KEY POINTS:
People have told me how tough it is to travel in the wake of security alerts around the world but until you go through it you have no idea. I know you can't travel with liquid, but I didn't know the word liquid could be so liberally interpreted to include lipstick. And deodorant sticks. And toothpaste.
People say it's all about making the world a safer place and not allowing terrorists any leverage, but why is it that only some countries - like New Zealand - appear to be playing by the rules?
We flew from Singapore to Rome and I imagined the customs and security control would be a thousand times worse than the conscientious going-over we experienced at Auckland.
But no. We skipped through customs and the only person who asked us if we had anything to declare was our tour guide, Alberto. After we all chorused no, he gave a jaunty nod of his astonishing toupee and we were through the airport terminal doors and into Italy. Why is a tiny country at the bottom of the world more concerned about security than a member of the European Union?
