Plan ahead to ease holiday travel stress

Traveling during the holidays is often stressful thanks to crowded airports and full flights. Planning ahead and taking care of a few things online can save you from holiday headaches.

Check your flight schedule ahead of your departure date. Airlines periodically tweak schedules, and many carriers have been cutting routes.

You’ll want to be among the first to know about cancellations so you can be re-accommodated as early as possible. You’ll also want to know about schedule changes.

Most airlines offer flight-status change notification by phone or e-mail, and you can sign up for this option online at your airline’s Web site. I still advise checking yourself, in case you miss the e-mail notification. (While an airline likely notified me about a recent change in my holiday flight schedule, it either went to junk mail or I ignored it thinking it was an ad.)

Also check the status before you head to the airport in case of flight delays.

Check in online and print your boarding pass at home. This lets you bypass check-in lines and gives you a little extra time to get to the airport. Planes will be flying full, so if you miss your check-in deadline, it could be days before there is an available seat.

Arrive at the airport well ahead of your departure time to allow extra time for security checks. If you’re parking at the airport, you’ll need to allow more time because lots will be full.

To speed the security screening process, you can see the current list of prohibited carry-on and checked items at www.tsa.gov, as well as find other tips such as what footwear will require closer inspection.

I always recommend traveling light. You’ll be able to bypass check-in lines if you’ve checked in online and you won’t have to wait for checked baggage when you land.

If you do check luggage, review the baggage weight and size limits for your airline; fees can be hefty on overweight and oversize items.

If you’re packing gifts, wait to wrap them until after your arrival, or they may be unwrapped during security checks.