Airport Security Suggestions

Traveling a few times lately inspired some recommendations when someone gets to the airport and has to get through security. They following breaks down the basics of how to get to the gate as efficiently as possible and reduce anxiety.

Arrival
Arrive about 2 hours before the flight is departing. Monday morning and Friday afternoon is when most business travelers are flying, so there are more people there. The more travelers, the longer all lines will be.

Check-in
Have your ID ready, you will be asked for it when you get to the desk. Having to dig in a purse or wallet wastes your time and mine if I am standing behind you. Don't bury it back in the wallet or purse, because it will be needed again. There are several more efficient ways to check in:

• Most airlines allow online check in 24 hours before the flight (on the internet), how many bags you are checking, and print out the boarding pass. When you get to the airport, they may have a special lane for that, and it is the quickest.
• Most airlines have a "self check-in" where you can use a kiosk to print a boarding pass and then they call you forward to check the luggage.
• Because of smartphones, check in using it to speed up both of the above points. Make sure the battery is charged, it sucks when you get halfway to security and it can't scan the code. Start over.
• Do not put a lock on the zippers of checked bags. You will be asked to unlock them, or they will be cut off when going through security.

Security Screening
The most hated part of getting to the gate is the security line. Feels like cattle in a corral on the the way to slaughter. The longest wait, like waiting in line for a roller coaster.  This is why you show up early, especially on busy days.

• Keep your ID handy, you need to show it again.
• Be prepared to take off your shoes, you have to do that. Knee high, laced boots? Not a good idea. I use a pair of slip on shoes as my "air travel" shoes to make it easy.
• Don't wear a belt or a lot of jewelry. You will have to remove all of that too. The least amount of metal on you, the quicker you'll get through security and not set off the alarms.
• Remove your laptop BEFORE you get to the conveyer, it does have to come out of the carry on bag.
• Once you retrieve your items from the conveyer, move to the area a little farther away to get redressed and put your things back in your bag/purse/etc. Doing it at the end of the conveyer holds up everyone behind you.

Once through and all ready to go, proceed to the gate. Check the monitors for your flight, it might have changed from what is actually printed on your boarding pass. And listen to the PA system for your flight.

Based on these simple suggestions, I have my check in time down to under 5 minutes and the longest I've waited in the security line was 25 minutes. So, it takes me about a half an hour to get to my gate. Keeping in mind that you typically board 20 minutes before flight time, that takes away almost an hour of my 2 hour wait. I find a cup of coffee and a place to sit, and enjoy people watching. Oh yeah, a final recommendation is to go to the restroom BEFORE you board since it will be quite a bit of time until you can go to the water closet on the plane. Happy traveling.

Navigating the New Super-Highway

Let's be honest, today's lifestyle is so fast paced that it surprises me that we don't get more speeding tickets. I'm not talking about how you drive you car, but how you deal with the speed of the internet and how fast we can communicate with each other. This entry is based on my own personal thoughts on keeping connected to your life.

A key concern that we all have, is how to keep the work life separate from the personal life, especially if we travel a lot for work purposes. A simple solution to that, based on my perspective, is to buy a hard drive disk that works with your work laptop chassis. For the low cost of about $50, I could pack my personal hard drive in my carry on luggage, and using a small Phillips head screwdriver, could get online in the hotel, check all of my PERSONAL emails, Facebook, and search for whatever I wanted, without my company tracking it. If they are going to provide me with the tools to do my job, why not take advantage of that for personal reasons when I have to travel? Unscrew one or two small screws, slide out the company hard drive, slide in my personal one, and not worry about "big brother" watching me. I didn't have to lug a second laptop around with me to get through the TSA.

English: McDonalds' sign in Harlem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The second largest concern we have, is how to "get online." Having a smartphone helps, since most cell phone companies have them, but I want to view things in a larger perspective, and keep my phone bill low. Free wi-fi is available all around us. You just have to find some close to you. Sure, most hotel chains offer it now, but what do you do when you are in the middle of nowhere? Go to a Starbucks or McDonald's or even local library. Sure, you might have to buy a horrible tasting coffee or burger, but you get access to the internet. If you live in an apartment complex (like I do), consider going "halfsies" with a neighbor on the bill. You can both set up your own profiles, but cut your costs in half.

So, it comes down to the last point, "I'm not a geek, I don't want to work that hard, what can I do?" See the Portable Apps entry. My first iPod is now nothing more than a USB drive. But I use it more now than I did for my music. There are ways out there, to expand your horizon, that don't impede you. Embrace life...live it...connect in any way that you can.