain what I was carrying and I managed to get everything through in tact.
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Depends where you are going to/flying from as well. If you fly from the Dominican/Jamaica with that in you bag expect a pretty good searching 
Man of Honour
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Back in the 70s I used to travel to Nigeria a lot where my parents lived.
I didn't need clothes so I used to take a suitcase full of Mothers Pride bread, oatcakes, Cadbury's chocolate, calculators and digital watches.
I can't ever remember getting stopped.
I didn't need clothes so I used to take a suitcase full of Mothers Pride bread, oatcakes, Cadbury's chocolate, calculators and digital watches.
I can't ever remember getting stopped.
My parents brig a Christmas pud over every Christmas and their bags get taken to one side and searched. No one here knows what they are. They've been told to put it in its own tub when going through the scanners. If you're unsure of anything just put it in its own tub.
Soldato
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Depends on the airport, the time of year/month/week/day, and what the security guards had for breakfast that morning.
Once got away with a 2kg block of cheese stuffed in with me tablet and me earphones, didnt even search the bag. Musta given em a shock looking like a big block of c4 on the scanner
Youll likely get away with it, but how much time they spend searching your stuff and testing to be sure is anyones guess.
Once got away with a 2kg block of cheese stuffed in with me tablet and me earphones, didnt even search the bag. Musta given em a shock looking like a big block of c4 on the scanner
Youll likely get away with it, but how much time they spend searching your stuff and testing to be sure is anyones guess.
Maybe they cba about hold luggage, family always moves foodstuffs back and forth when they visit family on the other side of the world.
I've not been swabbed in my life and I travel a lot with all sorts. Then in September I flew from LA to San Jose and they unpacked everything in my hand luggage and swabbed every single item. Which was mostly chocolate from Harry potter world, embarrassingly.
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I'm pretty sure you can take food around the EU. Seems a bit odd you could do your food shopping in France but not take some herbs to Sweden otherwise.
Slightly outside the norm stuff I have flown with in hand luggage :
-5kg tub of vanilla protein (not purchased duty free was concerned it was going to get refused because it looks like coke)
-2 x GPUs (unboxed and in anti static bagging), + cpu + internal HDs + DDR3
-Playstation 4 unboxed. Had to remove the mountains of bubble wrap etc I had on this because security at Heathrow threw a **** fit and wanted to inspect it.
-One small satellite dish
-5kg tub of vanilla protein (not purchased duty free was concerned it was going to get refused because it looks like coke)
-2 x GPUs (unboxed and in anti static bagging), + cpu + internal HDs + DDR3
-Playstation 4 unboxed. Had to remove the mountains of bubble wrap etc I had on this because security at Heathrow threw a **** fit and wanted to inspect it.
-One small satellite dish
In hand luggage I have only taken a jar of coffee (which I take every time I fly) and maybe a sandwich. Never had a problem except for them to take a closer look.
In hold luggage, I regularly take a lot more stuff, mainly sausages and cheese, and packets and packets of Gold Blend coffee, and loads of Lynx deodorant (highly flammable too). Never once had a problem entering China with this. Even bought some flowers in Holland and they were fine with this as well.
In hold luggage, I regularly take a lot more stuff, mainly sausages and cheese, and packets and packets of Gold Blend coffee, and loads of Lynx deodorant (highly flammable too). Never once had a problem entering China with this. Even bought some flowers in Holland and they were fine with this as well.
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One time when flying to Israel, I had a small model helicopter and some computer equipment in my hold luggage.
I got held behind before boarding and questioned about the transmitter in my luggage.
Which was odd, as surely if they had opened/scanned my luggage and checked they would have clearly seen the helicopter..
Anyway, flying to that country is always an experience.
I got held behind before boarding and questioned about the transmitter in my luggage.
Which was odd, as surely if they had opened/scanned my luggage and checked they would have clearly seen the helicopter..
Anyway, flying to that country is always an experience.
Anyone done it recently?
The weird stuff in my case would be 500g bags of Oregano, Basil and Thyme
Are airport security gonna just look at it, swab it?
Can I expect to be strip searched and rectally probed?
In the past I've flown with PC parts and about 200 paracetamol no real issues.
I flew with some spices in December when visiting family abroad. They just checked the bag and let me go.
Few years ago when we went to Norway for 2 weeks we packed some left over food rather than bining it. Had couple of corns in my bag which confused the new guy. His supervisor asked whose bag it was and whether I had something unusual in it. When I said it was corn he gave me tips how to grill it.
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Deleted member 651465
Should have flown on the back of your own helicopter. Clearly a n00b.
I suspect they probably did see the helicopter - they probably wanted to satisfy themselves it wasn't intended for another purpose (i.e. to see if you seemed nervous under questioning, etc.).
Exactly. It's not like someone with nefarious purpose couldn't stick a toy helicopter in there.