Overpacking and inappropriate packing are two of the main reasons why people get held at the airport. Being held for extra screening or questioning can be a stressful experience when you’re traveling by plane. These holdups can delay your boarding or, worse, cause you to miss your flight. To avoid experiencing these situations when you take your flight, you have to know some tips and advice on how to pack properly and perform certain steps that can help you get through airport security smoothly.
Prepare Appropriately Before Going to the Airport
The preparations you do at home can have a significant impact on how smooth your travel experience will be. Making prior research to stay up to date with TSA’s regularly updated regulations and knowing the things that you can or can’t bring into the airport can help save you from the hassle of being questioned or screened again at airport security.
If possible, fit all your travel essentials within a carry on bag while still meeting the carry on weight limit. Know your airline carrier’s carry on weight limit so that you can organize and sort the stuff that you’ll include in your luggage.
Choose Early Morning or Late Night Flights
These flight schedules can help you avoid major crowds and long lines. Thus, your security check can happen at the time you anticipate it would take. Also, these flight schedules give you faster travel time from our home to the airport as traffic is usually light at these times of the day.
Also, early morning or late night flights can help you save more on parking costs, especially in busy major international airports. The New York tri-state area airports, namely JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty Airport, are 3 of the busiest airports on the east coast. Getting short term parking Newark airport area can be more convenient when you choose to fly early in the morning or late at night. Also, there are airport parking solution provider websites that can help you get your vehicle parked conveniently and give you more time for checking in.
Dress Lightly and Casually
Avoid bringing metallic valuables like jewelry, cell phone, watch and even your belt when you’re still about to pass through security. Instead, keep these valuables inside your carry on. If you haven’t included your valuables inside your luggage, you can put them in the pockets of your jacket.
Also, you’ll still be required to take off your shoes in order to pass through the metal detectors in most airports. Wear slip-on shoes and wear socks for easy shoe removal and keeping your feet look hygienic and neat.
Learn How To Unpack Fast
You should know the TSA regulations regarding liquids and gels and that they should only be 3 Oz or smaller and should fit in a 1-quart bag. To meet these requirements, you need to use TSA-compliant travel bottles and use a clear, transparent bag to hold these travel-sized bottles. Label your bottles for easy recognition of the contents and for easy validation of TSA personnel. Thus, you save time from being questioned and probed by TSA personnel.
Carry-ons don’t escape the process of checking, and to have the backcheck done fast, you can learn how to properly use the packing cubes. A good tip is to pack your luggage items by category for easy inspection and unpacking. Thus, you can further save time if you know how to pack fast before the security check and unpack fast during the security check.
Being aware and prepared for what you can bring and should not bring can make the difference in having a smooth and stress-free journey. TSA security screens are known to be strict, but knowing how to properly handle the screening process and meeting the prescribed guidelines can help you get out of the security check area and onto boarding your plane. Thus, to save you from the potential stress of boarding late or missing your flight, you just have to pack smart.