I’m Gilbert Ott, frequent traveler and founder of a travel site. godsavethepoints.comand I have a trick that will get you through airport security faster.
What’s more, it’s not too good to be true.
I call it the airport pre-strip.
It means, depending on the rules where you are flying from, removing your layers and metal-detecting items, such as your belt and jewelry, long before you approach to put your things on trays or go through a scanner.
If you need to remove laptops or liquids, think about packing them so that it takes less than five seconds to remove them. And yes, I take my laptop out of my bag where I need to, long before I reach the trays.
The security people look at me with glee as I punch him before they’ve had a chance to speak.
Think with me for a second: some airport terminals screen more than 70,000 passengers per day. If you think about the seconds it takes for each passenger to take off their seatbelt, watch or other things, it adds up to at least 15 seconds per passenger. If there are 100 people in line, those 15 seconds equal 25 minutes of unnecessary delay.
We could eliminate so much waiting.
Gilbert Ott, founder of the travel site godsavethepoints.com, has a trick that will get you through airport security faster: the pre-strip. She is pictured above in her favorite airport outfit: comfy jeans, metal-free shoes, and a bomber jacket.
My outfit consists of comfortable metal-free shoes, comfortable jeans, a sweatshirt or t-shirt as a base layer, and my favorite bomber jacket as a flexible layer for changes in temperature. Because I know it’s a waste of time to take off, it’s the last thing I pack on top of my backpack and don’t put it on until I’m “airside,” past the scanners.
I travel over 200,000 miles a year and I can’t tell you the last time I slowed down the side by going through a scanner.
More tricks? Sure. It is absolutely possible to take food through airport security as long as it is not considered liquid. I love bringing my favorite foods, like good sushi, so I can skip reheated airplane meals.
Further? You can pre-book your security spot at many airports around the world, and there are also special lanes for families and those who purchase security memberships like TSA PreCheck (US) or have airline status that grants them fast track . Use them to your advantage!
Pre-stripping means “removing any capes and metal detecting items, such as your belt and jewelry, long before you actually approach to put your things on trays or go through a scanner.”