12 Essential Air Travel Hacks Seen on Pinterest

It's become so stressful to fly with kids that we're all looking for ways to do it better. Here are some of the very best air travel hacks I've pinned to my family vacation-planning pinboards.

First up: We already knew that gallon-size Ziploc bags are a traveler's best friend, but turning one into a hands-free movie screen is a genius move worthy of a site called MacGyverisms.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

Whether you're flying across the country or across the ocean, it's a good idea to scan your passport, driver's license, and other key personal identification before leaving, recommends Babble. That way, if your ID gets stolen or lost, you'll be able to replace it more quickly in order to board your return flight.

For all my scanning tasks, I rely on the Camscanner app, which turns smartphone photos into PDF or jpeg files. Email the documents to yourself so you'll have them on hand in the worst case scenario.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

Use your smartphone as a memory aid. Snap a photo of your parking place at the airport so you'll remember where your car is when you return home.

While you're at it, snap a pic of any luggage you plan to check. If the airline loses your bag, the photo will come in handy when you file a claim.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

If you lose your phone while you're away from home, how could a Good Samaritan return it to you quickly? SmarterTravel recommends changing your phone's lock screen to an image that displays your emergency contact information, including your email address and an alternate phone number.

Find this pin on my Family Vacations Tips & Advice board.

Do you own a black rolling suitcase? So does everyone else. Momcrieff shows how to make fun (and removable) Duck Tape handle bands to make your luggage stand out on the baggage carousel. 

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

If the TSA's 3-1-1 rule is an insurmountable challenge, consider packing solid shampoo bars from the cult favorite cosmetics company LUSH. These just-add-water shampoo bars deliver about 80 frothy shampoos and they come in a marvelous array of ingredient combinations, including citrus, cinnamon-and-clove, honey-toffee and rosemary-peppermint. You'll also love LUSH's solid conditioner bar.

Find this pin on my Brilliant Packing Tips board.

For trips of a week or less, leave your makeup jars and big moisturizer bottles at home and just pour a dollop of favorite products into a clean contact lens case, suggests Good Housekeeping.

Find this pin on my Brilliant Packing Tips board.

While the TSA limits how much liquid or gel you can bring through airport security, Map Happy explains how to avoid buying overpriced bottled water at the airport. Simply bring an empty water bottle through security and refill it at a water fountain on the other side of the checkpoint.

Want to be extra smart? Bring a Hydaway collapsible bottle.

Find this pin on my Brilliant Packing Tips board.

No luggage lock? No problem, says PopSugar. A paper clip will keep suitcase zippers from separating just as well.

Find this pin on my Brilliant Packing Tips board.

Getting a family with small kids through airport security is faster and easier if you get in the TSA family lane, explains Trips with Tykes. While these lanes are available at 130 airports, one may not be available at every checkpoint, so it pays to do some quick research on your airport's web site or ask at an the airport information desk.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

We've all been there. Your child asks for a drink on the plane and the flight attendant presents it in a plastic glass with no lid. Add some turbulence or a suddenly reclined seat, and you've got a spill just waiting to happen.

Princess Pinky Girl offers a great solution: Grab an empty coffee cup with a lid at the airport cafe and ask the flight attendant to pour Junior's apple juice in it instead of the usual airline glass.

This would also be another great time to pull out your Hydaway collapsible bottle.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.

Airports are boring but bubbles are fun—just ask anyone under 4 years old. Layovers and delays will pass more quickly with these travel-size bottles of bubbly magic to entertain tired little travelers. At just 2 ounces, they'll pass through airport security without a hitch.

Find this pin on my Flying with Kids board.