248
votes
Accepted
Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage
Sorry, it's a valid idea but it's not going to happen
It's tricky to find passengers who will be on your flight before you pass through security. You would have to catch them at check in, before they ...
- 94.8k
163
votes
Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage
Sensible people will call security on you and you're probably going to get arrested.
You may find a "mark" but you'd be placing a naive and people-pleasing person in a very bad and nerve-wracking ...
- 1,401
130
votes
Accepted
How do I identify an airport’s official free Wi-Fi network?
Unfortunately, you cannot. Nowadays anyone can use a small portable device to create a bogus Wi-Fi network, so even if you know SSID (network name), you still cannot be sure you are connecting to the ...
- 3,864
111
votes
Accepted
Smartphone taken from baggage while on layover
The airline is liable.
According to the Montreal convention the airline cannot disclaim liability via their contract of carriage or other terms and conditions. As in this analysis by the US DoT (not ...
- 28.4k
102
votes
Accepted
Personal security during a business trip to Moscow
Update: as of March 2022, travel to Russia is unsafe for anyone.
The country is not even safe for its own citizens.
Anyone — regardless of whether you're a Russian national or not, no matter what ...
- 2,711
93
votes
Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage
Even ignoring the practicalities, it's a terrible idea.
Without being too paranoid, I don't know what you have done with that knife.
I don't want my finger prints on it, I don't want whatever ...
- 1,672
92
votes
Accepted
How to get rid of the men who ask for money in Milan?
Answer by a local here.
I work 200 meters from Duomo of Milan, so I find them at the underground exit every morning.
First and foremost, remember that most of the people doing this are pushed by a ...
- 1,238
73
votes
Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage
Forget the fact that it's a knife for a moment.
Would you accept a deal where you risk arrest just so a stranger can save (say) $30?
If you're like most people, your answer is no. If you're not, ...
- 1,782
71
votes
Do North American banks have a key phrase that allows customers to disable all security checks for using the card internationally?
No. Since the bank is the one that has to assume the risk of unauthorized charges (by law, your liability can't be more than $50), it doesn't matter that you are "okay with taking the risk," because ...
- 86k
65
votes
How to get rid of the men who ask for money in Milan?
You have to be assertive, just say NO! (or BASTA! or any other local equivalent ) loud and direct. That is how most locals deal with them.
Don't interact with them, don't engage; turn/move away.
If ...
- 14.7k
60
votes
What happens if you swab positive for a drug sample at Canadian airports even if you don’t have anything on you?
Just because your bag is triggered doesn't mean you will be in trouble. I bought a backpack at Heathrow duty free while in transit to the US which triggered a positive hit on the explosive wand - ...
- 39.5k
58
votes
Accepted
How to safely store my locker key in a hostel at night?
In places that I've felt to be a bit dodgier than usual I have done a few things:
Sleep in shorts with a pocket and keep the key in my pocket.
Thread the key onto a string and wear it around my neck.
...
- 78.3k
58
votes
How to safely use password-protected websites on internet cafe computers
If the security is password only, the answer is that you can't: if they're logging your keystrokes, your password will be compromised, period.
However, the best two-factor authentication system while ...
- 99.4k
57
votes
Accepted
Do airport metal scanners occasionally flash a false alarm on purpose?
Sometimes.
At least in the TSA Precheck lanes in the United States, the metal detectors (Precheck lanes use metal detectors, not body scanners) can alarm randomly to alert the screeners to perform a ...
- 86k
56
votes
Are cheap "programmable" combination padlocks known to change their own combinations?
Here's a trick I learned many years ago when I used to work in a stationary/office supply shop, it always helped me unlock ANY padlock with a combination. You'd be surprised of the number of people ...
- 96.5k
56
votes
Accepted
Are you protected in an untrusted embassy in a country you trust?
Assuming that your friend is in a conflict with the bureaucracy of his home country, a much more likely problem is that the consulate will simply refuse to extend the passport and your friend would be ...
- 82.1k
55
votes
Are you protected in an untrusted embassy in a country you trust?
An embassy's premises are "inviolable" by the authorities of the host country, so the host country couldn't prevent the embassy from detaining anyone there. The embassy would have a hard time getting ...
- 131k
50
votes
Accepted
Why did airport security swab my hands with wet paper?
Often at security they swab my backpack and some of my possessions with a small piece of damp paper. It is supposed to pick up traces of the materials I've been handling. Then they put it in a machine ...
- 79.8k
49
votes
How do I identify an airport’s official free Wi-Fi network?
I work at an airport in the UK. I would say that, unless the name of the public wifi is stated on advertising signage, the best thing to do is the ask a member of airport staff if there is anyone ...
- 531
48
votes
How do I identify an airport’s official free Wi-Fi network?
While it's not a foolproof method, walking around and watching which network remains available is a way to figure out the official one if there are multiple possibilities.
It's unlikely that an ...
- 3,005
48
votes
Tips to avoid forgetting a bag
Put everything which isn't physically attached to you in one place. You're less likely to leave all your luggage behind than forget one item, so it's a bad idea to have your gloves are on the seat ...
- 3,851
47
votes
Smartphone taken from baggage while on layover
Not sure about Quatar but in other jurisdictions (e.g. USA, India) you can complain to the airport authorities. They will review CCTV footage (after some pushing) and if they catch a handler filching ...
- 2,442
47
votes
Preparing in case ATM/debit cards might go missing during a long trip
This is a fairly simple approach, but I have a couple of different cards (including ATM/debit and credit) from different banks (which also helps with ATM compatibility issues). When I travel, I take ...
- 86k
46
votes
Do airport metal scanners occasionally flash a false alarm on purpose?
This is a definite yes. If the metal detector beeps, turn around and you'll see "QUOT" for quota if you've been selected for random screening.
Edit:
I paid particular attention to this on a trip this ...
- 28.4k
45
votes
Accepted
Why do some hostels only allow international visitors?
Don't take it personally, that happens in other countries as well. It's not common, but there are hostels in the US, Canada, and Europe that don't allow people from their own country to stay there. ...
- 1,647
42
votes
How to safely store my locker key in a hostel at night?
Personally I use the pillowcase method. Small torch, asthma inhaler, old phone I use as an alarm/music player (vibrate wakes me, doesn't wake anyone else, best ever), and locker key, all fit into a ...
- 521
41
votes
Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage
I've been in more or less this situation in Charles de Gaulle on Air France. I was travelling with carry-on only and had bought a souvenir letter opener that I subsequently forgot about. I had ...
- 519
41
votes
Is it safe to become separated from your passport in a foreign country?
Two comments on this subject.
China has a particularly complicated visa application process
Not really. It's a bit long, but you should see what a US visa application for Global South citizens looks ...
- 4,162
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible