Airports are always busy hotbeds of stress during the Christmas season, with many travelling to see family and friends or just looking to escape to a sunny destination for a week.

Ryerson University's public affairs department suggests holiday travellers book travel a week or two before or after Christmas, or fly on Christmas day to avoid the heaviest crowds.

If your flexibility for holiday travel is limited, though, Captain Karen Kahn, one of few working female pilots and author of the book "Flight Guide for Success," has released a list of 12 tips to avoid unnecessary stress at the airport and on your flight.

What to bring with you:

1. Bring a neck pillow in your carry-on to use for neck or back support. Put your name and cell phone number on the pillow in case you misplace it.

2. Bring a pair of foam earplugs with to cancel out noise from loud neighbours.

3. Wear slip-on shoes to make the trip through security quicker.

4. Bring an empty water bottle with you to fill from a fountain past security. This will save you from having to purchase costly airport bottled water.

5. Bring individual plastic bags of snacks like dried fruit, jerky or protein bars.

6. Bring disposable reading materials with you, such as magazines or newspapers you won't mind leaving behind to lighten your load as you go.

Airport security:

7. Avoid accessories such as large metal belts, bracelets, necklaces or pins to ensure your trip through security will be as quick as possible.

8. Place bags and items on the x-ray conveyor belt in the order you will reassemble them. "That's suitcase first, then briefcase, then computer inside the security bin, then shoes and jacket/purse in the last bin," says Kahn.

Don't forget:

9. Keep a list of available alternate flights with you, in case yours is late or cancelled.

10. When you know you'll be catching a connecting flight, ensure you have all ongoing boarding passes with you. Know your connecting gate and double check it on monitors upon your arrival.

11. Always check to ensure you have your documentation - passport, boarding pass, wallet - with you before moving from long-seated locations, such as a boarding area or airplane seat.

Once you're in the air:

12. After takeoff, remove any carry-on from under the seat in front of you and put it behind your legs so you can stretch out and enjoy your flight.

What do you do to avoid travel stress during the holidays?

- Nicole Feenstra