Eight Tips to Fly

Whew. The turkey has been pared down to soup, the company has gone home, the cornucopia has been packed away and the month of November has been ripped off the wall calendar. That’s when it hit us all, dang, it’s almost Christmas! Where was the breathing room between the holidays this year? The weather did a quick transition too, from Fall to Winter overnight. So, here we go, gearing up for some merry, merry and all that.

Just in case your Christmas involves some flights, I wouldn’t be the Good to Go Girl if I didn’t remind you of eight important travel tips to help you fly through this busy time of year.

#1. Hopefully you have already booked your flights. It’s a good idea to go online and check in and print out your boarding pass if that is available to you. The reason? The flights are all oversold this time of year and anything that you can do to keep from being bumped off a flight is to your advantage.

#2. Make sure you book your flight using your frequent flyer or loyalty number. Again, travelers with no loyalty/status are the ones that will be bumped from flights. Especially if you are traveling alone as that may signal being easier to rebook on another flight.

#3. Do not travel with wrapped gifts, especially in carry-on bags. Security may need to see what is in the package and you’d hate to waste that effort. Use a gift sack or take the gift paper along to wrap after you arrive.

#4. Think through your airport experience. This seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes our brain goes on holiday before we are ready. Make sure everyone has their ID. (“I wasn’t going to drive, so I left my license at home!”) Make sure you dress to pass through security easily. (“I didn’t want to pack my boots so I wore them, I didn’t think about getting them on and off!”)

#5. The airports full body scans where you step in the unit that is something like a revolving door and put your hands on your head like moose antlers does speed up the process a bit. Folks over 75 and under 12 can now leave their shoes and light jackets through the security check. However, still consider what shoes you wear, because if your shoes set the alarms off, you may still be asked to remove them. Remember that your pockets MUST BE EMPTY going through the scan. Even a tissue or gum wrapper can show up on the imaging and slow the process down for you. THINK!

#6. Pocket knives need to go in your checked bag. Car keys need to go in your carry-on bag with your pocket change and electronics. Don’t slow up the line emptying pockets. Put all that ‘stuff’ in a clear baggie and toss into your carry-on. Then you can sort yourself out at the gate and won’t risk walking off and leaving behind a camera or phone or wallet.

#7. It’s smart to take your mobile phone chargers and cords in your carry-on especially if you will be needing to make calls along the way. Dead phones with the charger in your suitcase isn’t good.

#8. Smile. Say thank you. Be kind. Stress and rudeness can spoil the fun of the adventure. Splash a little joy as you travel to fellow travelers and those that are just doing their job during this busy season. Take more moments to be merry, merry and all that and you’ll be Good to Go! Safe travels!