The latest self-service developments in online travel can be tremendous time-savers during peak travel times. Whenever possible, print your boarding passes at home, use check-in kiosks or even pull up your boarding pass on your smartphone.
Think about doing your holiday shopping online and having your gifts shipped to your destination. This will cut down on luggage and the risk of them getting lost.
As a rule, airports are least congested at times when normal human beings would rather be at home or even asleep. Delays are far less likely for morning flights, and airports usually unclog as the afternoon and evening peak passes.
A couple of caveats: Staffing can be spotty for really early flights, so although your flight is highly likely to be ready to leave on time, check-in may take a while, along with other personnel-dependent steps like riding shuttle buses.
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Peak travel periods can be the best time to buy
package deals, even for folks who would never buy one, as the bundled pricing offered by packages can be very competitive, even (or especially) at times of high demand. I'm traveling on a package over Thanksgiving, and am almost stunned at the offer; you can barely afford to stay home at these prices.
Be prepared for more than the usual slowdowns at security. Even though the TSA's liquid and gel rules have been around for years now, folks who fly very rarely may not be familiar with all the ins and outs -- and the newer full body scanners could catch even frequent travelers off guard.
Gas up the night before you travel; no one leaves enough time for buying gas on the way to the airport.
Investigate your frequent flier options to get better (and better guaranteed) seats.
Bring diversions. Take along work, books, magazines, an MP3 player, some healthy snacks -- whatever you need to get through delays. This goes double when traveling with kids.
Keep your cool. Airline employees have considerable power over your well-being. Unfortunately many enjoy wielding it against you, and few respond well to anger.
Have phone numbers for everything: your hotel, your car rental agency, your airline, friends at your destination. Directory assistance is expensive, whether from your cell, from a phone booth or from home.
Check flight status repeatedly. Know your airline's 800 number as well as your flight numbers and exact times.
When traveling on an e-ticket, carry a printout of your itinerary from your airline or booking site.
Choose nonstop flights. The worst, most brutal delays occur in connecting airports, where you have no home, friends or family to retreat to.
With airlines continuing to cut back on service, it's more important than ever to confirm your flight several days before you leave -- that way you'll have a little leeway to make alternate plans if necessary.
If you know you'll need long-term airport parking while you're away, be sure to reserve yourself a spot ahead of time at an off-airport lot so you're guaranteed a space.
Don't overpack even checked luggage; overstuffed bags that must be opened for a security check are much harder to repack.
Do not wrap gifts, especially if you intend to carry them on the plane. Even in checked baggage, there is a strong chance they will be unwrapped for inspection by security personnel. Consider gift bags instead of wrapping paper this holiday season -- you can easily remove the items from their bags if required and you don't have to do a last-minute wrapping job at your destination.
Give your cell phone a full charge, and write down or program the phone number of your airline so you can call easily as your flight time approaches.
If you're leaving pets at home and you haven't made kennel reservations, do so right away. If Fido is coming along, check out our article on Traveling with Pets.
Travel during the holidays is the time to lay all your travel savvy on the line. For example, if you:
purchase a package deal in one click of the mouse
print out your boarding pass at home
leave early enough not to sweat the small stuff
travel light enough not to have to check any bags
proceed directly to and through security
arrive at the gate on time and at ease
and nail your connections ...
... you might actually enjoy traveling this season!
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--written by Ed Hewitt
