Following 9/11 and a threat at Heathrow Airport, security controls at airports became more strict and an international convention has been adopted in terms of prohibited items.

Remember that NOT the airline is checking your hand luggage, but the airport security. Therefore, questions such as: “I am flying to X city with Y airline, am I allowed to bring in my carry on [insert random object here]. Please note that if any of the following is found in your carry on bag at security check you will have to throw it or if it’s found in your checked in bag (which is also X-ray scanned), you will have a very unpleasant situation at the beginning of your journey.

In terms of what is allowed in your hand luggage, the international standards are:

• Recipients must NOT exceed 100ml and must be placed in a transparent Ziplock bag with the maximum capacity of 1 liter. IMPORTANT: ONLY ONE 1l BAG IS ALLOWED PER PASSENGER! Depending on the airport’s scanners, you will have to remove them from your bag and put them in the tray for inspection, but the security personnel will inform you exactly. You can find travel size recipients in almost all online stores, such as Amazon or Temu and some brands also sell their products in small sizes, especially designed for travel.
• All electronic devices that use lithium batteries MUST be carried in the cabin bag and must be shown at security check. This includes: laptops, tablets, mobile phones, drones, external batteries, professional cameras, GoPro, smartwatches, wireless headphones, computer mice, tobacco heating devices, etc.

What do I have to place in small recipients and in the 1l bag?

• Body and hair products, such as: shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body/baby oil, roll-on deodorants, mouthwash, toothpaste, hair gel, intimate lotion
• Any type of cream – face, hands, body, feet, shaving cream and medicine (such as dermatological creams, anti-allergic, etc)
• Liquids – perfume, micellar water, disinfectant, after shave, nail polish remover (without acetone), nose drops, eyedrops and contact lenses liquid.
• Makeup – lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss, mascara, primer, foundation, brow gel, nail polish, liquid eyeliner or cream blush, bronzer or eyeshadow. Compact eyeshadow palettes, blush, bronzer, powder and eye and lip pencils are not considered liquids.
• Aerosols and sprays – deodorant, thermal water, hairspray, make-up setting spray, bug repellents, dry shampoo
• Sunscreen – lotions, spray or stick
• Syrups
• Food – peanut butter, Nutella, pistachio cream, fish roe salad, honey.
• Souvenirs that contain any type of liquid or gel – magnets, bottle openers, small snow globes
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages – traditional drinks (such as ginjinha, ouzo, meloraki, etc), olive oil.

EXCEPTIONS to the 100ml rule – please check with the airports, as these differ from country to country and they need to be placed separately at the security check

• Baby food
• Baby milk bottles – they can contain liquid
• Baby water bottles – such as low sodium or alkaline water
• Syrups or any other type of liquid medication if it is in its original recipient and you have a medical prescription
• Any products that have been purchased from duty free at the departure airport and you have a connecting flight. The products mut be sealed in a special bag, the receipt attached to it and it must mention the final destination. The bag MUST NOT be opened or unsealed until you reach your destination! Scenario: I travel from Lisbon to Rome. Let’s assume there are no direct flights on my travel date, so I have bought a ticket with stopover in Madrid. I buy some vinho verde and Porto wine from Lisbon duty free. I inform the cashier that my final destination is Rome, not Madrid (usually they ask) as I have two separate boarding cards for each flight (two airlines). The bottles will be sealed in a special bag and the final destination is mentioned on the receipt. In Madrid I have to change the terminal and therefore I have to again through security check. I will take out of my luggage the bottles I bought in Lisbon duty free and put them in a separate tray for inspection.

Although some airports have abolished the 100ml rule due to the investment in hi-tech 3D scanners, remember that this is not available worldwide. The EU has reverted to the 100ml rule regardless of the equipment used by some EU airports where you didn’t need to remove anything from your carry-on bag and you could pass with a 2l water bottle, if needed (such as Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, Schiphol, Rome Fiumicino, Paris – Orly, Madrid Barajas and Barcelona). The revert is temporary, until all airports will have the same advanced technology, at least all over EU. For example, I could take my 250ml sunscreen bottle from Cluj to Mykonos but I would have had to throw it at return, as no Greek airport has this facility, not even Athens.

