Part of the fun of heading home for Christmas when you live overseas is that you can bring your loved ones gifts from where you live, different things they cannot easily get at home, things that represent the country where you are living. But some gift items are surprisingly awkward to travel with. Airport security is extremely strict. So here are a few tips to get your Christmas presents home with minimal panic – and they apply to any gifts you are bringing back with you after your visit.
1. Don’t bring gifts in your carry-on luggage. If you are living in Ireland, it is nice to bring crystal home as a gift. If you do, you need to know that the lead content in crystal sets off metal detectors. It will probably be inspected by airport security even if you have it in your checked baggage. Snow globes will also attract attention because they contain liquid. Don’t even try to put them in your carry-on bags as they usually exceed today’s strict limits on volume. And a jar of whiskey marmalade will also violate rules for carry-on items, as will bottles of lotion. A box of chocolate seems perfectly harmless, but foil wrappers can set off airport security systems. (Bonus, putting the sweets in your checked bags removes any temptation to eat them!
2. Wait to wrap your presents until you arrive at your destination. Yes, this is a major pain. But it isn’t as annoying as arriving and finding that your meticulously, artistically wrapped gifts have been torn apart by a zealous airport security staffer. Sure, your bag might be inspected by some kind soul fully into the season spirit who carefully opens only where you have tapped the paper and painstakingly tapes it back exactly as it was. You can guess yourself what the odds of that are. Think of it as an act of kindness for the inspectors who really don’t take any pleasure in ripping open other people’s presents but must do their jobs thoroughly. They don’t enjoy the extra hassle of unwrapping presents.
3. Ship your gifts. You do not have to carry those Christmas presents with you. You can ship them with Spratt. And no, you do not need to have a sleigh load of presents to get a good deal. You can ship your gifts and know that they will be handled by experts who take seriously their duty to get your items from A to B in perfect condition. You can also ship clothes and other personal items and fly with only a carry-on bag. Skipping the baggage carousel when you arrive home is a wonderful holiday present to yourself!
Spratt Personal Shipping offer fast, secure and efficient services worldwide. So you can rest assured that your items will arrive safely in your destination country. Contact us today for a quote!
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