I was given some of those space bags ( put your clothes in then suck out all the air and it all compresses down leaving tons of room in your luggage for gifts) for Christmas and wanted to use them for my trip to Ireland, but am wondering if this is an invite to customs officials to open my luggage and check everything. I'm all for less work for them and no hassle for me!! I was patted down for wearing a flowing skirt last year on a domestic flight. HORRIFYING!!!!
Also maybe a stupid question but the ATMs will dispense Euros right? Our small isolated local bank said to get the cash from ATM then go inside and have it converted. I may be small town but this made no sense!!

It's extremely unlikely that you will be pulled over by customs regardless of what you have inside your luggage - generally they target incoming flights from specific locations or people who arouse suspicion in some way. In over 20 years of international travel across over 40 countries, I've had to open my bags for customs only once. I don't see how using space bags / compression sacks etc would make any difference.

As far the ATM question, yes of course Irish ATMs will dispense Euros. Perhaps you should have asked your ill-informed local bank clerk what currency they thought were dispensed (I have a sinking feeling they were probably under the impression that it was USD...)

Don't know about the space bags but if you only have clothes in them, I'd be surprised if they would be considered security risks. I did take a swing through TSA website and didn't see anything-you'll have to check your cattle prod though. Har!

Yes, the ATM spits out Euro. My hub and I get a pack from Triple A for convenience. I'm told there are almost always ATMs in full view at the airports.

I too was frisked rather carefully around my boobs! The woman looked like the Lotte Lenya (spelling?) character in one of the James Bond movies-scary stuff.

I have two artificial knees and I get frisked without fail. While not my favorite activity, it is nothing to be upset over.

I now travel with all items in my carry-on categorized in clear plastic bags. Inspectors can see everything and I can reassemble my bag in a minimal amount of time. Leaving Madrid for the US in March, everyone had their hand luggage gone over. Some of the agents were neater about the process than others.

If you check the luggage... Customs is lot less likely to open your luggage and mess with your space bags then the TSA. However, I have used them with no problems.

Gifts... Make sure that there is nothing of value in the checked luggage (i.e., jewerly, electronics) The airlines won't cover it when it's gone. Also, don't wrap them. The TSA can and will either make you unwrap (carry on) or just unwrap them (checked) if they see anything they want to "examine"

Thanks everyone!! Love the cattle prod comment! I had intended to use the space bags for the checked in bag. Good suggestion about the gifts in the checked bag. Now just keeping fingers crossed that the airspace is open and we can fly in!!

Traveling to Europe, you'll probably just walk right thru customs and no one will even look at you. Coming home unless you declare a lot you'll also just be waved on.

Since your bank seems a bit clueless you had better be sure to notify them of your travel plans so your card doesn't get frozen. Same for your credit cards...

"If you check the luggage... Customs is lot less likely to open your luggage and mess with your space bags then the TSA."

That doesn't make any sense to me. You don't pass through customs until after baggage claim. Every time I've gone through customs, Europe, Asia, or US I've had my bags in hand, both checked and carry-on.

Am I missing something?

My guess is that your bank teller was thinking that the ATM was going to spit out large demonations of Euro and that if you wanted smaller bills which will be easier to use, you're gonna have to go inside and get the large bills changed. That's what happened to us. As far as the compression bags go, be careful. I love the things and never travel without them. I've never had a problem at customs or at other security checks (as a matter of fact, they seem to be well received) but, they allow you to pack more and that means more weight. If you're watching the weight of your luggage, compression bags can invite you to go over your limit.

Enjoy your trip!

I have never had customs check my luggage in all the numerous trips I have gone on. I just walk right by them....

The TSA... they are in there all the time.

I pack my clothes in the gallon sized zipper plastic bags and push out most of the air. I use these to keep the dirty hands of the TSA official who is checking my baggage from directly touching my clothes. I have opened my suitcase at my destination many times to see notes saying my luggage had been searched. As already posted, it's too easy to pack over weight with the space bags.

By your username, I assume you are in Maine also. I'm curious about which bank told you this. We are going to Ireland this October.

Seriously, rfische, I don't think the bank is giving out mis-information. I think they're just trying to save the OP the frustration of trying to break large bills. I actually think it is quite nice to prepare her--my nationwide bank has never thought to mention that.

"I was patted down for wearing a flowing skirt last year on a domestic flight. HORRIFYING!!!!"

What is so horrifying? They do it to me all the time! This is their job. All it takes is a few minutes to wait till they walk over to you.

We usually pack our things into regular clear ziplocks, not in space bags. If you suck the air out, and TSA open the bags, they won't do it for you, the things may not fit in the suitcase, and then what?

Sometimes we find the notes of inspection, but it doesn't look like the bags were opened.

We started using ziplocks going on tours, very convenient, you can see what's inside, which bag to open first, no need to re-pack each night.

I know the scanners used on checked bags look for density, because my husband's suitcase had a note in it once. He was carrying some Duke's mayonnaise home from SC, and I'm sure that is what set it off! (I doubt clothing in a space bag could get that dense though.)
I wouldn't want to worry about repacking the space bags at the end of the trip, and I would also worry about weight.

I'm inclined to believe that the bank clerk in Maine presumed that ATMs here dispense dollars to users of US cards.

The largest denomination banknotes normally used here are €50, and you will almost certainly get them from ATMs. It's no inconvenience to spend them. You can use one to buy a cup of coffee or some other small thing, and tender it with a ritual "sorry, I have nothing smaller".

[Personally, I find it difficult to avoid spending €50s; they last no time in my wallet.]

"<i>Our small isolated local bank said to get the cash from ATM then go inside and have it converted. </i>"

That's absolutely Hysterical!

I'm pretty sure Triptyme is giving the teller too much credit.

(Triptyme: What is too large about €10 and €20 notes? If you are afraid of getting too large denomination notes - ask for €70 or €90 or €140 or any amount where you'll have to get various denominations to make it work)

"am wondering if this is an invite to customs officials to open my luggage and check everything. I'm all for less work for them and no hassle for me!! I was patted down for wearing a flowing skirt last year on a domestic flight. HORRIFYING!!!!"

I'm wondering if you are confusing customs with TSA security. Customs rarely opens luggage without cause, such as sniffer dog sensing something forbidden (fruit, meat) or unless you arouse suspicion by acting shifty if they should stop you and ask if you have anything to declare.

TSA might open your checked luggage if x-ray showed something suspicious -- ditto for your carryon. And TSA are the ones doing the pat-downs. I must look menacing because it happens to me almost every time I fly.
My last trip they got me in all three airports: Istanbul, CDG and Atlanta. No fun, but it's part of travel now. In Istanbul I forgot to take my watch off so set off the alarm, so that was the reason there.

I think the main problem here is getting TSA and security, and customs, and immigration mixed up. Only TSA and security is interested in the contents of your carry on or checked baggae, customs is all about what you are bringing into the country, and immagration is passport control

"Our small isolated local bank said to get the cash from ATM then go inside and have it converted." - this must be the relative of the 800 number on SAS who told me they don't sell tickets from San Francisco to Copenhagen, I will somehow have to get to Chicago on a local plane to fly with them to Europe.