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Spread your cheer and save time and money doing it! Remember these five tips before traveling with gifts this holiday season — better to be safe before you go . . . than sorry at the security checkpoint!

1. Don’t Wrap Carry-On Gifts

If traveling by air this year, remember that TSA reserves the right to unwrap any wrapped packages. Best to save your cover-up job (and money on pretty, now-discarded paper), and fly through checkpoints by leaving any boxes unwrapped or in a gift bag, instead.

2. Improvise the Wrapping Goods

I’m all for stashing flat gift bags and simply packing packs of tissue paper, but remember that the newspaper you grab at the airport can also double as your paper, just bring tape and ribbon! Also, scissors with a cutting edge of less than four inches are allowed so there’s a great project to take up any wait time in the terminal itself.

3. Accept Your Bag Allowance

Need I mention that if you’re loading up gifts in a shopping bag that technically will take the place of your under-the-seat carry-on? With fewer planes in the air, thus more crowded cabins, be prepared to be stopped if you’re trying to load on more bags than just the two, even if they’re all small enough to fit.

4. Make Sure It’s Plane Approved

Measuring your cosmetics and other liquids into three-ounce size containers or less is common knowledge to those frequent fliers but make sure you cross check your carry-on gifts for any perfumes, gels, or prohibited contents — just ’cause it’s a present, won’t earn it a place in the overhead!

5. Ship Them First

Of course, an easy way to avoid this whole process is to ship the gifts first — many retailers offer free wrapping service so the festive result is effortless on your part. If you’d like to make it more personal, just bring wrapping paper to snatch and prettify your gifts before Christmas morning.

Reference: click here.

COURIER-MESSENGER, INC. – BIG OR SMALL WE SHIP IT ALL