Few things annoy as many people like the TSA checkpoints going into airports. It’s one of the things most complained about parts of most trips. People resent the lines associated with it. However, TSA doesn’t have to be bad.
The Transport Security Agency (TSA) formed in the wake of September 11th, 2001 as a way to secure travel hubs. The agency is responsible for security checkpoints, roving patrols, and working out proactive safety measures. Nowhere is it their mission to harass travelers.
TSA checkpoints are easy to plan for, and no one should be surprised by them. It’s not a big ask to contain your liquids. Anyone who has had a soap bottle explode in their luggage before probably does that anyway. Placing them near a zipper or in an outer pocket for easy access before coming to the airport stops the dig.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I prefer to protect my electronics while I travel. This means my laptop actually has a separate padded compartment in my carry on. After all, that’s where a lot of my business lives! Pulling it out from said pocket is a less than ten-second procedure.
As for shoes and jackets, well, the easy answer is to pick footwear that’s easy to remove. Since I spend a lot of time in sneakers, I untie my sneakers when I get to the front of the line. This allows me to slip them off once I get a bin. As for outer layers such as jackets, those can usually be secured to my carry on before I even get to the bins (gotta love backpacks!).
This was how I traveled before I got the CBP Global Entry. Now, instead of having two bags and two bins in the TSA security line, I just have the two bags going through. I still hold onto my ID going through the checkpoint, but everything else stays in the bags. I have to say, it made my travel less chaotic and the line times less of a worry!