The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Outdoor Girl]

Most airlines have size specifications for the carry on suitcase and for the personal item.  If her items fit inside those dimensions, she shouldn't have any trouble.

[MrsJWine]

Your carry-on goes in the overhead bins, and you're not allowed to access it in-flight. So make sure she puts everything she wants to use into her purse.

[Mental Magpie]

Your carry-on goes in the overhead bins, and you're not allowed to access it in-flight. So make sure she puts everything she wants to use into her purse.

I've accessed mine in flight plenty of times...once the fasten seat belt light was off.

[MrsJWine]

Your carry-on goes in the overhead bins, and you're not allowed to access it in-flight. So make sure she puts everything she wants to use into her purse.

I've accessed mine in flight plenty of times...once the fasten seat belt light was off.

Huh. Maybe I'm just flying the wrong airlines. It's always been very clearly emphasized that it is NOT OK to open the overhead bins in flight.

[stitchygreyanonymouse]

Your carry-on goes in the overhead bins, and you're not allowed to access it in-flight. So make sure she puts everything she wants to use into her purse.

I've accessed mine in flight plenty of times...once the fasten seat belt light was off.

Huh. Maybe I'm just flying the wrong airlines. It's always been very clearly emphasized that it is NOT OK to open the overhead bins in flight.

I think it depends on the size of the airplane too. I’ve flown the same airline around the same time, once international, once domestic. On the large jet, we were allowed to open the overhead bins. On the small puddle jumper it was stressed not to.

[magicdomino]

Done with my skimming luggage. Move on please..

We use some coffee and bananas and have resources to other fresh debris. We need to refresh out tomato garden.

Any suggestions?

Is this for a compost pile? 

My tomatoes get a handful of crushed egg shells or lime in their holes, and an inch of compost spread like a mulch on top.

[Outdoor Girl]

Some crushed eggshells in the hole, when you plant the tomato plants, is great.  You need a lot, though.  About the equivalent of a dozen eggs per hole.

The banana (peels), you'd want to compost down.  The coffee grounds can be spread right on the ground or can be mixed with some soil or compost and worked into the soil around the plants with another layer right on top.

[squeakers]

Pine needles will help if you don't already have acidic soil. Mulch them will a mower or just sprinkle them around the tomatoes.

[Elfmama]

I feel so silly asking this.

I haven't been on an airplane in eight years. Neither has my husband. We're going on vacation with the boys in April, a 2 1/2-hour flight.

I was reading our airline's website to be sure I knew about everything that had changed and got to the bit about luggage. That's changed a lot in eight years!     We do get one checked bag each, but it has to be within certain dimensions. (I'm sure the frequent fliers out there are rolling their eyes at me! )

The height, width, etc. are fine, but ... how much does the average, good-sized, fully packed suitcase weigh? I have no idea. We don't have a scale in the house right now. Getting hit with one (or three!) of those hefty overweight baggage fees would really start our vacation off on the wrong foot. We'll just have clothes/toiletries, etc. and some souvenirs ... nothing too hefty.

Is this something I should be concerned about? 

I see that some people on this query are talking about laptops in your suitcase.  DO NOT pack anything in your checked bags that has any intrinsic value.  NO jewelry, NO electronics, NO prescription meds, especially.  Remember that you are no longer allowed to lock your bags, so any terminal employee has access to them.  Reported thefts from checked bags total tens of thousands of dollars a year.  My jewelry (such as it is), my prescriptions, my Nook, and my CPAP machine all travel as carryon, all in one backpack that fits under the seats of even the little puddle-jumper jets that fly into small regional airports.

[Elfmama]

Another stupid luggage question --

Does a purse or backpack count as a carry-on? DD#1 is flying soon and has a perfect carry-on size bag. But she wants to bring her rather large purse (or her backpack) with her.

I'm betting not the back-pack, but what about her rather large purse?

I have a fanny-pack, a tote bag with my traveling quilt project in it, and the backpack with my CPAP. No airline official has ever said "You have too many carryons." (And if they do, I have the out, since the CPAP is necessary medical equipment.)   A purse and a backpack are fine.

[Carotte]

Just a word to say that some lowcost airlines only let you have one carry-on, no purse/backpack if you already have something else. It's always a good idea to check the airline site for this kind of info.

[Dindrane]

I am always skirting close to the weight limit on checked baggage, in part because I tend to bring lots of books with me when I travel. Even paperbacks can be heavier than you think. Then again, my husband also ends up tossing in a few hardbound books (for work) on any given trip, so that probably doesn't help.

And that is why after one particular trip I finally caved and got a Kindle.   I pretty much just use it for trips, but it's totally worth it!

Even with my iPod with its Kindle app, and a library that checks out eBooks, I still end up with multiple physical books on any given trip. What can I say, I like to read.

Also, it's really my husband that weighs us down with books these days. I think on our most recent trip, he brought 3 hardbacks with him, purchased/was given a few super dense academic-type books while we were there, and bought up about 20 small books that he can only get in his home country. My 4 paperbacks were so not the problem. A tablet of some variety is in his future before we do any more long-haul flights like this last one.

[Perfect Circle]

Just a word to say that some lowcost airlines only let you have one carry-on, no purse/backpack if you already have something else. It's always a good idea to check the airline site for this kind of info.

And some airports have the same restrictions, regardless of the airline. Heathrow was still one item only, with no exceptions, at Christmas time. So you need to check both ends.

[artk2002]

Just a word to say that some lowcost airlines only let you have one carry-on, no purse/backpack if you already have something else. It's always a good idea to check the airline site for this kind of info.

And some airports have the same restrictions, regardless of the airline. Heathrow was still one item only, with no exceptions, at Christmas time. So you need to check both ends.

I got caught right when Heathrow changed the rules. Left LAX with a laptop case and a carry-on bag (small backpack.) Changing planes at Heathrow (I was bound for Vienna, IIRC) in a very long line full of people trying to consolidate their bags into a single carry-on. I managed to do it, with stuff hanging out of the bag. The security were being at least a little lenient about it at the time. That was when I switched from to bags to a backpack that can also carry my laptop. That was also the year that my checked baggage got delayed three or four times, so I got very good at keeping a change of clothes in my backpack.

[Piratelvr1121]

Sort of an etiquette question along the lines of all you can eat for certain items.

My family just LOVES steamed crabs but it's a rare treat for us since they're rather pricey and there's 4 of us who can open them (5 when my friend was along with us).  Often these places have rules against sharing with those who have not ordered the AYCE crab feast. Which is understandable.   Last time we did this we went to Waterman's in Ocean City, MD and they have a kid's crab feast that's less expensive with about two crabs and a lot of sides so if they don't eat it all, no big deal.  Plus at the time I was pregnant with the babe so this didn't come up. 

But if we were to take the babe out for AYCE crabs, would a restaurant count us feeding him bits of crab meat as sharing? By the time we're able to do the AYCE at a restaurant, he'll probably be about 2 1/2 but won't have the dexterity to open a steamed crab himself.   So it's not like even ordering the children's crab meal would make sense.  And even if we could open it for him, I doubt he'd even eat a whole crab's worth of the meat, let alone the two that come with the children's meal.