The Fast Lane | TSA PreCheck

There is nothing more frustrating for air travelers than a seemingly endless line at airport security. Fortunately, ditching the extra-long wait (and cumbersome task of unpacking nearly all of the contents of your carry-on) is slowly becoming a trend of the past. In 2011, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched the TSA PreCheck program as an intelligence-based approach to expediting airport security.

What is TSA Pre✓?

The Transportation Security Administration manages and operates an expedited security screening program, allowing certain travelers to move through security more quickly and easily when departing from participating airports in the U.S.

What does TSA Pre✓mean for travelers?

TSA PreCheck allows low-risk travelers to experience expedited, more efficient security screening at participating U.S. airport checkpoints.

• If you have a TSA PreCheck indicator on your boarding pass, proceed to the TSA Pre✓lane
• Present your boarding pass and Government-issued ID to the Travel Document Checker
• Have the TSA Travel Document Checker scan your boarding pass barcode
• Remember, your children age 12 and under may go with you
• Keep on your shoes and belt, your laptop in its case, and your 3-1-1 compliant bag in your carryon.

Experience:

• Quicker transit through airport security screening
• Faster moving lines
• Improved travel experience

No Removal of:

• Belt
• Shoes
• Light outerwear/jacket
• Compliant bag and laptop from carry-on

How does TSA Pre✓work?

Travelers can become part of the TSA PreCheck program in one of three ways:

• Pre-enrolling on the TSA.gov site 
• By invitation through an airline's frequent flier program
• Admission into another Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler program (Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI) 

Learn more about the four Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Traveler programs that include TSA Pre✓Eligibility

Here at Westwind Airport Valet the goal is to provide our clients with safe and convenient travel arrangements. Don’t forget you can book your parking reservation online quick and easy by visiting www.westwindairportvalet.com.

The Best Vacations Have No Plans

You have a week of unused paid time off at work which you do not want to go to waste. Your mission is clear. You’re going on vacation!  Have you ever considered NOT planning for vacation? The majority of us plan every day down to the minute filled with activities, dining, traveling, and lodging. Try vacation planning by not planning your vacation for a truly exciting and memorable trip.

If you want to take a leisurely, non-planned vacation, plan on doing so during non-peak travel times. Impromptu vacations during peak travel times could mean hotels without vacancy, sold out venues and very expensive airfare.

Lodging

It is a good idea to secure the first two nights of lodging arrangements ahead of time. This will give you an edge on visiting an unfamiliar area. Consider booking a room at a Bed & Breakfast so you can visit with the owners and get ideas of where you should go next.

Transportation

Rental cars are an option in most destinations and allow you to take control and go off the beaten path. An alternative is public transportation via bus or railway. This allows you to enjoy the scenery or even maximize your time by traveling overnight to your next destination.

Meeting Locals

A successful spontaneous trip will require that you meet locals at their local restaurants and bars. Avoid chain restaurants where you’ll likely mingle with other tourists. Local eateries and pubs will show you the true color of the city and give you an informal way to meet locals.

Activities

Some vacation planning you may need to do ahead of time. You need to determine what it is you are going for and what you want to see when you are there. Once you’ve selected a city, region or country, visit their tourism website to find out more about what there is to do. You will often find maps of the area, information about public transit and current events. Social networking sites like Facebook or Pinterest and travel focused sites, also have many recommendations from real travelers on vacation planning.

Here at Westwind Airport Valet, we strive to provide our clients with safe and convenient travel arrangements. Even if you are not making an itinerary for your next trip, we plan to take care of you and your vehicle so you can enjoy your next adventure. Contact us today to Ride The Wave!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube to join the conversation and get the latest travel tips and savings!    

Sun Safety Tips

It is officially summer and time to start planning your beach vacation, weekend lake getaways and countless days at the pool. You deserve this time to relax and take in the season, but do not let your guard down when it comes to your skins health.

Most kids get much of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so it's important for parents to teach them how to enjoy fun in the sun safely. Taking the right precautions can greatly reduce your child's chance of developing skin cancer.

In an effort to help reduce the startling spike of skin cancer due to overexposure from the sun, we have listed sun safety tips below, which you and your family should practice whenever you are outdoors.

• Wear sunscreen with an SPF 15 or greater. The level of SPF indicates the length of time you will be protected from UVB rays, compared to the time it would take for you to sunburn without protection. So if your skin would normally redden in 20 minutes, sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will protect you 15 times longer, or for 5 hours.

