travel with only smart phones

Interesting, though I only bring my iPhone but worrisome because checking valuable electronics seems like a recipe for disaster. What about the people who only do carry-on? Where did you read this?

I don't know.... that would mean all of those items containing lithium batteries would be in the cargo. Surely they wouldn't do that.

Here's one story on the potential ban.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/05/08/europe-u-k-flight-electronics-ban/

May happen sometime soon, so not a done deal.

Flying is just getting more and more unpleasant...

True, Susan.

I guess I could ship my electronics and some other things to my first hotel??? Or take a transatlantic cruise...

Why not just have the batteries removed?

If the Tablet / Laptop ban is expanded, travellers will undoubtedly adapt to the new circumstances. I haven't heard anything yet on whether flights to & from Canada will be affected, but I'm sure the authorities here are monitoring the situation. In my case, I sometimes like to do some work on my Netbook during flights, but it wouldn't be a huge inconvenience if I had to check the Netbook. I could still function to some extent just using my iPhone. Given the fact that baggage handling in large airports is pretty much completely automated these days, I have fewer concerns about pilfering taking place.

OH NO.. travel without all our electronics.. how primitive.. how did me ever manage 20 or so years ago.

Sorry.. this ban effects my enjoyment not one little bit.. thank goodness.

If it affects yours then I guess we travel differently and for different reasons. I can read a book and a map, and a schedule.. so why exactly does one need a laptop or tablet to enjoy Venice or Paris.. ???

I have an iPod , a tablet , an Iphone and a laptop , and can easily leave them at home ( and have) and other than those traveling for business.. I dont get the worry . Long distance phone calls are cheap now.. so it only makes it easier for those who want to touch base back home.. although for a 2 week trip I dont see that you would need to unless you have kids or elderly sick parents at home.

Sorry.

pat,

"Long distance phone calls are cheap now.. so it only makes it easier for those who want to touch base back home."

I've found that cell phones (and especially smartphones) are much more important for solo travellers, and based on personal experience I will never travel without one. If an unexpected emergency occurs, it may not be possible to access phones for "cheap" long distance calls. Take it from me, having a smartphone at hand can make a BIG difference during some situations.

Our smartphones don't work overseas and we do just fine without them. In fact, it is nice to not be addicted to them.

My Wife has taken her tablet with her on some trips, when we are on a cruise, so she can work. She rarely does that much anyway.

The restriction of electronic devices is likely linked to terror threats.

Here's the thing with phones: they aren't just phones. By that I mean they aren't just used for calling and texting. I don't use mine for that purpose very much at all when traveling. In fact, I rarely turn on data.

What it is is a extremely useful multi-purpose tool. A map, with real-time directions! A guidebook! A camera! A video camera! A music player! An alarm clock! A currency converter! A weather report! A compass! A language translator and dictionary! A player for audio guides! A storage locker for all the papers/confirmations/tickets/information you used to have to print and carry in a binder! Unlimited books for fun reading (yes, I prefer real books too but they are heavy). And so on. People who don't use one because they don't call home might want to consider the other uses because it really is immensely helpful. Of course you have to use it then put it away, not be obsessed with looking at twitter while in the Louvre ;)

As for the ban - I can easily live without my device on a flight. Most people, besides those working, can but that's not the only concern. What's hard is the risk of an item being stolen, damaged or lost. I have to take a computer for work, and I'm a hobby photographer with a fairly pricey DSLR and lens - which falls under the ban. Having that stolen or damaged by the bag being thrown is a real concern.

The only issue I have with the ban is most airlines specifically exclude electronics and camera gear from coverage in case of loss or damage. So if you check the item and it doesn't arrive where you are going the airlines say "Oh, well, you shouldn't have checked it." That part is going to have to change or there will be passenger riots.

Before we had smart phones we used to travel with readers, phones, cameras and guidebooks. Last 3 trips we have traveled with smart phones only and it has been quite liberating!

