Survival tips for travellers

Since this is the season customarily reserved for traveling (yes, we try to escape the summer heat around this time), I began writing starting last Saturday about the hazards of going abroad these days.

Actually, traveling has become even more difficult since the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001. And then came the Iraqi war and now, SARS.

Leaving Manila, the only additional inconvenience I went through was having to remove my shoes before boarding the plane, but that wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I pity more the airport men and women who have to go through the unenviable task of inspecting other people’s feet and shoes.

Going out of LAX, the airport in Los Angeles, on your way back to Manila or any other destination, however, you will only be required to take off your shoes if you are wearing metal buckles because you have to pass through an even more sensitive detector. But you have to remove your keys, belts (because of the metal buckle), cellphones and coins. Doing so takes out all the glamour out of traveling. However, since this for our own good, nobody complains. The key here is to cooperate and the airport security will try to make it easy for you.

The bigger problem and hassle is really the baggage check. Of course, even before the World Trade Center bombings, I’ve already had problems with my baggage. You see, like most other traveling Filipinos, I try to bring home everything I can from the US – especially if there are bargains. No, I don’t particularly like imported products. It’s just that I have to bring home so many pasalubongs. And I swear, I will immediately stuff inside a balikbayan box (which I will never open) whoever introduced this habit of bringing home pasalubongs.

Bringing home pasalubongs does not only hurt your pocket, but will also ruin your schedule because you have to devote a day or two shopping for presents for people back home. The worst part, however, is stuffing all these pasalubongs inside your balikbayan box. Of course, you are only allowed to carry 70 lbs. per box and this is always a monumental problem for the traveler.

First of all, you have to demand a weighing scale from your host to determine the weight of the luggage you will carry with you on your way back to Manila. The key here is to put four cans on the weighing scale to balance out your box (just don’t forget to deduct the weight of the cans after). I’m telling you, you’ll break your back while doing this and start swearing and cussing at all those people who asked pasalubongs from you.

Unfortunately, the weighing scale lent to you by your host sometimes isn’t accurate and you end up having problems when you check in your luggage at the airport counter. Yes, I‘ve seen passengers who were asked to rip open their boxes and told to remove some items in it so as not to exceed the 70-lb. weight limit. This after you’ve spent hours putting tape all over your boxes. All because you are one or two lbs. overweight.

Flying Korean Air one time on my way back to Manila from Los Angeles, a nasty Korean ground stewardess scolded me because one of my boxes was one lb. overweight. "Next time," she told me cattily, "I will ask you to bring tape and scissors and order you to remove your excess weight from your box. Remember that – next time."

Well, I made sure there was no next time because I swore off Korean Air after that.

But this time around, the one hassle I went through with my boxes concerned the usual airport security. At random, they will ask you to turn over your boxes to them even before you can get these checked in at the airline counter. However, the one thing good about this is that they open it, they close it. But you may as well bring extra rope with you because they sometimes don’t tie it back for you.

And then, there‘s the matter of the hand-carry. When I was traveling before, I used to carry with me two or three hand-carried bags and airport personnel would just look the other way around. There was even a time when I carried a marble Last Supper with me from Mexico – along with a marble image of the Lady of Guadalupe.

Oh, and how about that time when I brought home 20 large bottles of Revlon lotion (for the Startalk staff) which I put in my hand-carried bag which must have weighed a ton. It nearly broke my right shoulder, but the Startalk staff had soft and smooth skin after that.

To my horror and shock, however, there is now a limit to what you can carry around with you – all of 15 lbs. or a maximum of 20 lbs. You may as well comply with this or get slapped with a $150 fine at the gate.

After the grueling moments you spend at the airport, it’s finally boarding time. In my last trip, I flew Philippine Airlines and had a wonderful experience – thanks to the wonderful crew which included Anthony de la Pena, Carmina and several others – one of whom was the mother of Powerboys member Jay Salas.

Here at the Manila airport, you are checked for SARS by putting a thermal scanner on your forehead the minute you step out of the plane. That‘s really no hassle and I’m glad that they are implementing such precautions.

Mercifully, I survived that last trip in spite of the hassle of traveling these days (no thanks to those idiots responsible for the Sept. 11 bombings). But really, for all the things they say about this country, I’ll just stay put next time. It’s still safer here – at least when it comes to SARS.