The list of prohibited items that you can bring on board or put in your checked in luggage is pretty long, but it sums up to the following categories:

• Guns, firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles – firearms of all types, toy guns (including nerf guns), compressed air and ball bearing guns, signal flare pistols, bows, crossbows and arrows, slingshots and catapults. NO, you can’t bring your kid’s toy gun or slingshot on board
• Stunning devices – tasers, stun batons or pepper spray
• Objects with a sharp point or edge – axes, ice picks, razor blades, box cutters, cork screw, knives with blades more than 6cm, scissors with blades of more than 6 cm as measured from the fulcrum, scalpels, carving tools
• Workmen’s tools – crowbars, drills and drill bits, screwdrivers and chisels with a blade or shaft over 6cm, blow torches
• Blunt instruments – baseball and softball bats, martial arts equipment
• Explosives and incendiary substances – ammunition, blasting caps, fireworks, smoke canisters
• Any type of drugs or halogenic / psychotic substances, even for recreational or medical use (such as cannabis oil). What is legal in your country can put you behind bars for some years, a lifetime or even worse (in some countries capital punishment is still applied for drug use)

Some of the above items can be carried in the checked-in luggage, however there are some restrictions there too. Here is what you cannot put in the cargo hold bags:

• Electronic devices and lithium batteries
• Electronic cigarettes, lighters, matches, vapes or heating tobacco devices
• Self-balancing devices – hoverboards, airboards e-skates, etc
• Explosives and flammable substances, including alcohol over 70%
• Chemicals and toxic substances – mercury (including thermometers and barometers), chlorine paint, pepper spray, poisons, printers or toner cartridges
• Products of animal origin that are the result of hunting
• Compressed gases – oxygen tanks, scuba tanks
• Cremated remains
• Realistic toy replicas of guns or explosive devices
• Torch lighters
• Drugs, even for medical use

But what CAN I bring on board?

• Electronic devices, including hand held consoles
• Small quantities of liquids, as mentioned above
• Knitting and sewing needles
• Shaver, trimmer, disposable razor
• Travel iron, hair straightener, curling iron, hairdryer (you can also put them in the checked in bag, unless they run on lithium batteries)
• Musical instruments, depending on their size. You wouldn’t want to check-in a Stradivarius violin or a guitar signed by Keith Richards. These can be placed in the overhead compartment.
• Your own food and snacks, such as sandwiches. Be careful: if the food has a liquid/gel/cream consistency it must be placed in 100ml containers and counted for the 1l allowance
• Medical devices which are vital, such as EpiPens, insulin pump, blood sugar test kit, hearing aids, etc.
• Foldable umbrellas – you are not allowed with the big ones with a pointy end
• Travel pillow, stuffed toys, colouring pencils
• Foldable baby carriage, that must fit in the overhead compartment (folded must not exceed the maximum size imposed by the airline for large cabin bag)
• Canes, casts, crutches
• Empty thermos or refillable bottle

Things you should always have in your carry on bag, regardless of the fact that you also have a checked-in luggage:

• Documents – passport, ID, driver’s license, insurance policy, custody decision, hotel reservation, return flight reservation
• Medical records and prescriptions – if you are undergoing long term treatment, have allergies or any other medical condition
• Medicine
• Lip balm, hand cream (less than 100ml, as per the above rule)
• Wet wipes, disinfectant, tissues
• Chewing gum – essential at take-off and landing
• Child/baby must have kit – pacifier, favourite toy, colouring book, snacks, water, food
• Electronic devices, as stated above
• Wired pair of headphones – especially for long flights, as some airlines have inflight entertainment and not all offer free headphones.
• Valuable objects – jewelry, watches, trophies, medals, musical instruments
• Wallet – cash, credit cards. IMPORTANT! It is NOT recommended to carry large amount of cash and if you carry more than 10.000 euros or dollars you must declare them at customs. Always have more than 1 card with you (debit, credit or prepaid)
• Personal valuable items – family photos, stuffed toys, small gifts
• Cremated remains – they are not allowed in the checked in luggage
• Glasses and their cases – reading, sunglasses or contact lenses (including their case and solution)
• Some spare clothes – underwear, T-shirt, socks – even if you have checked in luggage. During peak vacation months (July-August, winter holidays or school breaks) or when you have a stopover at another airport your checked in luggage might be delayed or even worse
• Travel adapters – remember that not all countries have the same plug type as yours
• A blanket, neck pillow and sleeping mask – strongly recommended for long flights.