TSA Travel Updates

I might be late to the party here, as it has been a good nine months since I’ve been through any airport, but when I showed up at the San Jose airport this morning, the TSA security protocols were new to me! A seasoned traveler for the last decade or so, I’m an expert in putting all of my electronics in special pockets so they’re easy to pull out and set inside their TSA tray. I’ve even gone so far as to mentally design the perfect bag that doesn’t require extra zipping or sharing of space in designated laptop / tablet pockets to make it even easier. But today, we no longer had to pull out our electronics! Here I was, pulling items out of my backpack as quickly as possible, only to be told to put them back.

In addition to that, I was not prepared to need a tray for every single item, including my roller bag. In the past, my roller bag was typically just put up on the conveyor belt on its back. I suppose this is much more sanitary because the trays are cleaned more often than the belt and machine, but I was once again unprepared. I had to be that lady in line who had to go back to get another tray

For some reason, everyone else around me seemed to know the deal. I guess everyone else has been traveling throughout the pandemic, and I’m the odd one out. It seemed surreal to be almost a newbie again at these processes. I used to kind of pride myself on being good at airport protocol. I guess I just need to keep getting out there more, so that I can get back up to speed.

For the record, we did still have to remove shoes, belts, jackets, sunglasses and anything else like that. So there are some things that remain the same. I guess I have to re-think my bag design now though! Who needs a bag specifically designed for easy electronics removal through security if it’s no longer an issue?