My concern is also mainly about having to check cameras. Though I use a point-and-shoot class camera, it's not a pocket size and would apparently have to be checked under these rules. I'm apprehensive about that. Also, as I understand, the ban would probably apply to my Kindle. Sure, you say I can just bring a book. And I say the Kindle screen and adjustable type size is far easier to read for my aging eyes. Hard to imagine what threat this 62-year-old midwesterner's 7-year-old bare-bones Kindle would pose.

I agree with many here. The helpfulness of our smart phones when traveling is huge! If you haven't tried it, I would urge you to consider the apps that you can use off line... Including the Rick Steves' audio tours.

I know many airlines are now streaming their entertainment on internal WiFi so people can watch on their own devises... wonder how that will work if a ban is implemented.

Wait 'til fares go up because

1) airlines have to start honoring claims for damaged electronics in checked luggage (business ppl still have to take their laptops - they have no choice)
and
2) fuel consumption skyrockets because we have to start lugging stacks of books on our long trips

I no longer travel for leisure with paper - not guidebooks, not (most) maps, not books, not magazines, not newspapers, nothing except a sometimes a backup printout of my boarding pass and a page or two of itinerary info.

If I have to start lugging paper again it will literally add 10 lb to my baggage, and will add to the solid waste at my destination as I discard stuff as I go. Because NO I am not taking stuff home that I will never need again.

Here's how Emirates Airline has been handling the issue on their direct flights from Dubai to the USA. Travelers were told about this option at check-in. Rather than checking larger electronics upon arrival at the airport, they allowed you to keep them until the boarding gate. There, they hand-searched all luggage and set aside all electronics "larger than a standard smart phone" to be bubble-wrapped, placed in a carton with your name on it (matching your boarding card), secured with zip ties, and checked separately. Boxes were reclaimed with other checked luggage, not on the carrousel but on a cart in the international arrivals area. My point-and-shoot Lumix camera was deemed large enough for this treatment. Doesn't this take a lot of time? Yes. While Emirates might have had a dozen staff involved in the packing effort, it took 20-30 minutes for my camera to be packed and boarding card returned to me.

This is very concerning if my daughter cannot take her laptop to Italy for her semester there. Is there a student waiver?

Betsree, I would wait and cross that bridge when we come to it. If the TSA decides to implement a wide-ranging carry-on restriction, there will not be a student waiver. But it may never happen.

Betsree - if there is a ban it will be on flights FROM Europe, if it is like the current Middle East ban. So she can take it over as normal. If the ban happens she would need to check the laptop in her luggage on her return flight to the US.

Ugh we leave in two weeks. My fear is I will get caught in this on the way back. If before hand no problem, I will just do plan b. I am so not comfortable checking a fragile DSLR camera and my tablet. Grrrr.

another article from The Daily Beast.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to ban laptops in the cabins of all flights from Europe to the United States, European security officials told The Daily Beast. The announcement is expected Thursday.

Some people are smug on the lines of "I am a real traveler and I don't need electronics".

Good for you, you all could also try traveling without any medicine you need if it was developed after 1995, or make a point of carrying all your travel money in the form of traveler's checks.

The Emirates solution has been criticized by some technical experts at ICAO. Clustering a lot of electronics in one place in the cargo hold is a fire hazard. Consumer-grade lithium batteries are generally not a problem, for any fire that happens to a device on board could be contained or not spread that much. Cluster 100 laptops in two adjacent compartments and you have a fire hazard.

Actually, for a long time, there have been specific rules about transportation of loose lithium batteries: maximum 2 (or 1 depending on route) per passenger, on the cabin (where fires are easier to spot).

The problem seems to be that modern lithium batteries are difficult to be told apart from the latest terrorist-assembled plastic explosive pack. There are machines that can detect them, but they are very costly and not routinely used at airports - at least for now.

Anyone have any notion of where CPAPs would figure into this equation?

