One of the most asinine things about airport travel is traveling through airport security. Thanks to a foiled terrorist plot in 2006 that involved explosives in soft drinks, countries around the world banned liquids in carry-ons before settling on the “3-1-1 rule.”
For more than a decade, passengers have only been permitted to carry liquids that are 3.4 fluid oz or less that are carried in a one-quart size bag. The 3-1-1 rule can be one of the most tedious for people who pack strictly carry-ons (those who always check a bag, however, have escaped the annoyance). It’s led to lots of water bottle chugging in the security line and plenty of liquidy food thrown away. It’s also meant that if you pack your favorite full-size bottle of lotion in your carry-on, intentionally or by accident, then you can kiss it goodbye at airport security as it goes straight in the trash, forcing you to buy new travel-sized products, get reusable travel carriers, and spend time squeezing everything out into the strictly sized bottles.
