12 Practical Steps to Prepare for Safe Holiday Travel

The holiday season brings record crowds to America’s airports and highways. Between mid- to late-November and New Year’s Day, millions of travelers hit the road or take to the skies to celebrate with family and friends.

Whether you plan to drive a few hours to host the grandchildren or catch a cross-country flight to spend Christmas with family, holiday congestion brings unique challenges. Crowds move slower, security lines stretch longer, and unexpected winter weather can disrupt even the most carefully planned itinerary.

By the numbers: what TSA checkpoints look like during the holidays:

• Over 18 million passengers pass through TSA airport checkpoints during the week of Thanksgiving alone.
• More than 40 million travelers fly during the extended Christmas and New Year holiday travel period.
• Record single-day volume now tops 3.1 million screened air passengers, typically peaking on the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving.
• Peak volume days also include the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday and Saturday right before Christmas Eve.
• Road travel remains the largest volume, with nearly 90 percent of holiday trips taken by car, leading to highway congestion that peaks between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM on major travel corridors.

A little advance preparation prevents small delays from turning into holiday headaches. Here is your essential holiday travel preparation checklist.

1. Lock In Airfare Immediately

If you plan to fly and have not booked your tickets, don’t wait. Historical data from Google Flights shows that the window for finding the cheapest Thanksgiving airfare closes rapidly as November approaches.

Fares spike significantly inside the three-week window, and peak holiday travel dates sell out fast. Plus, airfare this year is higher than average due to the high cost of fuel.

2. Double-Check Reservations and Lock Down Seats

Airlines occasionally swap aircraft models weeks before departure, which can reset seat assignments or separate travel partners. Open and double-check your bookings now and at least weekly until your travel day.

Here’s what to look for: Confirm flight dates, connection times, rental car pick-up hours, and hotel check-in dates. For flights, review your seat selection. Airlines sometimes change your seats without notifying you, so it’s important to stay on top of things so you can correct problems before you arrive and don’t have the seat you originally wanted.

3. Download Travel Apps and Enable Real-Time Alerts

Download and/or update the smartphone apps for your airline, car rental company, and navigation services (such as Waze or Google Maps).

Next, turn on push notifications. Airlines regularly change gates and departure times. When you’re in the air, the baggage carousel you’re to use may change, and that’s important information for those picking you up at the airport. Turning on the notifications will help you stay on top of changes.

4. Pack Power Packs and Adapters in Your Carry-On

Holiday travel drains phone and tablet batteries quickly. Pack a fully charged portable power bank, relevant charging cables, and a compact wall plug in your personal item.

Note on power banks: Federal regulations require lithium-ion portable batteries to remain in your carry-on baggage. They are strictly prohibited in checked luggage due to fire safety guidelines.

5. Check Identity Documents and Validity Windows

Verify your identification well before departure day. If traveling domestically within the US, ensure your driver’s license or REAL ID is current.

If traveling internationally for the holiday, inspect your passport expiration date and the passports of those traveling with you immediately. Many foreign destinations require passports to remain valid for at least three to six months beyond your planned departure date, so if you need to renew a passport, you can get it done in time.

6. Set Up TSA PreCheck and Touchless ID

If you have TSA PreCheck, confirm your Known Traveler Number (KTN) appears on your airline profile and boarding pass. Check those for everyone in your travel group.

To save even more time, look into TSA PreCheck Touchless ID. This feature uses facial-matching technology at the checkpoint, allowing you to pass without having to pull out and show your physical documents.

It is currently expanding across major airlines (including Delta and United) at select hub airports like Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

Here’s how the program works and how you can confirm availability:

First, the airline app will only display the Touchless ID opt-in prompt if two specific items are already saved in the traveler profile:

• An active Known Traveler Number (KTN) for TSA PreCheck.
• A valid US Passport number and expiration date (the facial recognition matches against the federal passport photo database, even on domestic flights).
• And you have to Opt-in to Touchless ID in the airline’s app. This will expire after each trip.

If a passport is not saved in the airline profile, the airline app hides the feature entirely.

Second, Touchless ID isn’t available everywhere. You can check the published lists to see where it will work (so you can get in the correct line at the airport):

• The Master TSA Hub List: TSA maintains the official list and interactive map of participating hubs at tsa.gov/touchless-id. It is currently operational at roughly 65 major US airports.
• Airline Travel Info Pages: Participating carriers (Delta, United, American, Alaska, and Southwest) publish their specific participating hub lists on their website security pages (for example, aa.com/tsa-precheck-touchless-id or united.com/tsa).

Once the passport details and your known traveler number are saved in the loyalty profile, here’s how to opt-in:

• During 24-Hour Flight Check-In: For most airlines (including United and Delta), the opt-in toggle appears as a prompt during the standard mobile check-in flow if the departure airport has an active Touchless ID lane.
• On the Digital Boarding Pass: When eligible and opted in, the boarding pass itself will display a green or bold TSA PreCheck Touchless ID emblem right next to the standard PreCheck indicator. If that badge is missing, the traveler simply uses the standard PreCheck lane.

7. Getting Thanksgiving Food Through Security

Some travelers carry homemade holiday dishes, but security lines are not the place to discover a container violation.

• The rule to remember: If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, or pour it, it follows the 3.4-ounce liquid rule.
• Permitted in your carry-on: Solid items like baked pies, cooked meats, stuffing, casseroles, bread, and cookies.
• Checked luggage only: Gravy, cranberry sauce, preserves, dips, maple syrup, soups, and wine.
• When in doubt: Check the TSA mobile app or use the What Can I Bring search tool on the TSA website.

8. Decide on Checked Luggage and Add Tag Trackers

Determine early if your wardrobe or liquid items will require you to check luggage or if a carry-on will suffice.

If you’re checking a bag or bags, don’t rely solely on the airline-issued barcode tag. Drop an electronic tracker (such as an Apple AirTag or Samsung SmartTag) into each checked piece. This provides independent location visibility directly on your phone if a piece of luggage misses a connection.

This can help you support harried airline staff who are trying to find your bag in a pile of other bags, especially if you have snapped a photo of your bag and can show them where it’s located using the tracking device.

9. Plan your Snacks and Refillable Water Bottles

Airport food lines during Thanksgiving week stretch long, and roadside rest stops fill quickly. Pack healthy, non-perishable snacks like mixed nuts, protein bars, or dried fruit.

Bring an empty refillable water bottle per person through security, then fill them up at a hydration station or airport lounge. This way, everyone can stay hydrated and avoid the hangries while traveling.

10. Prepare Your Vehicle if Driving

If your holiday route is on the highway, do not treat your vehicle as an afterthought. Check tire tread depth and inflation levels, replace worn wiper blades, and top off windshield washer fluid. Pack a winter safety kit containing a flashlight, jumper cables, a warm blanket, a basic first aid kit, and an emergency phone charger.

See our tips on how to plan a safe road trip.

11. Reserve Airport Parking or Transportation in Advance

Parking lots at major US airports regularly fill to capacity during Thanksgiving week. Reserve on-site parking weeks in advance, or schedule your rideshare pickup well ahead of time (at least a full day).

Add at least 45 extra minutes to your usual arrival cushion to absorb shuttle delays and longer terminal lines.

12. Share Live Itinerary Details with Friends and Family

Share your flight number or live driving location with family members or friends who are meeting you. Airline apps let you text a live tracking link with a single tap, keeping your pickup crew updated on runway arrivals or tarmac holds without constant phone calls.

After all that, have a great holiday trip!