Carried my hiking poles from home to Valencia

Just an update for anyone who hesitates to check anything when traveling to the Camino start point.

I went through TSA and Madrid security with my hiking poles, no problem. They were collapsed and I had put them in a duffel bag in case I had to check them in Madrid. But they sailed through the detector, unlike the woman behind me who had bought perfume and was trying to carry it on.

So, I was very happy to arrive in Valencia, poles and backpack in my arms!

Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. I sent the duffel up to Santiago, and will check the poles in it for the return trip, because I know that the securitiy people in Santiago don't let poles go through.

I hesitate to make generalizations about TSA security and hiking poles, but I have brought hiking poles, collapsed and in a duffel bag, through security in Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC,and a few other places I can´t think of off the top of my head.

I was afraid about getting them through security in Valencia, but I think that if they are collapsed and in a duffel bag they don´t trip any security alarm. It may be different if you are carrying them. I always bring them in a duffel so that if I have a problem getting them through as carry-on, I can quickly check them as checked baggage and hope that they arrive.

But as I said earlier, I know that the Santiago airport is different, so when I go home, I always check them in the duffel that I send up to Santiago from the local post office when I start my camino.