A TSA Agent Shared The One Thing Tourists Should Avoid Ever Taking Off For Airport Security

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If you've been on a plane, you've likely done the "dance of TSA security." While shuffling through the line with your carry-on bag and personal item, you juggle your ID and boarding pass, remove your baggie of 3.4-ounce liquids and laptop to put in the bin, empty your pockets, and take off your belt, jacket, and shoes (something that is luckily being phased out by TSA). However, there is one thing that a TSA agent says you should avoid ever taking off for airport security. In 2025, Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, told Travel + Leisure that you shouldn't remove small jewelry before going into the body scanner. "Never remove your rings," she urged. "Too many people leave their rings behind in a bin." 

First, most small jewelry isn't going to be an issue at all with the scanner. You may sail through without being stopped for a secondary screening with a wand or pat down. Second, spending extra time fiddling with the clasp on your necklace, or trying to get off a ring that is a bit too tight, is going to make the entire line slower. If you've ever been late for a flight, you know how important that is. In addition, the Transportation Security Authority's own website says to "remove bulky jewelry" when going through security, but not all jewelry. If you're wearing a chunky necklace or bracelet that could set off the body scanner, put it and any other valuables inside your carry-on bag — putting them in the bin makes it too easy for someone to just swipe them when you're otherwise occupied.

The TSA site also mentions that, if you have valuable items, you should keep them with you and not put them in a checked bag. So, how do you handle wearing jewelry if you have a piece you never take off, or you're running right from the flight to a destination where you need to be dressed up? One option, according to TSA, is to ask to be screened privately to keep everything secure. You can also keep the pieces you plan on wearing in a jewelry case that folds up, like the Bagsmart Travel Jewelry Organizer on Amazon, and even get packing cubes, the game-changing luggage accessory, to match. You can keep the jewelry case right in your carry-on or personal item so you can put everything on when you get to your gate. 

Rings and earrings are easily wanded if they do set off the scanner. However, one person on Reddit's r/tsa page had a great tip for necklaces, saying, " ... swing it around so it's on your back instead of your chest. It's easier and quicker to pat down the back than the chest/breast of a passenger." In addition, they said to keep any jewelry you do take off in your bag because the curtains at the end of the X-ray machine tend to knock jewelry and small items loose, causing them to be lost. Finally, while it's generally best to keep your jewelry on in the security line, there are other clothing items that women should avoid wearing through TSA screenings.