@Starwind This is PERFECT! Thanks a bunch We're travelling with WestJet this time so i will be sure to print out the information you've provided.
As far as the liquids, we always take brand new bottles with the seal still in tact and if it ends up getting opened we tend to pitch it to avoid a hassle since it's all just OTC and we can do without it for a short period of time . We carry small quantities that fit in our 3-1-1 ziplocs for those "OMG i need it NOW" emergencies and have never had problems with that (oddly the only one ever questions was a small bottle i had filled with dish-soap to wash the measuring cups!!)
Would the bag still be considered "Medical" if we stuffed the extra band-aids etc that we always seem to need as well as the uber -extra strength Sunscreen hubby needs or should i stuff those in the checked bags? Thanks again, so glad you are able to answer this so thoroughly and completely sympathize with the food allergies that make travel so much more *special*!!!
Most welcome.
I would think you would be safer to put sunscreen in checked baggage if the container is bigger than 3.4 oz (3-1-1 rule). It is likely it would be considered a "personal care" item like shampoo is, as opposed to a medical item, even if it actually is a medical item (e.g. required due to melanoma, or due to a photosensitivity condition). An airport security line is not where you want to be having that argument, especially if the TSA officer ultimately can make you trash something that is very important to have.
That said:
- if the sunscreen is prescribed to you by a doctor, it is a medical item and should be ok in carry-on BUT it'll need a pharmacy label or a copy of the Rx to prove it should it be questioned;
- I have found only one brand of sunscreen I can safely use, and even it I mildly react to. It comes in 2 oz and 4 oz sizes. I carry one 2 oz tube of it in my 3-1-1 bag and the 4 oz tubes go in my checked bag in ziploc. It is a risk because the checked bags can go missing, which is why the 2 oz in carry-on. However, we arrive 3 days before our cruises and worst case I can find a local store in Orlando that carries it or order more online and have it overnighted to me.
- to minimize the need for sunscreen, I wear sun protective clothing and hats. This greatly reduces the amount of exposed skin that needs sunscreen. Coolibar (
http://www.coolibar.com/), Lands End and LL Bean, as well as many other retailors all have excellent quality sun protective clothing of various kinds. I like to layer, so I might have a very light outer layer that is sun protective and long sleeves, which I wear over whatever normal top I want to wear, for example. For swimming, I wear a long sleeve sun protective rash guard and full-leg swim tights over my bathing suit, plus a hat.
SW