If you plan on flying in the next couple days or months ahead and you haven’t flown in awhile, there are probably a few things you should know before you step foot into the airport. You’ll want to know everything possible so that you can make the airport trip a breeze!

Know what you can’t bring- When it comes to flying, there are a lot of things you can’t bring on an airplane and these lists are edited almost daily. Be sure to check out the TSA’s main website to get more information on what you can and can’t bring.

Wear simple shoes- If you haven’t flown since 9/11, you might not know that you need to take off your shoes before you reach the security check gates. If you can, I would recommend that you wear either sandals or shoes that aren’t extremely hard to get off or time consuming. You’ll want something that you can throw on and off into a bin.

Watch out for the metal- If you’re wearing a metal beltbuckle or you have a metal keychain, etc, you’ll want to leave this at home or pack it into your check in luggage (if you’re checking in luggage). This will speed up the process because if you have any type of metal on you, you will be pushed aside and searched until you’re cleared.

Laptops and electronics- If you’re going to bring electronics on board such as a laptop, Ipod, etc, make sure that you take these out of the bag. It’s mandatory that you pull your laptop out of your bag so that the officials can brwse it in the xray machine. If you fail to do this, they will have to stop the line and tell you to take the laptop out of the bag.

Have ticket / ID ready- When you’re waiting in line, make sure that you have your ticket and ID ready. The officials will be checking this numerous times. If you have it handy instead of in your wallet or purse, this will speed up the process even more. If you’re traveling overseas, make sure you have your passport ready as well.

Keep bags unlocked- Don’t lock your bags because if the officials want to check them, you will be asked to unlock them. Save yourself the trouble and keep the bags unlocked. If you want to lock the bags after you reach the checkpoint, that will be okay.

Allow time- Make sure that you get to the airport at least two hours before your flight. You’ll find that you’ll breeze through some checkpoints and others you’ll wait a few hours. It’s important that you get there early so that you don’t miss your flight.

Be smart - When you’re waiting in line, just focus on getting through your checkpoint. Avoid using small talk with the guards and don’t joke about anything, they will not like this. Just keep your mouth shut to avoid any other troubles.