Friday Five: Holiday Travel Tips

Christmas is on Tuesday, and I'm flying across the country to see my family.  This evening I will be busy as millions of my closest friends and I decide to fly somewhere this weekend.  Here are five things I'm doing on-line to help me cope:

1. Check in for my flight

Yes, I checked in for my flight last night on the airline's website.  It was great.  Now, with boarding passes in hand, I don't have to wait in line at the ticket counter and was able to move my seat to an aisle on both of my flights. 

2. Check the weather

There are many sites that provide weather information, and fortunately, the weather at all three airports I'll use tonight looks fine.  That should lower chances of delays.

3. Download podcasts

With several hours on a plane ahead of me, I downloaded several podcasts for my listening pleasure.  Hopefully, they're interesting…

4. Preview in-flight entertainment

Let's go back to the airline website.  If my iPod gets boring, will I get to watch a movie?  No, but the airline I'm flying today offers complimentary satellite radio.

5. Forward my itinerary to the family

There's no need to confuse flight numbers and arrival times when you can simply e-mail your itinerary to whoever will pick you up.  In my case, up until a few days ago both my family and I thought I was flying at a different time.  Good thing we checked my itinerary and can e-mail each other the exact details.

What do you do on-line to better cope with holiday travel?