We all know that the holidays bring out the non-frequent fliers. The people who fly once a year, or less, who have no idea what the latest TSA policy is regarding liquids, or shoes, or anything else. The people who bring full size bottles of shampoo in their overstuffed carry-on bags. One time, I kid you not, I was behind a man trying to bring multiple bottles of barbecue sauce through the DFW security. But I digress.

In honor of these non-frequent fliers, I would like to share a piece of advice. Please make sure your boarding pass is always handy. Even if it is not actually in your hand, make sure you can get to it quickly and easily. You may think that you don’t need it accessible once you’ve shown it to the TSA agent, but they can request to see it at any time. I like to keep mine in the outside pocket of my purse, or at the very top of my backpack. I try not to let it slip down inside, and  have it always visible when I open my bag. This way if anyone needs to see my boarding pass, for any reason, it won’t involve emptying my entire purse in order to show it. Yes, this did happen over the holidays. Not to me, but to the poor woman in front of me. She literally had to take everything out of her purse to find her crumpled up boarding pass, slowing down the line and frustrating everyone behind her. Don’t let this happen to you! Keep it readily accessible.