If you have relatives in town visiting, they've probably already experienced the headaches of holiday travel.

One of the biggest problems with flying during the holiday season is that the airports are full of people who don't know the rules. They may not be aware that they're allowed to take only one clear, quart bag of liquids and gels and that each item has to be 3 ounces or less. If you're stuck behind one of these infrequent fliers, you know you're going to be in line for a while.

There may be no way to get from here to there without going through a major airport, but if you must do so through the end of the year, here are few survival tips.

• First, always print your boarding pass before you leave home. That way, when you do get to the airport, you can skip the check-in lines and go right to the security gate. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you are going through Hartsfield-Jackson and the main security area is really busy, head to the entry near the American Airlines desk. From that gate, you can get to any part of the airport but the lines are significantly shorter.

• If you're taking gifts to the friends and family you're visiting, don't wrap them. They're likely to be unwrapped in security. Gift bags are a much better idea for traveling gifts. Another option with gifts is to lighten your load completely and ship them to your destination ahead of time.

• If you're going to visit relatives in or near a major city, consider this: Most major hotels have their cheapest prices during the holiday season, when they have no business customers. So instead of crowding into a family member's house, check into a hotel. I bet everyone will enjoy your visit more.

• When it comes to paying for holiday travel, it pays to price shop. Northwest Airlines is usually the most aggressive with holiday pricing. The calendar of deals that they post is usually the one the rest of the industry adopts. This year, the fares between Christmas and New Year's are going to be better than last year, because both those holidays fall on a Tuesday.

So people who plan to travel will probably do so over the weekend. Monday will be a dead day. That gives travelers a longer time frame than usual in which to travel, so there are apt to be some deals when you least expect them. The big bargain days will be Dec. 15 -18, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. New Year's Eve followed by Jan. 3-7 will also be good for deals. So pick and choose your travel days for the best savings.

And once the holidays are over, don't forget that January is actually one of the best times to snag a travel deal. When no one else has any money left over, you can pick up great deals on ski trips, resorts and cruises. All those destinations are a lot cheaper in January (except for the King holiday weekend) than they will be even in February or March.

H.M. Cauley contributed to this article. Clark Howard answers questions of general interest in this column. Because of volume, he can't respond to all questions.