Need to know
People have been warned that they could ‘cancel Christmas’ if they are not careful
People heading away for Christmas have been issued a warning. And if you don’t adhere to the rules, you could have a sad December 25. Here’s what you need to know:
- People travelling this month are urged to avoid pre-wrapping your Christmas presents. While it is tempting to get ahead of your festive chores by wrapping gifts at home to take with you on your festive trip, security experts strongly advise against it.
- To stay organised without the risk, consider packing gift bags that can be folded flat or bringing rolls of paper and tape in your suitcase to use once you reach your destination. The advice by 1st Move International and Ryanair suggests that leaving items unwrapped is the only way to ensure your gifts make it through the security screening process without being damaged or discarded.
- The budget favourite airline said: “Don’t spend hours intricately wrapping gifts to carry in your hand luggage. Wrapped gifts may be opened, searched and screened by airport security staff.”
- It is worth noting that travellers sometimes forget that the 100ml liquid restriction applies to more than just toiletries. It also covers many popular Christmas gifts, including jams, preserves, chutneys and even snow globes, which are classified as liquids or gels.
- The primary reason for the “no-wrap” rule is that security personnel must have a clear, unobstructed view of every item passing through the x-ray machine. Wrapped packages create “dark spots” or unusual silhouettes that the machines may flag as suspicious, meaning that when an item cannot be identified digitally, manual inspection becomes mandatory, which involves physical unwrapping by staff.
- Experts at 1st Move International warned that a single packing error could “cancel Christmas” by causing you to miss your flight or lose expensive presents. By following the advice of travel experts and airlines, you can mitigate the risk of losing your property.
READ MORE HERE: Packing this item in your suitcase could ruin Christmas
