Save Time and Hassles With These Simple Holiday Travel Tips

For West Cobb-area travelers heading to the airport this holiday season, NCR Travel Division Vice President and General Manager Tyler Craig offers several tips for making the experience easier and less stressful. 

- Security personnel will often ask you to unwrap wrapped presents in your carry-on, which will slow you and everyone else down.  To eliminate this problem, consider shipping some or all of your gifts ahead of time.  Or do last minute shopping at the airport, as many airports now offer a wide array of stores and many of those stores offer services that allow you to ship merchandise from the airport store directly to your destination.

- Save time and avoid check-in lines during your holiday travel by checking in on your mobile device and using mobile boarding passes.  Checking in on your mobile phone means you can bypass airport check in lines and an electronic boarding pass eliminates the need to keep track of a paper boarding pass, which you’re more likely to misplace in the holiday rush.  With mobile check-in and mobile boarding passes, you can go right to security when you get to the airport.  When purchasing your ticket, check if your airline offers an app or mobile website that allows for mobile check-in and mobile boarding passes. 

- Consider applying for an airline-branded credit card.  Many of these cards offer perks like a free checked bag or access to airline club rooms, which can be especially beneficial during the holidays when you’re traveling with a lot of items or looking to avoid the crowded terminals and gates.

- In advance of your trip, download maps to the airports from which you’ll be departing, connecting and arriving.  These wayfinding apps can help you make the most of your time at the airport by helping you locate gates, ticket counters, shops and restaurants. These can be especially helpful when connecting through an unfamiliar airport, allowing you to make the most of your layover without worrying about getting lost and missing your connection.

For more tips on the travel experience, please visit the NCR Travel blog at http://blogs.ncr.com/travel/.