So how are you going to keep your sanity and stay out of trouble and bad situations during your holiday travels? Well, here are the first 7 of 15 tried-and-true tips that will help you avoid the worst and most common travel pitfalls:

1. Get some sleep

Before you leave, you’ll probably be tempted to stay up late packing and making sure everything’s in order. But if you’re sleep deprived the next day, you’ll be cranky. If you’re cranky, chances are you’ll find everything about traveling irritating. So get a good night’s sleep.

2. Do What You Can Now

Do as much as you can before you leave. Do one final check on your airline reservations the night before you leave, and again before you walk out the door that day. If you can, print out your boarding pass and even print a luggage tag for your checked baggage. It could save you time and money.

3. Get There Early

It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling by train, plane, or automobile – get an early start. You’ll probably want to get there two hours early for domestic flights, or three hours early for international

4. Watch Your Weight

No, not your body weight. A lot of airlines have begun introducing fees for checked bags, especially if they’re overweight or oversized. Make sure you check your airline’s guidelines before you even start packing. Leave what you can behind.

5. Dress for Speed

Since 9/11, all airport security checkpoints require the removal of your shoes, coat, big belt buckles, and pretty much anything else you can easily remove. Laptops even have to be taken out of the cases. Carrying any liquids aboard? You’ll want to read up on the 3-1 regulations.

6. Take It if You Can Get It

The TSA’s great Black Diamond Self-Select program, which is now in place at over 50 airports, lets you pick a security lane that matches your travel style and/or expertise: expert, casual or family. Each line is significantly different. If you don’t like being rushed, head for the family lanes.

7. Know What You Can and Can’t Take

Even though the rules have been in place for years now, travelers still end up giving up tons and tons (and tons) of items that are prohibited to take past airport security checkpoints. Whether you’re a novice, expert or anyone else, you should still take a moment before every flight to read up on the TSA’s long and detailed list of what is permitted and prohibited as part of carry-on items. Got some knitting needles for grandma? Take ‘em aboard. A pool cue for your brother? Don’t even try.

That’s all for today’s tips. Join us for the next post, where we will feature the rest of our 15 holiday travel tips.

With the economy in a mess right now, everyone is trying to cut back on pretty much everything. That includes travel. Does that mean everyone’s just going to be staying home during holidays throughout the year? Don’t count on it!

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) expects airlines this year to have fewer passengers than in the past. The airlines know this, and are therefore scheduling fewer flights. Because of there being fewer scheduled flights, most planes are going to be flying at about 90, or perhaps even 100, percent capacity. So even if you manage to find a red-eye flight on the 3rd of July, don’t plan on stretching out too much; most flights are still going to be very full.

On a different note, passenger trains across the nation will also be packed. Trains are a much cheaper way to travel now-a-days compared to flying, so more and more people are taking advantage of the lower prices for their travels. Last year Amtrak experienced record passenger numbers, especially during the busiest holiday travel days. This year they’re expecting a 65 percent increase in passengers just on the day before Thanksgiving. To prepare for the upcoming holidays this year, the railroad will even have to add additional trains to their lines, especially along the popular Northeast corridor.

But what about car travel? Are you, along with millions of other Americans, thinking of loading up the car with kids and gifts and driving to grandma’s house? If you are, there’s going to be plenty of people out there on the highways with you. Although the AAA travel organization is predicting that less people will be traveling over 50 miles this year for the holidays, they’re estimating that there’s still going to be 42 million Americans out on the road. So remember – buckle-up and watch the speed limits!

Yes, the economy is in a rut. But apparently that’s not stopping us all from visiting family or friends or from taking a leisurely vacation during the holiday seasons this year! Join us for our next post, which will feature some great tips for holiday travel this year.

Arriving at the airport early may very well be the most important thing you can do when flying during the holiday seasons. There are certain exceptions at some airports or airlines if you arrive late. If you’ve missed your flight because you got a flat tire, you run into a huge traffic jam, or you get into a car accident (heaven forbid) on the way to the airport, your airline may let it slip by using the so-called “flat tire rule.” If you’re lucky and they let you invoke this rule, they’ll let you to take a later flight without incurring a financial penalty. However, don’t ever count on them letting you do this, because you just never know whether or not they’re going to have an understanding attitude toward you and your situation.

Even if they let you invoke the “flat tire rule”, you still need to keep in mind that many, if not most, flights are completely full around the biggest holidays. If you miss your original flight, it’s probably not going to be easy getting on another one within a reasonable amount of time. Car trouble can also be a major problem when traveling to the airport. Since car trouble is essentially your fault (it’s definitely not the airport’s fault), airlines aren’t going to have much incentive to go out of their way to help you out. If there is a situation that’s the airport’s fault, then those passengers and travelers who were bumped because of that situation and who must be rescheduled due to maintenance or other problems (or other issues within the airline’s control) are probably going to have priority over you.

So how do you save yourself from these horrible experiences? Simple – arrive early. Or at least leave your home early. That way you’ll have some leeway time in case something happens along the way. Also, most airlines recommend, or even require, that you check in 90 minutes early for domestic flights, and two hours early for international flights. However, for holiday travel you should probably arrive even earlier, because you’re going to run into long lines at both check-in and security, so please plan accordingly.

A lot of travelers assume that they’ll just be able to pull into an airport parking lot, grab a spot close to the building, and go. They’ve already bought their plane tickets, made their hotel reservations, and left a good deal of time to get through security. But then they get to the airport and discover that all the economy lots are completely full! Or even worse, there isn’t a single place anywhere to park. Especially during holiday travel times, parking lots can fill up fast.

But there are some ways to avoid getting stuck without a parking place. Of course, the best idea is to completely avoid taking your car at all and just take a taxi, bus, shuttle, or other public transportation, or arrange for a friend or member of your family to drop you off and pick you up when you get home. But what if you have an early morning flight and you don’t want to wake up someone at 4 am? There are off-site services that can shuttle you to the airport if you make advanced arrangements. There are also some shared services that will pick you up at your home and save you money due to sharing the ride with others.

However, if you really feel like you need to drive, keep in mind that you may be able to reserve a parking spot in advanced through online companies. Of course it depends on where you’re located – many airports may not offer these services, but it’s worth checking into! For the most part though, most of the larger airports like those in New York or Chicago do offer advanced reservations. Check out AirportParkingReservations.com or Park Ride Fly USA.

By simply making your plans ahead of time and arriving early, you’ll be able to eliminate a lot of the stress and hassle that can always go along with flying during the holidays.