Earlier this week the TSA dropped some serious holiday travel knowledge on us with their Top 10 Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Tips. We are always curious what the TSA has to say about things given that they are a major part of our travel experience so we had to read.
What does the TSA think is important about traveling on a Thanksgiving? What secrets might they are impart? Could it actually be useful? Would it apply more to families than frequent travelers? Why do people travel on Thanksgiving? Did we just say that out loud!?
More importantly, what kind of commentary might the TSA’s 10 tips for traveling on Thanksgiving tell us about, well, us!?
You see, holiday travel is pretty much insane. It’s brings out the worst in many of us. And the TSA gets to see a lot of this, no doubt, with, of course, lots of rookie travelers mixed in. Gulp…sounds terrible.
Here’s what we found with our typical sarcastic take on it here at the CBoardingGroup.
Get to the airport early (no, seriously, do it)
This is actually good advice. No snark here. Arrive early on Holiday travel. No two ways about it. The TSA mentioned that nearly 27m people are traveling this Thanksgiving and they will probably all be in the LAX security line (just saying) so get there earlier than you might ordinary. Smart.
We actually recommend this for first time travelers anyway in our 11 Tips to Crush your First Business Trip article.
They wasted two of their tips on Food
I guess a lot of peeps are traveling with food items on Thanksgiving which makes sense, but like wtf, are people carrying a gravy boat on the plane? The TSA has very specific rules about traveling with food and if you got a Kool-Aide container of your special punch you ain’t bringing it on the plane.
We cover all the details of traveling with food including the TSA rules in our TSA Food Rules article here.
Apparently people need to be reminded to NOT bring their carving knife in your carry on…hmmm
I’ve got nothing here. Like don’t bring a knife. If you do, check it. But also don’t check your bags, man. It’s super lame.
They want you to pack smart…whatever that means
Actually, we do know what that means and have covered it extensively in our 17 Suitcase Packing Tips piece. But, from the TSA’s point of view packing smart means: “Follow our rules so you don’t slow the line down because you are are a jackass and don’t know you can’t bring a frigging carving knife in your carry-on.”
Good advice.
Sign up for TSA Precheck (but its obviously too late)
With stunning timing they recommend that you sign for TSA Precheck. This is obviously brilliant advice (we recommend it in our 12 Brilliant Air Travel Tips article). However, it’s also too late. So, that was super helpful there TSA.
But they are not wrong…sign up for TSA Precheck or don’t. If you don’t it’s one less person in front of me. Lol…
Final Thoughts on TSA’s Thanksgiving Travel Tips
Yikes…ok, that was interesting. The general gist of their travel tips is really this:
- Learn the rules
- Follow the rules
- Don’t be a jackass (ok, I added the last one)
In all seriousness, Holiday Travel is pretty nuts. The TSA has pretty clear rules and I give them credit for publishing some tips to make it easier. Unfortunately it won’t make a dent. All the goobers traveling this Thanksgiving are gonna muck it up for all of us. Like they do every year.
You can read the full TSA Article here.
Be sure to check out ALL of our Christmas Gift Guides
Did you know we’ve several gift guides for travelers? Yup. If you can’t find a gift for the person who travels you aren’t trying. Here’s a quick summary before you dive into our stocking stuffers for travelers list:
- 53 Gifts for Business Travelers
- Best Travel Gifts for Her
- Tech Gifts for Travelers
- Best Travel Gifts for Him
- Travel Blogger Gift Ideas
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving, You get the idea…etc
Drop us a comment, below, or tweet us! We love to hear from our readers. We travel like crazy all year, but we try to avoid traveling during the holidays. Instead we shop, watch football, spend time with the family and chill the heck out. Be sure to check out some of our other great travel content too including:
- Can I fly with an expired ID?
- TSA Food Rules – what are they?
- 101 Travel Hacks
- Can I bring Tweezers on a Plane?
- Can I bring a Razor on a Plane?
- Can I bring vitamins on a Plane?
- I forgot my toiletries while traveling – now what?
- 11 Best Hotel Beds
- Airport Travel Tips
- Suitcase Packing Tips
- Healthy Travel Snacks You will Actually Want to Eat
- Bulkhead Seating on a Plane – any good?
- The Mileage Run
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