Traveling with small telescopes?

Hi there,

I'm thinking about a (largely) sky-watching vacation, and was wondering
what experience people have had traveling with small scopes (mine's an
ETX-125) on major air carriers.

I have a hard case for my scope, but am wondering whether there are any
gotchas wrt security, safety of checking vs. carry-on for the scope, or
anything else that might not be obvious to the first-time traveller.

I'm also wondering whether a beach destination is a reasonable one for
sky-watching (you know, something for me, something for the wife). Is it
reasonable to expect good seeing at/near a beach in, say, the Caribbean?
Will surf gunk up the lens quicker than you can say "clear skies"?

--
Thanks,
-- Bob
====================
Dr. Robert M. Fuhrer

If you're on the windward side then salt laden winds are definitely not good
for your optics.

I traveled once with my ETX-125, but they would not let me carry it on, so I
was extremely nervous the whole time... especially since it can't be
collimated by me.

Not to mention that you are no longer allowed to lock your luggage.

"Robert M. Fuhrer" wrote in message
.. .
Hi there,

I'm thinking about a (largely) sky-watching vacation, and was wondering
what experience people have had traveling with small scopes (mine's an
ETX-125) on major air carriers.

I have a hard case for my scope, but am wondering whether there are any
gotchas wrt security, safety of checking vs. carry-on for the scope, or
anything else that might not be obvious to the first-time traveller.

I'm also wondering whether a beach destination is a reasonable one for
sky-watching (you know, something for me, something for the wife). Is it
reasonable to expect good seeing at/near a beach in, say, the Caribbean?
Will surf gunk up the lens quicker than you can say "clear skies"?

--
Thanks,
-- Bob
====================
Dr. Robert M. Fuhrer