Laziwayz Travel - Belly Dancing

Hello travellers, performers, suppliers, hobbyists, and all other enthusiasts.
And so we start our adventurous journey of understanding the different rules and regulations when travelling with your performance equipment. We kick off our tour with one of my favourites – Belly Dancing.

The most common and basic of Belly Dancing equipment is the Coin Scarf. This item itself is considered clothing and will not be a hassle when travelling, although I would suggest that this be packaged with your main check-in luggage and not with your carry-on. Airport procedures ensure that carry-on luggage is x-rayed and items may be confiscated when seen as a threat. “What threat could a Coin Scarf possibly be?” you ask. Well I know as well as you do that there is no threat. However, if nail clippers are seen as a threat, you can be sure one may come across a security guard who feels the same about the scarf.

Over zealous security guards aside, I need to discuss the issues when it comes to Crystal Embroidered outfits. These pose no threat, but may cause unnecessary delays at your destination. Airport x-ray machines are not only designed to pick up metals, but crystals as well. You may be called aside and your bag searched. This is only a preventative measure to catch diamond smugglers. Please follow the below steps should this ever happen to you:

• Remain calm and polite
• Do not lose your temper as you will be seen as guilty
• Answer all the questions regardless of how insignificant they may sound
• The Costume may be confiscated for a couple of days to get an expert opinion (worst case scenario for those people who do not follow the above advice)

The above will also apply when you have outfits that have a high metal content.

I am sure many of you are aware that men always have to be different… Oi! Some dance routines may require a male Belly Dancer to dance with swords. As exciting and hot as this may be, this poses many hassles when travelling by air. After 9-11, security has really tightened up regarding travelling with weapons, and airlines have different rules and regulations in place to prevent a repeat. Many airlines are happy when the swords are in a locked aluminium gun case and are checked in, however there are airlines that do not allow these at all and the swords may have to be shipped prior to your travelling. Please note that when you decide to check them into the aluminium gun case make sure you carry your invitation / performance details with you at all times. It is also highly recommended that you discuss your trip details with a reputable travel agent so that they may confirm the entire trip with the relevant parties before you head off.

Good Luck out there Belly Dancers and remember - It is not the movements that make a dance beautiful, it is the emotions that inspired the movements that make it beautiful.

Yours in Travel,

Ivan Marx
Fire and Light’s Travel advisor

Laziwayz Travel

Different Rules

Hello travellers, performers, suppliers, hobbyists, and all other enthusiasts.

I am Fire and Light’s travel advisor and would like to share a series of articles with all of you. Before I begin I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am an Independent Travel Consultant and have been in the travel industry for a number of years now. I am certified by two travel organisations (one national and the other international). I own my own agency and pride myself in knowing I provide my clients with the best possible solutions and advice needed to make their travels hassle free.

This series of articles will be about travelling with various performance equipment. This is a very broad topic, so I will deal with a different type of equipment in each article.

It is very important to know that there isn’t one list of rules that cover all airlines and countries. When travelling there are numerous bodies involved with their own set of rules and regulations and I will try and explain these different rules and regulations to shed some light on this very confusing matter.

Every country has their own customs law and different ways of dealing with it. Some countries may allow you to take your equipment in and others may require you to send these ahead of time. There are even some countries that do not allow you to send or take any dangerous equipment in and you will have to purchase new equipment there! These different customs regulations are law and are NON NEGOTIABLE when you arrive. Should you not follow the regulations of that country they may:

• Confiscate your equipment
• Deport you
• Ban you from their country for a period of 10 years (this varies, depending on the country)

It is very difficult to provide a list of countries that allow equipment to be sent or taken into the country as these rules may change on a monthly basis depending on events.

Just as every country has their own set of regulations and laws, so does each airline. The airline rules are very much the same as their respective country’s regulations, although these may also differ. Some airlines allow equipment as carry on, check in, even unaccompanied baggage, and then there are airlines that do not allow dangerous equipment on the aircraft at all.

Besides the rules and regulations of countries and airlines, you may also find that every airport has its own rules as well. Some airports have a security checkpoint at the entrance and may refuse you entry into the airport or even confiscate your equipment, regardless of what the airline may have allowed.

It is important to mention that any regulatory body in travel has the right to keep and destroy confiscated equipment so the chances are slim that you will get these back.

Ok, so enough with the doom and gloom – All is not lost! The rules mentioned above are there, but few and far between. It is important to know about them to make sure your trip is relatively hassle-free. So what advice can I give you regarding travelling with your performance equipment?

• Always try and book with a reputable travel agent – and disclose all equipment before your booking is made. Your travel agent will do all the work and ensure that you and your equipment are safe.
• Follow the different rules:
• Contact your local airport and ensure you can bring your equipment into the airport.
• Contact the airline you would like to travel on and ask what their rules are regarding your equipment and what their procedures are.
• Contact the local embassy of the country you are visiting and ask what there regulations are regarding customs (also ask them if the destination airport have any special rules regarding dangerous equipment)
• Make sure you get as much as possible in writing and carry these letters with you –this will not prevent any problems if rules have changed, but will assist in getting confiscated equipment back.

I truly hope that I have been able to shed some light on this situation. In the articles to follow I will discuss each type of performance equipment in detail and the procedures that need to be taken to travel with them.

Yours in travel,
Ivan Marx

Fire and Lights Travel Advisor
Laziwayz Travel