Going abroad with skates?

[dreamnmusic]

So, I'll be studying abroad in Israel for a year and I'm taking my skates with me. I'm not sure the best way to get them over seas. Should I pack them in my suitcase? Or take them carry on? The problem is that I don't have much room carry on... I have a guide dog and honestly most of my backpack is dedicated to her. I'm not sure if I can get them through security in Israel either... I'm not even sure who to ask. Has anyone taken skates overseas?

Thanks!

[luckykid]

My dad bought my skates from USA and he carried it from there to Malaysia. He checked it in because they said the blades were sharp and could be used as a weapon, so no hand carry. Otherwise not much difficulty faced in bringing the skates to me. Then I moved to Singapore to study, and I brought my skates along with me. But I was travelling by road then. Whenever I go back Malaysia for holidays, I bring my skates back and I put them in the hand carry, faced no problem at the immigration. I'm not sure in the situation at Israel. You might want to find out from the airport. I think putting it in the luggage to check in would be a safe bet. Otherwise how would skaters competing internationally bring their skates along? And Tamar Katz.. she would have to bring her skates alongw hen she competed right?

[Lenny2]

We have carried on skates to Europe, but it's always an iffy affair to get them through security. I wouldn't try it if you aren't taking them to competition. I would ship them ahead of time, if possible. Otherwise, put them in a well marked, checked bag. Put multiple destination tags outside the bag and inside the bag, as well. Ask for a special handling designation on the bag.

[Isk8NYC]

You won't need them right away for a competition, will you? You're going to be there for a year, so I think the risk of them getting lost in transit is worthwhile to save yourself some time and effort.

I think you should price the cost of shipping them ahead with a tracking number, to make your journey easier. A lot of airlines are charging for baggage and overweight bags, so sending them on ahead might be a less expensive option.

If it's too costly, check them in a well-labeled bag. Stick an address label on the bottom and inside each boot, just in case they go astray. Put a little vaseline or WD-40 on the blades and use the hard guards to protect them and the baggage inspectors. Stuff the soakers inside the boots, so you have everything together.

I've taken skates to Europe, but I always checked them - no problems.

[fsk8r]

I've flown around with my boots quite a bit (Europe to North America) and always check them in. They're too bulky to take as carry on and I'd rather not have the hassle. If I were travelling for competition, I might take a different approach, but I've only once had any bags go missing and it showed up 12hours later as it was just on the flight behind.
I stuff the boots with socks and the like so I don't waste suitcase space, put the hard guards on and try and make sure that there are enough clothes packed around the boots to stop them getting bashed. I quite often have one in a skate bag and the other outside. with blades to the middle of the bag. I managed to split the outer fabric of my suitcase one time, and I think that might have been a toe pick pointing through the soakers which did that, so I'm doubly careful now with the packing (hence hard guards).
However they do weigh quite a bit, so bear that in mind with luggage limits.

[blue111moon]

I've just come back from Europe and sent my skates to and from in checked baggage with no problems. I just packed them in among my clothes and sent them off.

The worst thing that will happen is that your bag gets lost and it takes a couple days for the airline to get it to you. If you're not going to need the skates immediately upon landing, sending them in checked baggage is just as safe as mailing them or shipping them Fed-Ex.

The main reason most skaters try to carry them on planes is so that they have the skates with them when they get off the plane because they need them for competition or practice right away.

(I generally stuff my skates with things I don't want squashed or broken since the boots are much more un-crushable than anything else I own.)

[Query]

This is based on common sense, not personal experience.

Likely ISk8NYC is right about shipping them instead.

Definitely call the airline, and the Israeli embassy.

People say that Israel in general, and El Al in particular, are much more paranoid about luggage than most countries. Unless you demount the blades and put those in checked luggage, I suspect putting skates in a carry-on is a good way to go to get into serious legal trouble with that country. Even if you ship or check the skates, you should contact the embassy to find out if there are special rules about how that is to be done. Ask whether there are special procedures for the guide dog too.

Israel is one of those countries where customs officials have a reputation for stealing valuables from luggage, perhaps because Israelis are afraid to place limits on the precautions officials can take. Not clear whether that would be more likely in luggage than in a shipped box. If the skates or blades look too new, maybe they would think you were smuggling to avoid high import duties - ask the embassy whether you need purchase documentation, or will need to document you didn't sell the skates there. Don't give a sticky fingered customs official any reason to confiscate your skates.

It might be worthwhile to find out in advance whether there is a skating rink with session hours you can use near where you will live. In that climate, your choices may be limited. If the rink has synthetic ice, your blades won't last very long, so find out now and decide whether you want to use your expensive blades. If you skate often on synthetic ice, you may go through several pairs.

No doubt you have heard that Israel is not the safest place in the world to travel to or live in. So take care, and make sure you dot the i's and cross the t's.

[dreamnmusic]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I talked to my mom about them. I think mailing them over is my best bet. They are bulky and take up a fair amount of space, and weight. So we decided that she would ship them to me once I'm over there.

I'll check into the ice thing, but I've had a terrible time finding the rink. I think there is one, I saw evidence to that. But as to where it is or what its name is I haven't been able to find. I already have my guide dog taken care of, well mostly. I need to take her to the vet 10 days prior to us boarding the plane, overnight forms to the state capital, have them overnight it back to me, then I need to fax the forms to the israeli government prior to 48 hours of boarding the plane :frus:

Thanks again! The responses were really helpful.

[Query]

If you aren't that good at searching the Internet, maybe we can help you search the Internet for rinks, if you list a city near where you will live?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Ice_Hockey_Federation lists ice three rinks as of 2005.

If you go to www.yahoo.com or www.google.com, and type

"ice skating rink" site://.il

you will find many links. (.il is the extension for Israeli web sites.) I don't know Hebrew, so I don't know how to search for Hebrew language entries, but that is a good idea too. Another good source is hockey club sites - they often list all the nearby rinks.

[dreamnmusic]

I'll be in the city of Haifa. The rink in Metulla is a little over an hour by car, and I'm not sure about public transportation to get there...

[Virtualsk8r]

Canada Center has an Olympic rink and another rink, plus a sports complex. Here is the link: http://www.canada-centre.co.il/en/ It is located in Metula in the north of Israel - north of Kiryat Shimona. Very nice place -- I was there years ago when the war between Lebanon and Israel was a bit heated (nice bomb shelters to dodge rocket fire lol).

The transportation system in Israel is usually very good. Although it has been a few years - I travelled very safely from end to end, being careful all the times, and usually with a couple of kids doing their mandatory military service sitting next to me armed with automatic weapons! Actually made me feel safe after I got used to it.

You don't mess with El Al -- ship your skates or pack them carefully. And be prepared to have an Uzi shoved in your face as the steamy, hot Israeli night air hits you as you deplane!!! I thoroughly loved my time there....but alas, there was just one tiny rink in Haifa at the time and I was living in Jerusalem.