What's the 3-1-1?
The cockeyed optimist in me has found something to love about the TSA regulations on liquids in carry-ons. The whole enterprise is a chance to marry my love of traveling with my zeal for repurposing, and it all started with pimples and mouthwash.
I'd been traveling a bunch in the spring and early summer, and my complexion was paying the price. I decided I had to stop using hotel soaps and bring along my own oil-free cleanser to ward off those awful vacation breakouts.
But I couldn't find a three-ounce bottle of face wash anywhere. I rummaged in my cache of travel-size cosmetics (what can I say? Buying sample-size tubes of toothpaste makes me happy), but the one two-ounce tube of Neutrogena scrub only had a few drops left. Then I spotted the mini Listerine bottle -- two ounces, glass, with a leakproof, screw-on cap. Jackpot. One run through the dishwasher and I had my supply of tea tree face wash ready to pop in my quart-size baggie. But that was just the beginning.
I was thrilled to have finished a jar of cumin. Into the dishwasher, and voila! Moisturizer jar! Mini bottle of hairspray? Travel Febreze spritzer! (After reading a Health section story about people mistaking, say, superglue for eye drops, I'm careful to label everything with a Sharpie.)
I realized I'd gone a little overboard when I spent an hour one Saturday squeezing, then scraping, SPF 30 lotion into a repurposed capers jar, only to happen upon, Monday morning, a whole display of three-ounce containers of sunscreen at Rite Aid. Of course, once I get down to the last dabs of lotion in those tubes, I'll figure out a way to fill them back up with something else for my next carry-on adventure.
Has anyone else fallen into the rabbit hole of 3-1-1 obsession? Any other ideas for where to find 3-oz-or-smaller containers to fill with hair goo and hand cream?
By Christina Talcott |
November 26, 2007; 7:25 AM ET
| Category:
Christina Talcott
,
Travel Strategies
,
Travel Survival Tips
Previous: The Local Airports: Zagat Weighs In |
Next: Park and Cry
View or post comments
Posted by: Sam Walton | November 26, 2007 1:06 PM
How about, instead of trying to find ways to follow along with the 3-1-1 rule, we question the morons at TSA as to why they think this makes us safer in the frist place.
Seriously, If someone wanted to cause damage to an airplane with liquids, they still could. Terrorists don't work alone. Several people can combine their three oz. bottles of liquids to make one fairly decent bomb. The liquids aren't tested. Who's to say someone's 2 oz. toothpaste tube isn't filled with C-4?
We're following along like lemmings.
Posted by: | November 26, 2007 2:35 PM
Good Grief, indeed! And if you don't like the selection at Wal-Mart, Container Store has a number of leak proof travel containers at reasonable prices waiting to be filled with whatever your cosmetics routine requires.
Posted by: Sam Walton 2 | November 27, 2007 5:53 PM
Container Store has its own sectin. Wal-Mart and Target (and several major drugstore chains) offer small enough fillable bottles in with their "travel-size" goods section, usually at $1 each or less. Bed Bath & Beyond and Linens N Things both offer travel "kits" with a sturdy (stronger than a standard Ziploc) zip-top plastic bag, filled with small containers of various shapes, sizes, and purposes.
Posted by: CastaLusoria | November 30, 2007 11:21 AM
I just so happen to work for the airport, I know that they will suggest that you put your fluids in your checked luggage. It is funny to hear whimmpering from people that are miss informed by word of mouth, the media, or one of their drunken friends. If you have problems with the 3-1-1, I think you have problems with the 4-1-1. I just hope that people will wake up to today, we are no longer cave-people and there is a very emminent threat. Keep our skys safe!!!
Posted by: anonamous | December 1, 2007 7:49 AM
I have various hair and face things repackaged inside cheap 1 oz. shampoo travel travel sizes - had to buy them specifically for this purpose and then rinse them out. They have to be smaller than the 3oz limit so that I can still fit them in the 1-quart baggie.
I've never had the following problem personally, but I've heard horror stories of TSA screeners mandating that liquids had to be in their original packaging, which would make our coping strategies impossible. Does anyone have more back-up info on this? (I know that one solution is to check luggage, but I travel light and ship bags if necessary so that I don't have to check luggage).
Posted by: adub | December 3, 2007 12:52 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Good Grief - the travel size section at Walmart has all sorts of empty bottles made for just this purpose. And cheap.