1. Know what to expect at the critical connections. Check your flight's carry-on regulations and confirm your flight times. Confirm in advance the timing you'll need to be sure not to miss or run for your transport (be it plane, train or bus).
2. Carry some water and a light snack with you. It makes waiting in lines easier and can get you through a situation where the provided food is unpleasant without sending you into a hungry tailspin.
3. Carry less. Check out One Bag for some great tips. Light packing is so much less of a hassle!
Discardia 
“Carry some water.” Meh. That *used* to be good advice!
Everything else is dead on, though. I’ve been flying almost every month this year, and until they threw a wrench into my routine with the whole liquids thing, I had it down perfectly, just like you advise. Now I’m going to have to figure out something to do about the dehydration problem…
Great posts lately, btw! I’ve been reading them every day.
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Joel — you can’t carry water, but you can carry a water bottle. If you’re not picky about drinking the local tap water, you can always fill it up at the sink in the bathroom and empty it out before you get on the plane.
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I used to figure “hey, the airlines let me check a bag, I might as well do so” in my early air-travelling days. The first time I walked off a plane with nothing but a carry-on, I felt *so* smug. “Hahah, suckers! Yes, wait, wait at the baggage claim! Mill around interminably waiting for your precious luggage to arrive! I will be on my way, doing cool things, while you are still waiting for the baggage gorillas to return your grips from the plane’s hold! HA HA HA HA HA!!!”
Ok, I wasn’t exactly like that, but yeah, I felt pretty cool.
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Oh, me? Me, I was EXACTLY like that.
Mmm, smuggery.
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The thing I hate most about having to check liquids is that I now have to check a bag or rebuy everything when I land. It also means that I need to have a second carry-on to hold all those things that keep me sane while I’m waiting that won’t fit into my little purse. To be fair, I am going on a ten day trip, but without the extra space I would have jettisoned a few things I don’t really need and been a little more prudent when I packed.
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The next time I have to fly is late October, and if the no-liquids rule is still in effect, I may mail my travel toothpaste and other liquids to my hotel in a small padded envelope, including the label and postage for mailing it back on the last day of the trip. This is a short business trip within the US, one I really don’t need to check luggage for normally.
I suppose I should confirm with the hotel first that they’ll hold mail a day or two until I arrive…
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