More importantly – spare batteries.
Normally, most of us ‘connected travellers’ carry at least 3-4 spare batteries (between your laptop/mobile phone/camera etc). Personally, I carry anywhere between 6-8 spare batteries – 2 for my phone/Kindle/Google Glass, 1 for my laptop, and 3-5 for my camera. Now, that may sound like a lot to you but I think my number might actually be on the low end based on what I’ve seen some people lug around at the airport lounges.
However, here is the big note – I can only carry them in my carry on luggage.
This may be common knowledge to most of you but did you know that you absolutely cannot check in spare lithium ion batteries? Not a single one.
According to the FAA:
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries must be carried in carry-on baggage only. When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit.
This covers spare lithium metal and spare rechargeable lithium ion batteries for personal electronics such as cameras, cell phones, laptop computers, tablets, watches, calculators, etc. This also includes external battery chargers (portable rechargers) containing a lithium ion battery. For lithium batteries that are installed in a device (laptop, cell phone, camera, etc.), see the entry for “portable electronic devices, containing batteries” in this chart.
In fact, there are some limits about what you can put in your carry on luggage as well – most normal people don’t hit these limits but they do exist. For more information on this check the full official website.
