How To Fly With Your Tools

Taking your dream trip to your own culinary paradise? Have those favorite professional knives you have been using for years to prepare your meals with comfort and ease ready to travel with you?

Then you may be asking, how does one travel with a meat cleaver and a 13-inch chef knife without seeming like you are also hiding a hockey mask and bad intentions? First off, do NOT hide them, wrap them in a professional knife bag and keep them on top of the checked luggage. If you are a chef, these are not just knives, but important tools.

Always check your knives under the plane. Never try and take them as a carry on. The Spork provided for your in-flight meal will have to suffice during your time in the sky. The TSA requests knives in your luggage have their blades wrapped or sheathed to prevent baggage handlers and security personnel from accidentally hurting themselves.

If you don’t have a sheath for your knife, wrap its blade in a piece of cardboard and carefully tape the cardboard in place. Then, wrap it in some form of padding, like a towel, or tuck it tightly into your packed clothing. Leaving a note on the top of the contents of the luggage is also a good idea — just a few words about what these “wrapped” items are.

When you check your bag at airport security, you can inform a TSA professional of your knives and request a luggage inspection in your presence, so you can ensure they are not damaged or misplaced. Before your trip, you may even consult with your insurance agent about purchasing travel insurance for your knives.