Last week, I flew out to San Jose for three days of (seemingly interminable) internal meetings. When I arrived at the airport Thursday night to return home, it was a relief to see short security lines. As always, I picked the shortest one and started pulling my stuff out of my bag. It wasn’t until my suitcase was about to go into the x-ray machine that I realized that I had picked the full body scanner. Dangit! I hate those things–TSA always ends up patting my hair down because of  my ponytail. Plus it’s just so awkward. But at this point, it was too late.

In addition to the rubber band, I also had on a necklace. I only wear necklaces that can go through the metal detector, but I always forget about the full body scanners. Luckily, the TSO was unusually helpful, and suggested that I put the necklace around to the back. This way the screeners  don’t see it in front and think my chest needs to be “searched”. I swung my necklace around back, went through the scanner, and after the typical pat-down of my head I was on my way. Why it won’t make them think my back needs to be searched I don’t know. But whatever, I’ll take it. This is a great tip for anyone going through the scanner–it will save time and hassle, which is always the goal of a busy business traveler!