Wow, are the back up batteries also in the ban? I've been told that explosives are a problem, not the batteries. I am so blind in this, but I've been told that explosives can be put in the size of small devices. What the .... are we going to do? I rely on my smart phone for entertainment on flights.

ken.. I have traveled solo.. a lone female.. no phone. and guess what.. its just fine. I wont buy into the "need" aspect.. sorry.. you don't need it.. you want it.

I brought my tablet once to check emails and look up stuff the night before I was going to go places.. I used something called a pen.. and paper, and would sometimes write out directions and notes on which metro to take etc.. these primative tools stood me in good stead.. and I never worried about losing my expensive iphone.

Business travelers will definitely be affected, and people like me who were using Kindles to read on the plane because you can adjust the font size will be affected.

(Yes, I can change the font size on my phone as well, but that works out to like a dozen words per screen and not quite worth it if you're reading a long book.)

From what I've seen, the ban will only impact flights coming INTO the US from Europe. Flights headed out from the US don't seem to be affected so far.

pat,

I made my previous comments based on personal experience, which I'd rather not elaborate on here. I stand by my comments.

I'm in Italy now and not looking forward to this.

I wonder what other electronics will be banned besides laptops. Tablets? Backup batteries? Chargers? eReaders?

And isn't it interesting that we are the only country to do this?

And what about lithium batteries in the hold? Aren't we not supposed to check items with lithium batteries?

Or theft?

I know that this is an inconvenience for some and perhaps it doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense right now, IMO. However, keep this in perspective. This is a first world problem. The system will be adjusted. The pendulum of justice moves slowly or whatever that saying is... Most size phones or iPods will be able to be carried on. Books are still a source of entertainment. Audio books from the library on your cell or iPod type device will work fine. I'll have to decide if I want to check one of our inexpensive DSLRs or take something smaller...for the flight home. Not the end of the world...and I LOVE taking photographs. I just might have to have my memories in my mind and journal. I often wonder at the number of posts on this forum by people who are on vacation... This will help those people to let go of the internet and attempt to enjoy their trip, rather than talk about their trip prematurely. At least this is only for the trip home so the risk is slightly less, I guess. One must adapt in life, and this is hardly a tough matter. This will certainly lighten my load by about 5 lbs. traveling sans camera equipment...hmmm, seems like more bag shopping is called for... :)

Ken, I agree with you. There are absolutely situations when having a cell phone is a need and not a want. I would never go anywhere without mine.

Per the news this morning, hearings are going to be held this week to determine if the ban will be extended to all airline flights. The airlines will also be attending. I guess this means that airlines that have eliminated seat back entertainment screens because people carry their own devices may have to reconsider.

We recently returned home from a trip on Turkish Airlines, one of those impacted by the ban. They handled it very efficiently. At the last security check at the gate, everyone with a device larger than a smart phone (I had a tablet) was directed to a desk where their device was taken, wrapped in bubble wrap, and tagged. They had several cases for the devices they took. I signed a list with the description of my device and was given a receipt. In San Francisco baggage area next to the carousel where our luggage was, they had a desk set up where we went to claim our device. We signed the same list to indicate we received our device. There was no hassle and we felt safer having Turkish Airlines in charge of our device rather than packing it in our luggage to be at the mercy of the baggage handlers. Not sure how other airlines are handling the situation or how it will be handled if the restrictions will be applied to all airlines but our experience was hassle free.

Curious about those who have just traveled to restricted countries, was this only on the flight from the country to USA or was both ways.

I am still curious about portable charging batteries...

tgreen, This is a USA rule and has applied only on flights directly to the USA from particular origin points. Airlines are charged with enforcement. I heard about it while waiting in the Emirates check-in line in Seattle, so I knew what to expect on the way home. Emirates asked about any "electronics" you were carrying. So if your batter pack was larger than a standard cell phone, in any dimension, then I believe they would have packed it up, just as they did with my small camera. Again, it's explained as the possibility of explosives disguised as something else, not about batteries themselves.

So, Laura, just confirming, you could still carry-on your bag. You didn't have to check anything--except the electronics themselves.