The security may be good for your safety, but it can do a real number on your vacation photos. So here's what to do to protect your film. These tips come from Westways, the Triple-A magazine.

• Always pack your exposed film and disposable cameras in your carry-on baggage. It may be history if you put it in your checked baggage because it goes through much more powerful detection devices.
• Take the film out of the plastic container, put it in a clear plastic bag and ask that it be hand checked. If you're friendly, and the airport isn't too busy, they might do it for you.
• Try to develop your film DURING your trip so you can come home with finished photos.
• And the last way to prevent your photos from getting ruined by those airport scanners: Get hip and use a digital camera! Digital photos aren't affected by airport x-rays. And you can send them to your friends over the Internet or even use them as a screen saver. You can even buy disposable digital cameras now.

And one last camera factoid: Americans will buy more digital cameras than film cameras for the first time by the end of this year.