This time of year- in the Christmas-New Year season – is the second busiest travel period of the year after thanksgiving.  Here are a few tips that will help you ease through it and come out on the other side happy and more importantly, with everything you went in with.

 First, check you flight arrival and departure times before going to the airport, you can do this online.  Next, be prepared for flight delays, especially in the Midwest and East Coast with the bad weather this time of year.  If traveling with children its wise to pack some snacks for when you are caught in a delay.  Also try keeping the airline’s phone number with you, as it is usually easier to rebook a flight by phone than in person at the airline ticket counters.  Also during this time there is a lost of lost luggage, so try traveling with a carry-on bag only.  This will cause you to pack more lightly, but you will be rewarded by avoiding losing your luggage at luggage check and avoiding the long wait for your bags when you land.  If you must check your bags, be sure to pack all your medications and valuables, documents, jewelry or gifts in your carry on, and be sure to lock any checked luggage with a TSA-approved lock.  Also, be sure to abide by the Transportation Security Administration’s air-travel regulations, such as the 3-1-1 rule for liquids.  If your luggage does end up lost, be sure to report your bag missing before you leave the airport, if you report it after your missing-luggage claim may not be accepted.  Most airlines will allow you to receive compensation after 10 days from the time you maid your claim.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 4:30 pm and is filed under USA, Holiday Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.