Today starts the busiest traveling month of all, with friends and family bustling to celebrate the holidays with one another.

With gas prices relatively low in most areas of the country (notice, I did say relatively low), some families might be driving. Most, however, depending on the distance, will be flying the friendly skies to get to their destination.

What I really want to know is: Is everyone doing their homework before they leave their house?

Ever since September 11, 2001, the TSA has been cracking down and paying close attention to everything we try to bring on the plane: both on purpose and inadvertently.

And the TSA should.

But what people don’t realize is 1) the TSA puts out a list of what you can and cannot bring through security at the airport and 2) you can actually tweet or contact the TSA through social media and ask if something is okay to bring.

An example: I was flying to Orlando in 2017 and I wanted to bring some lunch with me. I knew drinks weren’t allowed (sealed or unsealed), but I wasn’t 100% sure about Wawa hoagies. So I tweeted them and voila, got the answer that it was okay and off I went to Orlando with a hoagie in hand.

An example of their social media presence

Their Instagram account, which has amassed over 2 million followers, points out some of the most interesting finds the TSA agents has come across.

I get it – some people just forget they have things in their bags but some actually try to see if they can get away with it.

But if the TSA is allowing you to ask prior to even leaving your residence, why aren’t you asking?

Traveling this holiday season? Click here to see what you can and cannot bring.

Making Professional Stadiums More Secure

Airports aren’t the only place where security is beefing up and limiting what you can and cannot bring onto the premises.

Arenas and stadiums are severely limiting what’s allowed on their grounds. Yes – most arenas are paid partially by taxpayer’s money, but it still property ran by billion dollar organizations who have a say what comes in.

Incidents in and around venues

• Ariana Grande’s concert in London had explosives go off just outside the arena.
• In Orlando, a YouTube celebrity and”The Voice” singer, Christina Grimmie was shot to death by a “fan” who traveled to Orlando just to see her.
• Numerous shootings at concerts

With all of this, stadiums around the country, and in fact the world, have been changing their policies on what’s allowed inside.

But not everyone is checking before they leave their homes or work places to see if what they’re about to bring to the game will even be allowed in.

Stadiums are posting on their websites, their social media, and sending out emails about what’s allowed in during which events.

Below is what Levi’s Stadium tweeted out several hours before the 49ers Sunday Night matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Most stadiums are doing this before each event.

Even before you walk up to the gates, there are signs everywhere saying what you’re allowed and not allowed to bring.

But the amount of people who don’t look before they arrive is astounding.

Every stadium and arena, whether it’s an NBA/NHL arena, or NFL, MLB, or MLS stadium, has a security checkpoint that will have you walk through a metal detector and possibly followed up by a metal detecting wand before you can even get your ticket scanned. You might’ve waited in line for 20 minutes even before going through the detector.

But if the metal detector goes off and you have something that can’t be brought in (i.e. a bag or an e-cigarette or any other contraband), you have to either throw the items out or leave the line and find a place for your things.

“See something, say something” is a new expression that everyone’s using for something suspicious, person or package. If you leave something outside that doesn’t look right, someone might think it’s an explosive.

Most go drop things off in their car or a friend’s car.

Others might take their Uber / Lyft back to their hotels or AirBnb’s to drop it off.

Some stadiums offer lockers to place the prohibited items in outside the stadium. They are still checked by security but they won’t be allowed inside the stadium / arena.

But those lockers come at a cost. And if you pay it once, you probably won’t pay it again because you’ll be thinking before you leave for the event, “Will I be allowed to bring this into the stadium?”.

But people also ask, “why can’t they just see go through my bag and see that nothing is in there?” or say “..but I was allowed to bring in to another stadium or onto another plane.” The amount of time you’re wasting arguing could’ve been saved if you looked online five minutes before you left.

Well, every stadium and airline is different. They can provide the information but it’s up to us, as guests and patrons, to actually do our own homework.

Most people have smartphones, with massive amounts of information at their fingertips.

Why don’t we use it?

Safe travels!