Been thru it? ok. Hadn't even considered that contacts were a vanity thing, but that they would be more convenient, easier to use for the most part, than glasses (my glasses spend most of the time in my shirt pocket or, on a flight, in a case in the seatback pocket). Kind of surprised that most people wouldn't have glasses as a backup.

glasses can get easily damaged on a flight if you take them off to sleep -trust me

tamjam, great suggestion! i fly friday and am dreading the contact lense dilemma, but it looks like i can now relax.

I am so worried now with all this. We have 3 planes from San Diego to get to Milan. I am ok with packing my lenses in my luggage BUT am worried that my luggage won't get there.

Taking AA to JFK ...then AA to Zurich and finally Swiss Airlines to Milan. (AA sister airline) So anybody out there do you think my luggage will get there?..

Take your lenses with you as caryy-on, loisco.

And I just thought of this...I can give my husband a 4 ounce bottle of eye drops too...!

That's good thinking loisco.

btw, the great majority of checked bags make it to their destination.

(SOME checked bags, after making it to their destination, stay on the plane and go to Guatemala for three nights. but that is another story)

Thanks for the reassurance!! If we weren't changing carriers I wouldn't worry so much...

Wouldn't hurt to make sure that the tags they put on your checked luggage are correct before they take them from you (ZRH=Zurich, MXP=Milan).

So would the tags show both Zurich and Milan?...

A baggage tag showed all legs and destinations on your itinerary.

It will have large letters <b>JFK</b> and your AA flight number for SAN-JFK, then <b>ZRH</b> and your flight number to JFK-ZRH, and also large letters <b>MXP</b> (or LIN if you're flying into Linate) and the flight number of that 3rd and last flight.

Thanks..I copied this down and will bring it with me to check-in. What would I do without you!!

Also go out and buy some large address labels. Write your name, airline locator number, flight numbers on it plus the date of travel.

At the bottom put Destination: and include the name of your accommodation, address, and phone number.

Apply to the luggage and use wide, clear tape to seal it down especially all edges. For duffle bags, wrap the tag around a handle... use the clear tape to go around the tag and soft handle, again sealing beyond the edges of the tag.

We've been doing this for about 10 years and have never arrived anywhere without our luggage.

This idea was posted on a travel forum back in 1992! (the days of text only internet) by a Delta airline luggage handler.

I traveled this past weekend and good news, no trouble with contact solution in the carry on. One TSA agent did read the label to be sure, but with the others, it just passed through.
I'm still a carry on junkie. We traveled without any liquids (exception contact solution). Went to the beach, so we just bought suntan lotion, and toothpaste. Hubby shaved with soap and conditioner. Easier than expected.

Keep in mind that you may encounter differing interpretations of what is allowable in your carry-on within the current rules by individual screeners. You can try printing off a copy of the TSA regs off the site to have in case but even that won't always work. I've read recent first hand accounts of travelers having small (less than 4 oz) bottles of saline solution and anbesol taken from them.

You may also encounter different rules if you are traveling outside the U.S. as other countries may not necessarily allow the exceptions to the rules such as the 4oz. This could be especially problematic if there's a language barrier that complicates your abiltity to explain why something should be allowed.

And I wanted to bring my spare contact lenses in case I lose one during our long long vacation. My lenses are packed individually in a tiny sealed bottle with a little saline. This is how I get them from the manufacturer. I thought maybe I would bring along the prescription?...or maybe give to my husband to carry..

further to my comments about different interpretations - have a look at sdfoursome's 2:12 post here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34856197

Ali25 - EVERYONE who wears contact should have glasses as backup. What if you lose a lens or have an eye infection and you can't wear them?

The worst horror story I've heard (I'm an eye doc) was a patient of mine calling frantically from the Jersey shore, about a 90 minute drive from home. She was there alone, 9 months pregnant, and her husband was at work. You can guess what's coming, right?

She was going into labor and due to nerves, managed to lose her contacts down the drain. She had no glasses. She called asking what to do. I suggested calling an ambulance if no neighbor was available to help her. Bottom line, it's always good to have glasses for backup.

Personally, I never wear my contacts on a flight longer than 2 hours. The air is just so dry on the plane, it becomes uncomfortable. I'll either wear glasses for the whole flight, or sometimes put my lenses in about 30 minutes before landing.

Thanks, Barry, I know you're right, and I'm trying to find a pair of glasses, mine are so old, I'd hate to be stuck barely able to see. But, yikes, are glasses expensive now or what!!! I've been to 2 stores, and picked out frames that cost about $280. I didn't think that was bad, but by the time the glasses, UV protection, and clipons, they were about $850! I'm going to keep looking, but if you, or anyone, has suggestions on where to buy glasses, let me know! Thanks, annieladd

well, you don't have to spend $280 on frames, forget the UV, forget the clip-ons. If you're looking for backups to contacts then go to Costco and get a plain ole pair of glasses.

Every Sunday in the circular/coupon section of our paper there are coupons from places like Lenscrafters, Sears that advertise full set of glasses for much less.

Take the coupon, go to the store - they will tell you they have only 4 styles of rather unattractive frames to choose from - tell them you want only those - they will give you 6 reasons why you should upgrade - resist.

Then the lenses - if you need bifocals or have astigmatism, you can not avoid paying somewhat more for the lenses. If not, tell them you want the cheap lenses that come with the coupon. They will try to give you 6 reasons why you need add-ons and options. Resist.

Walk out with glasses for around $150.