• Look for a product that provides both UVA and UVB protection. Sunscreens should include at least one of the following ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or avobenzone.

• Wear sunscreen all year long. Harmful rays are always present, even on cloudy or snowy days.

• Apply sunscreen liberally at least 30 minutes before your exposure to the sun. Reapply every 2 hours and after swimming.

• Always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, especially while you are near a body of water as UV rays reflect up off the water's surface.

• Wearing a SPF lip balm helps prevent skin cancers and pre-cancers which occur frequently in the lip, an area often forgot about when applying skin protection.

• Pre-wash bathing suits in Rit Sunguard. This provides more SPF without the extra application.

• Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when exposure to ultraviolet light is highest.

It doesn't take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need. And repeated unprotected exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. Even people in their twenties can develop skin cancer.

Moderate exposure to the sun can be good for you, as long as it provides your body with vitamin D, but too much can and will cause damage. The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) rays, which penetrate your skin. A sunburn results when exposure is more than your body's protective pigment (melanin) can handle. UVB rays are the most harmful and are the main cause of sunburn and skin cancer. 

Going on vacation and being outdoors should be fun and relaxing, but a painful sunburn can quickly end a good time. With the right preparations, you can help prevent skin issues from arising and enjoy beautiful skin and beautiful days!    

Here at Westwind Airport Valet we strive to provide our clients with safe and convenient travel arrangements. For your next trip, let us take care of you and your vehicle so you can relax while you are gone. Contact us today for more information and make your reservation to Ride The Wave! 

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube to join the conversation and get the latest travel tips and savings!    

While You Wait...

Sometimes is seems the more layovers you have the cheaper your flight will cost. While it might take you all day to go from A to B, the price cut may well be worth it. But what about the 4, 5, sometimes more, hours you spend waiting in the terminal for that connecting flight? Wasted time or not? What do you do while you wait?

Having various conversations with our wonderful fans that use Westwind Airport Valet when traveling out of the Dayton International Airport, we have come up with several things that seem to prevail over others. Using that and our own personal remedies for the time in between, here is what we have.

1. People Watch
Have you ever seen someone doing something like screaming into their phone, and wondered "What is that all about?" Or witnessed a person with the look of total confusion and wonder if they are going to make their flight? It's interesting to watch a human being from an outside perspective. It lets us know that we can be attentive and oblivious at the same time.

2. Eat
Nom, nom, nom! Eating is always a choice with tons of places to pick from in airports. From the isle side vendors to the full sit down restaurants, there is not shortage of places to grab a meal. A little tip. Certain foods cause you to be drowsy after consumption. If you have trouble flying, try eating some of these foods before your flight to help you maybe take a nap or be in a more sedated mood when flying.

3. Read
Reading is a great way to pass the time while traveling. If you have a good book, a long layover, and a few flights, you might be able to finish the entire thing. Not only does it keep your brain active, so when you arrive at your final destination you're not "lost", but it allows you to focus on what you are reading and not be distracted by factors that can stress you out. I think it's safe to say that there is a bookstore in about every airport.

4. Drink
Make it a double! Some people head straight to the bar. Many people have the misassumption that alcohol will "calm my nerves" because they're a nervous flier. Actually alcohol is a stimulant and does the opposite of what you think it does. Most airport, TSA, and airline companies will tell you to try to avoid alcohol consumption before flight, but magically they all serve alcohol aboard the flight. Ironic? Of course you can drink enough to pass out if your that nervous of a flier, but try to find alternatives to calm your nerves.

5. Sleep
That flight at 5 a.m. comes quick. And if it was a last minute plan, or procrastination just took over, you might not have gotten that full nights sleep. So catch a few Z's while you wait. If you are a light sleeper, try putting some headphones in, with or without music playing, to drown out background noise. Just be sure you have a way of waking up, either by alarm, a travel partner, or someone who is waiting on the same flight as you. Asking someone around you if they will be so kind as to wake you up in 30 minutes etc., usually is not a problem for most travelers and can even be a great way to strike up a conversation.

6. Work
Most of us know it never stops. And just because you're traveling, does not mean that the work flow back at the office is getting put on hold just for you. Doing work while you are waiting is great way to stay ahead of the game and keep things on a level so you do not have an overload of to-do's when you get back to the office.

These are just a very few of the things you can do while you wait. After sitting for so long, getting up and walking around is a good way to spend the layover time and get some exercise. If the wait is long enough, see about checking out the local town, grab a shower, etc. There are plenty of options to chose from when waiting on a flight.

What do you like to do?