Here’s How I’m Ensuring Smooth Travel This Holiday Season

My home airport of San Diego isn’t always crowded. In fact, it’s usually a blessing to travel through since it isn’t servicing as many passengers as, say, Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO).

That all changes during the holidays, when everyone and their neighbor is trying to get somewhere. Rather than freaking out in the security line because my flight boards in five minutes, I do a few things to make sure I spend as little time as possible going through the rigamarole of air travel:

First, I know that everything at the airport will be impacted by the crowds. Because of this, I show up earlier than normal. I don’t love spending all my time in an airport, but relaxing in an airport lounge for an extra half hour is far superior to sweating through check-in.

Second, I’ve signed up for both TSA PreCheck® and CLEAR® Plus. For those who don’t know, TSA PreCheck allows you to keep your liquids in your bags, your shoes on your feet and your jacket on your body.

The TSA PreCheck line is also separate from the standard security queue and tends to be much faster. Tons of travel cards offer a TSA PreCheck credit. So although it’s a paid program, I get my membership for free.

CLEAR® Plus, meanwhile, allows travelers to get to the front of the queue, whether that’s TSA PreCheck or the regular security line. It also costs money, but The Platinum Card® from American Express (Terms apply, see rates & fees) gives you an annual statement credit for the cost of the membership application fee.

Finally, I minimize my time standing in lines by checking in online and only bringing a carry-on.

I’m normally a checked bag girl, but when the line for the kiosk is 30 people deep, I make do with a smaller bag. This means I get to skip interacting with the airline desk entirely and can head straight to security.