8. Know what you shouldn’t carry. Bringing a pecan pie along for Christmas Eve dinner? “Pies shouldn’t be a problem, although they might be subject to additional screening,” says the TSA, “but more than three ounces of sauces, jellies, jams, or other food items that could be considered a liquid or gel won’t pass through.” Pretty interesting, huh? But if you’re traveling by train, you shouldn’t have any troubles.

9. Pack wisely. There’s a good chance the TSA workers might ask you to unwrap any gifts you have in your carry-on luggage, so you’ll probably want to carry presents unwrapped and let the wrapping paper be separate. You’ll also want to spread out in your bag piles of books, CDs, and other dense items because x-ray machines can’t always see through them. It might save you some time.

10. Watch prohibited items. If a TSA officer discovers a prohibited item in your carry-on, you can just give it up, return to the ticket counter and put the item in your checked luggage (good luck with that), or mail it home. Some airports are even implementing mail centers, some shops have padded mailers, and many airports have mail kiosks located right by security checkpoints.

11. Bring a travel survival kit. You’ll want to take earplugs, an eyeshade, snacks (no liquids of course), a charged cell phone, a backup calling card, sanitizing wipes, a small flashlight, entertainment (magazines, books, DVD or music player, playing cards, etc.) and some extra cash.

12. Stay entertained. A host of uncontrollable events, such as weather, mechanical problems, and air-traffic situations, can leave you stuck waiting at the airport. You’ll need your survival kit, which will help, but so will a map of the airport so that you’ll know there all the amenities, shops, and restaurants are.

13. Plan for problems. Keep handy any information you might need, like your airline, hotel, or car rental company. Have a hard copy of it too, and give a copy to someone else who’s not traveling with you.

14. Know how to complain. If something goes wrong, don’t yell at the people who are graciously working during the holidays. They’re just trying to do their jobs. If you can’t resolve an issue in peace, take good notes, writing down names, take pictures, and follow up with a phone call and/or letter later.

15. Prepare your kids to travel. Whining, crying, unhappy kids at the airport, on a plane or train, or in the back of the car are just plain not fun. So prepare them for travel. Bring entertainment for them too. Explain to them what travel will be like and how they need to behave in public.

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.

1. Online Check-In

The lines at your airline’s check-in counter are never a pleasant experience. (Then again, is anything pleasant at the airport?) If you’re flying domestically, try checking in online and print your boarding passes at home. Then all you’ll have to do is quickly check in your bags. Or, if all you have is a carry-on, just skip the rest and head straight to security.

2. Sign Up for Email or Text Message Alerts

There aren’t many things worse than arriving at the airport on time or even early and then discovering that your flights been delayed. So sign up for email or text message alerts (we’ll cover this in a future post). They’ll alert you to any itinerary changes for your trip. And before you leave, check the status of your flight online.

3. Keep Your Gifts Unwrapped, or Ship Them Ahead of Time

If you’re taking holiday gifts on the flight with you, make sure they’re unwrapped and keep them with you. This will help you out if security decides they want to unwrap them to check their content. Or, better yet – save yourself a lot of hassle and ship them to your destination before you leave.

4. Check Your Airline’s Baggage Policies

A lot of airlines have started implementing first and second checked bag fees. If any of your bags are overweight or oversized, they’ll hit you with a nice fee. The same goes if you’re carrying something unusual, like skis, your trophy antlers, etc.; expect to be hit with another fee. What can you do? Know what your airline is going to charge you extra for and plan accordingly. Check into their policies so that there are no surprises, conflicts, or negotiations when you get to the check-in counter.

5. Keep Your Contact Information Handy

Make sure you have all your customer service phone numbers easily accessible. You should have numbers for your travel agent, airline, hotel, rental car, and anyone else who might come in handy, just in case you need to change your plans.

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.