My bag is like my security blanket. You will rarely ever see me leaving the house without a bag on a regular day, even if it’s just a quick stop to the market or to a familiar place. What if I need a tissue? What if I need a pen? What if I need a charger? My bag has it all. Well, mainly because I need something to hold my phone and wallet too.
On this rare occasion, I was called to fly to San Jose for a football game at Levi’s Stadium with a 5 day notice. A one day roundtrip to the airport, stadium, and straight back to the airport. The thought of being on a place twice in a day (and not for a layover) was insane. You mean, I don’t have to pack overnight clothes?
I actually didn’t have much of a choice. I looked up the bag policy for the stadium, and most of my bags did not fit the requirement. I also didn’t want to risk getting turned away at the stadium. Thinking about how to fly with no bag was probably more effort than actually flying with a bag. I spent the night before digging through my pile of bags, trying to find one that would work. My smallest bag was too small, and my second to smallest bag was too big. I did have a clear bag, but do I want everyone at the airport seeing what I am carrying?
There were so many things to consider. What do I need my bag to hold? My phone, my wallet, my keys, a charger, and maybe a fan? Will my fan be allowed into the stadium? How about I just wear a jacket that has pockets? But it’s going to be so hot…
I decided to risk it. For the first time in years, I stepped out of my house with no bag. I quadruple checked to make sure I had everything I needed. Phone, wallet, keys, charger. Phone, wallet, keys, charger. Phone, wallet, keys, charger. Phone, wallet, keys, charger. Is my ID in my wallet? Yes. I think I have everything I need.
8:00 AM
I parked at a structure near the airport, waited over 15 minutes for the shuttle, and got in line for security. It was definitely cutting close because the shuttle took much longer to arrive than I had planned for.
8:30 AM
Even though I had TSA precheck, the line at Delta was still long and everyone else in line was carrying a backpack and suitcase. They all took forever to go through security, and I was stuck in line behind them. Finally, I placed my four items on the tray. I was actually worried that one of my things would get swiped since I didn’t have a backpack or anything else to cover it as the tray sat on the conveyor belt. Luckily, when my tray came out, I only had to count to four.
I got to my gate two minutes before boarding. Whew! I was able to squeeze between people as I rushed to the gate since I didn’t have to drag a suitcase along. It was definitely odd walking onto the plane with no carry-on. My feet had so much more space during this 1 hour 15 minute flight! When the plane landed, I had to wait for everyone else to grab their bags from the top bin. Then, I got to walk right out. It was such a strange (but awesome) feeling.
10:45 AM
I got picked up right outside the airport, and we drove straight to the VIP parking lot at the stadium. There was a bit of traffic going from the airport to the stadium, and the timing of the traffic signal was so long! It was a great game in the suite. Five and a half hours later, we drove straight back to the airport.
5:30 PM
Going through TSA precheck in San Jose was much quicker. It was another amazing feeling to walk through security so freely with no bags. The only thing we had to wait for were other people in our group who got stuck behind in line. We had a bit of time before our flight so we wanted to check out the lounge at the airport, but the waitlist line was way too long! We ended up at another spot and shared some spam musubi before boarding.
The main downside of this segment of the trip was that the short 1 hour 20 minute flight back was delayed. The delay wasn’t until after we had boarded, so we were stuck waiting on the runway for 20 minutes before taking off.
9:05 PM
After landing at the airport, I had to wait for the shuttle to go to back to the parking lot. It wasn’t too long of a wait, but on the second stop, the shuttle became so packed. I was glad I didn’t have to find a spot for a suitcase on the shuttle! It was a bit funny with people looking at me carrying nothing and wondering if I was even traveling. By the time I got to the shuttle, it was already 9:30pm. I had put down that I would only park at the structure until 10pm. Will I make leave the parking structure in time?
When the shuttle made it to the parking structure, I only had a few minutes left…but where is my car? I ran up the stairs, across the bridge, up the stairs again, and finally found my car. I left the structure right at 10pm.
This less than 15-hour trip was such an experience. One thing I learned was that I could have brought a tote bag and folded it up in my clear bag. Then, I could have used it to carry the bobblehead I got at the game on the flight back! I ended up not needing my charger, but I landed with only 30% left on my phone. Would I ever fly with no bags again? I think I’d still want to bring a small day bag if I’m not going to a stadium with bag restrictions.
For now…at least now I know that I can fly with no bags.