Holiday Travel...

Wrote this while sitting in the St. Louis airport the day before Thanksgiving on my way home. Just forgot to post...)


It is coming to my realization that a lot of my travel here on out, especially to visit home, will be on or near a holiday. My first trip home after moving to Nashville was over Labor Day weekend. This, my second trip, is during the Thanksgiving holiday. The next projected trip for me will be sometime near Memorial Day. This, of course, is when many other travelers are also embarking on their journeys.

Now, I may not be the most seasoned traveler. I have not traveled to as many places as many people or have flown as much as many businessmen, but I’ve traveled enough to know the rules and some of the short cuts. I am mostly referring to the rules of flying. The safety regulations aren’t that difficult to figure out. And if you have a question, it is easy enough to find the answer. (www.tsa.gov) Why then do people approach the security checkpoints seemingly clueless?

This morning, while standing in the security line at the Nashville airport, I witnessed the ridiculously clueless: The man in front of me literally had to get half undressed just to make it through. First he had to unpack some things from his two different bags, one of them almost being too large to be considered carry-on. Then he had to remove his jacket, his sweatshirt and his cowboy boots. Then he started toward the metal detector. He was called back to remove his cowboy hat and send it through on the belt. Then, just as he turned to go, the lady called to him to remove his belt, as it had too much metal on it (ie. belt buckle and metal stars). As you can imagine, this caused some delays in the forward motion of the line. The lady behind me was getting irritated, or so I would assume from her many exasperated sighs. I just watched the whole spectacle with amusement.

This gentleman is not the first person I’ve witnessed causing hitches in the passage. Many travelers seem to either not know or don’t care. It’s fine if they want to push the limits, but don’t disrupt my path. Don’t cause delays for others around you. And don’t get upset because you’ve been irresponsible.

So, here are a few tips from a fellow traveler: 1) Wear shoes that are easy to get in and out of, not boots or tennis shoes that you have to shove or tie. 2) Don’t wear bulky clothing. If you need to have a jacket, sweatshirt or coat with you, take it off before you get to the line and place it in a bin. 3) If there is anything that must be removed from your carry-on such as a laptop or liquids, have them easy to grab and ready to pull. 4) Have your liquids, creams, gels already in a plastic bag before you get to security- how about before you even get to the airport. And DON’T bring a drink, you are not going to get it past. 5) Don’t wear clothing items that are going to cause problems such as cowboy hats and belt buckles. 6) Have your ticket and id at the ready until you are through check-in and security. 7) If possible, check-in online before you go to the airport. This speeds up your processing time considerably. 8)And lastly, and what I feel to be most important, look the TSA and airline officials in the eye and say “Thank you” or “Have a nice day” or “Happy Holiday”. In my limited experience, they seem to appreciate this. (And I have yet to be stopped at security- I must just have a trusting face. Hee Hee!)