This Tiny Toiletry Rule Might Change How You Pack Forever
Read today's edition of Gate Access • April 18th, 2025
Happy Friday. Have you ever tossed a half-used tube of toothpaste into your carry-on? Or packed a nearly empty lotion bottle? Maybe even brought along a little bit of water in a container that looks under 3.4 ounces?
In your head, it feels fine—after all, the bottles are half empty, right? Wrong. TSA will still confiscate them every single time. That’s because officers don’t judge based on how much liquid is inside the container—they go by the labeled size. If the bottle says it holds more than 3.4 ounces, it’s considered non-compliant, even if it’s practically empty.
On The Radar
🟢 Heads up! U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is ramping up inspections of travelers' personal electronics at the border. Elissa Taub, a partner at the immigration law firm Siskind Susser, confirmed to Newsweek that searches of phones, laptops, and other devices are becoming more common.
I've told my clients to be very careful about their use of electronic devices and bringing electronic devices like phones and laptops through the border, to make sure they haven't unintentionally saved photos to their phone that might be controversial, even though they don't think they are.
More on this with my latest read for Yahoo News. Read now.