I don't want to be like the weather guys who sensationalize a routine summer thunderstorm and scare homebound folks by blaring out "Oh no; it's going to RAIN!" but this summer looks like it could be a rough one for travel. All the portents are evident -- rebounding demand, decreased supply, smaller planes, surging prices for airfares and lodging alike, high fuel costs, labor unrest, ongoing airport security woes, a weak dollar, and yes, even routine summer thunderstorms.

Anyone who has been through an airport recently has seen the signs; long lines at every possible counter or checkpoint, considerable increases in the amount of time it takes finally to reach your gate, and utterly stuffed planes. Everyone from AAA to the Air Transport Association to the TSA can pummel you with the pertinent stats:

• Travel volume will reach all-time highs
  
• Airlines have been decreasing volume for several years, and are moving to smaller planes
  
• Airfares are up about 10 percent compared to Memorial Day weekend last year
  
• Hotel rates are up 5 percent or more
  
• Car rental rates are soaring, up about 19 percent compared to last year at this time, adding about $6 to the average daily rental rate
  
• National gas prices are hovering around $3/gallon
  
• Massive staffing reductions at airlines number in the tens of thousands each year
  
• Load capacities (the measure of how full a plane is) were already over 80 percent in April, and are expected to reach 90 percent for summer travel
  
• Turnover among airport security employees has created a staffing crunch
  
• Frequent flier miles are all but useless
  
• Even international flights are more full, with international travel up 9 percent since last year.

I won't belabor the point; we all know it's coming. Without further ado, here are some tips for surviving the summer travel swelter with your sanity intact.

1. Leave early for the airport. A veteran traveler observed last week that "I know I've gotten into a few close calls recently even though we left the house with plenty of time -- simply because it was so busy at the airport." I pointedly recommend departing for the airport early, and not merely crossing your fingers that you "arrive at the airport early," simply because there are more opportunities to lose minutes all the time, especially during the peak summer travel periods:

• Traffic into and out of airports increases
  
• Parking lots will be at or near capacity, so simply finding an open lot and empty parking space could add 10-15 minutes to your commute
  Remote parking lots get ever more remote
  
• Airport expansions are causing brutal construction detours
  
• This is one piece of my own advice that I often fail to follow; given what I am expecting this summer, I vow to be a model citizen in this regard, and will be observing the two-hour rule without exception.

2. Mark your bags clearly with both your personal information and your destination information (a hotel, cell phone, friend or family contact) -- an almost inevitable outcome of increased volume and reduced staffing will be a surge in lost luggage; make it as easy as possible for your bags to be identified.

3. Travel light. Overhead space will be at a premium; the less you take on board, the less hassle you will encounter.

4. Fly early in the day. Early in the morning, planes are usually more or less in place and ready to go, airports are less crowded. By flying early, you can often avoid the cascade of events when a flight is delayed for one reason or another, and then a gate that should be open is not available, causing not only a delay on the departing flight but also on the arriving flight using that gate& then the delayed flight has to cut in line for takeoff, creating an unexpected queue for the planes that would have left on time, etc. etc. -- you get the point. This so-called "ripple effect" is the primary reason most true airport logjams kick in sometime around lunch, and really get ugly into the afternoon. Add a summer thunderstorm to the mix, and a lot of small problems can become a very big mess.

5. Check out park/sleep/fly options; we covered this convenient and frequently very economical service a few months back; catching an early flight is made considerably easier when your bag is already packed, your car already parked, and you wake up a few hundred yards from your terminal.

6. Use your frequent flier miles for something other than flights. Many travelers have resorted to applying their frequent flier miles to hotel stays; when free or upgraded seats are unavailable for flights, check your program to see if you can get free or upgraded nights.

7. Switch seats. At the time of booking, check if your airline is "selling" the better seats on the planes for a few bucks. If you are traveling during a busy holiday week such as July 4, spending an extra $15-25 dollars to avoid a middle seat in a full row is probably worth the money. You can check out seatguru.com to figure out which seats are worth paying for.

8. Weigh dollars and sense. The dollar is fading faster against the euro than a southerly glacier; when traveling international, use these tips to make your dollars go further:

• How To Beat the Beat-Down Dollar
  
• Getting Weak Dollars to Do Heavy Lifting

9. Prepare to wait at the security gate. The least predictable juncture on the way to the gate will usually be airport security; the TSA offers these tips:

• Be prepared for screening. To maximize efficiency at the security checkpoint, avoid wearing clothing or shoes with metal and stow all metal items in your carry-on luggage. Travelers may also consider if shoes are time-consuming to remove when getting ready to travel.
  
• Bring a small bag to be placed in your carry-on luggage for your loose change, jewelry, cell phone and anything else that may alarm the metal detector.
  
• When approaching the checkpoint at most airports, an airline employee or contractor will ask passengers for a boarding pass and a government-issued identification. Please keep the boarding pass out and available throughout screening, although you can put your ID away.
  
• Be flexible. Not all trips through the checkpoint will be exactly the same because of TSA's layered screening approach, which includes an element of unpredictability that is easy for passengers to navigate but difficult for terrorists to manipulate. Remember, screener activities are designed to protect you, your family and loved ones, and are not meant to be inconvenient.
  
• Security is serious. Belligerence, inappropriate jokes and threats are not tolerated. Jokes and/or comments about threats to passengers or the aircraft will be taken seriously and can result in criminal or civil penalties for the passenger.
  
• Find more TSA tips here: Key Travel Tips to reduce your wait time at the security checkpoint; find the Permitted and Prohibited Items List here.

10. Pull out all the stops when you shop. The Web has turned into one giant shopping mall, but the cost of travel still seems to defy the notion of a simple and reliable price tag; peak travel season is the time to use all the available tools, from booking engines to aggregators to airline Web sites and more, to find the right flight at the right price to the right place.

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Go Anyway,
Ed Hewitt
TravelersEd@aol.com
Features Editor
The Independent Traveler

Editor's Note: IndependentTraveler.com is published by The Independent Traveler, Inc., a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network, which also owns SeatGuru.com.