Traveling during Christmas is already difficult, and it is especially so if you’re traveling with gifts. Navigating what you can and cannot bring through security is taxing, and there’s no guarantee that TSA won’t confiscate your nephew’s new ray gun or your sisters tin of homemade cookies. Thankfully, we’re here to help! Here are some Christmas packing and traveling tips to make your holidays way easier.
- Ship your presents to your destination.
If you’re planning on spending Christmas away from home with family, sometimes having your packages shipped directly to your destination can be a lifesaver. Many gifts can be bought online, but instead of shipping them to yourself and having the hassle of lugging everything through security or risking putting them inside your checked bags, just have them sent to where you’re going to spend Christmas and wrap them there (once the kiddies go to bed, of course).
- Know what you can and cannot bring through security.
At this point, TSA’s rules are pretty well known, but there are some other hidden restrictions you might not know about or might slip your mind. While it might seem fine to bring a wrapped baseball bat in your carryon for little Timmy, the TSA considers it a weapon and will not allow it through. You might also be thinking of bringing that nice bottle of 151 proof rum for a cold Christmas evening, but any alcohol over 140 proof will be confiscated, even out of your checked baggage. Find the full list of allowed items, both in your carryon and in your checked baggage, on TSA’s website, located here.
- If you’re bringing any type of cookies, pack them well.
While you cannot bring food through TSA, checked baggage is a different story. The only problem is that your cookies are inevitably going to be crumbs by the time you get your bag back, thanks to the loading and unloading process. There is a trick, however. By stuffing pieces of fresh bread to fill up the space between the cookies and the top of the tin, you can make sure that there is much less room for the cookies to bounce around, resulting in much less breaking. That, and the bread will actually keep your cookies fresh!
- If you must check wrapped presents in your luggage, skip the bow and skip the fragile stuff.
This especially goes for presents that are packed alongside your normal traveling items, such as clothes and toiletries. By the time you get to your destination and unpack, those bows are going to be crushed. For fragile items, it is much safer to carry them on the plane yourself.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Travel Makers