May 2005
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced plans to roll-out Explosives Detection Trace Portal machines to 150 of the 450 U.S. commercial airports over the next year. The glass-enclosed screening machines are phone-booth-size portals that essentially sniff for explosives. Once in a portal, a passenger is targeted with an air jet that releases several puffs of air to dislodge explosive residue, if present. The air is then pulled into an overhead detection system and analyzed for traces of explosives. If the portal does not alarm, a computerized voice tells the passenger to continue the screening process.
In today’s “paperless” society it is likely that you will need a hard copy printout of some document you’ve received at some time while traveling. Few of us carry printers, so what is a busy traveler to do?
There are a number of options, including portable printers, service bureaus, hotel printers and, for photographs, even local drugstores. Keep these strategies in mind when you need to print while traveling: