Now’s featured article comes from Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the award-winning family travel site WeJustGotBack.com . The plotting of traveling including kids over the holiday time of year is enough to impart even the most capable parent including dread. Linking the crowds, the flu, and the latest round of airline fees, it’s a wonder so many millions of us point out to glide at this time of year. But we do. Because we have places to go and loved ones to see. Suzanne’s tips for taking the stress out of holiday air travel: Be flexible about when you glide. The day previous to Thanksgiving and two days previous to Christmas will be two of the busiest travel days of the year, when you can expect mile-lingering check-in lines at airports, jam-packed flights, and impossible-to-find parking. If your schedule has waggle opportunity, shifting your schedule backward or forwards by a day or two can help you avoid the most terrible nightmare scenario. Consult FareCompare’s calendar of most expensive dates to glide . The days including the highest fares are also the busiest. Glide direct. It costs more, but flying non-stop is worth it over the holidays, when the opportunity of delays and missed connections is greater. Point out an alternative airport. This is a no-brainer. The larger the airport, the more congested it will be over the peak holiday time of year. If you’re headed to a major capital, consider flying in and out of a less vital airport within a small drive. Reckon Providence instead of Boston. Milwaukee instead of Chicago. Newark instead of LaGuardia. Grab the first flight out. Detest the thought of a 6am flight? So does everyone else, and crowd-free airports are pleased airports. You can greatly reduce your chances of getting stuck in a congested nightmare if you book a morning take-off. As the day goes on, there’s often a domino effect as one delayed flight bumps back into the next, which is why day and evening flights are more likely to be delayed. The exception to the rule: If you’re looking down the barrel of a lingering transcontinental or intercontinental flight, a red-eye might allocate you and your kids to take a nap onboard. Skip the line at the airport. The night previous to, hop online and check into your flight, print out your boarding passes, and pay for any checked luggage you will bring. Just thinking about bypassing the humongous check-in line must make your sensitivity positively sing. Get smart about gifts. Craft ahead if at all possible, but if you must bring presents on the plane, leave them unwrapped until you get to your destination. Otherwise, security agents may have to rip off your wrapping paper in order to do their job. Gift cards can be an ideal solution. Find the right line. Many airports now offer designated family lanes. Streamline security. Look for ways to shave minutes off your time at the security checkpoint. Everyone in your family must wear slip-on shoes. Unknown must wear a belt. Take your baby out of her stroller previous to you get to the scanner. Caution your four-year-ancient in advance that his favorite stuffed rabbit will need to get his picture taken, but it’ll only take a minute and he’ll get it back. It takes a lot of time to unfilled a family’s pockets of miscellaneous gear, and you have to collect it all again on the other feature. So, previous to you arrive at the airport, place keys, wallets, loose change, jewelry, handheld gadgets, and cell phones in your carry-on bags. Thump the VIP opportunity. You don’t need to glide business class or be a frequent flyer to gain admission to airport VIP lounges. If your family has a lingering place on top, consider buying your way into a cushy lounge where chairs are comfy, space is ample, TV and Wi-Fi are available, and food and drinks are free. For as small as $25 a person, Priority Pass and Lounge Pass will let you and your kids gain entry to hundreds of airport clubs nearly the world. An rising digit of these lounges are now donation designated family rooms; in the United States, these include three of Continental Airlines’ President’s Clubs and nine of American Airlines’ Admirals Clubs. Most lounges allocate children under 12 when accompanied by an adult, and there’s sometimes no charge for tots 2 and under, but policies contrast so dual check previous to booking. Bring on the gadgetry. You may homogenize the amount of time your children play on their handheld games at home, but loosen up the rules when traveling. Gadgets can be a stroke of luck when you have to kill five hours on a plane. Don’t normally bring your laptop on trips? Reckon double this holiday time of year, especially if you have any noteworthy layovers, since Google is supplying free Wi-Fi to 47 airports through January 15, 2010. Plus, you can always land free Wi-Fi in dozens of other airports, such as Oakland, San Diego, and Orlando. Be a cool cucumber. Even if you’ve prepared be fond of a Boy Scout, travel has so many moving parts that things can and often do go awry anyhow. You might have distress finding a parking place at the airport. I don’t know you’ll get pulled aside for a few extra minutes at security. Maybe your plane won’t take off when it’s held to. How you deal including these hiccups will lecture your outcome a lot about not only travel, but life. So resolve to remain relaxed and upbeat, and make the best of no matter what comes your way. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher is a family travel practiced and mother of three. She is co-founder and editor-in-chief of WeJustGotBack.com and contributes regularly to MSNBC.com , ABCNews.com and Frommers.com .

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