As much as most people look forward to seeing their friends and relatives over the holidays, almost no one looks forward to holiday air travel. The combination of full planes, unpredictable fall weather and more than the usual number of occasional travelers, can make for a rougher than usual airport experience.

The most helpful tip, as I have written before, is probably a sense of humor. Some of the things that go on in airports and on planes are the kinds of stories you couldn’t make up. (In fact, I am convinced that television and movie writers use some of these incidents verbatim in their scripts, not to mention late-night comics.)

But on a practical level, there are some things you should do differently this week. Here are five easy ones, which may or may not seem obvious.

1. If you park at the airport, call the garage you are planning to use first. The time to find out that the garage is full is not when you pull up to the ticket machine. (This is unfortunately from the voice of experience.) Some private lots take reservations, and worst case, if every place is full and you haven’t left home yet, there is still the option of a taxi or maybe a last-minute plea to a friend.
2. Leave for the airport early. As early as possible. While normally I don’t worry enough to get to the airport any more than the recommended minimum advance time, holiday rules are different. It’s not just that lines are longer and there are more families traveling, it’s that there is a lot less “give” in the system. If you miss a plane, or a flight is delayed so that you will miss a connection, there are far fewer backup options.
3. When there are no windows or aisles available, accept a middle seat rather than waiting for a seat assignment at the gate. This doesn’t mean you can’t still ask at the gate for something better. But in case of serious overbooking and a lack of volunteers, if you really need to be on the plane, it’s safer to have a boarding pass.
4. Take advantage of online check-in. If you have a boarding pass, even with checked luggage you can use the curbside check-in for a fee and avoid the basic lines. While kiosks have generally speeded up this process a bit, during holiday times this is less true, as infrequent travelers often get confused by the machines, and staff cutbacks mean less airline employees available to help them.
5. Consider packing a lunch if you have time. This might sound trivial, but on more than a few occasions around the holidays, I have seen lines that rival security lines at food service outlets. Which means the choice can be go hungry, take a chance that the overpriced selections on the planes will still be available, or risk missing your plane. Besides, even splurging on an expensive deli sandwich or salad in advance will probably be cheaper than airport food anyway.

Finally, if despite all your best intentions and planning, you still ending up with the travel day from hell, remember this — If you are flying somewhere for the holidays, at least you probably won’t have to worry about cooking.

Have i missed out anything ? Mail me at dejoe@dide3d.com