Traveling during the holidays can often be the most stressful part of the season; almost as much as cooking the turkey dinner, or buying that perfect gift.

There's no better feeling than finding those tidbits of information that will save you time, money and more importantly, help you keep your sanity during the busy travel season.

PREDICTING ROAD CONGESTION

It might be about as reliable as weather forecast, but based on previous years, Virginia Department of Transportation has put together an interactive map predicting holiday congestion trends during the busy travel period. Once you launch the site, click on the time you'll be driving through Virginia, and you'll get a map with the roads that should be fine (GREEN), and those roads that might be congested (YELLOW/RED).

HAVE TURKEY, WILL TRAVEL

You've cooked that turkey dinner, now you have to travel to a family member's house. How the heck do you do it safely, without giving everyone food poisoning?  SheKnows.com offers this tip.

 

How long will a raw or cooked turkey keep unrefrigerated for transporting to someone's house?

Answer: No longer than two hours. For either raw or cooked turkey, it's a good idea to use an insulated cooler as a carrier. Raw turkeys actually transport better than cooked ones. Never try to transport a cooked, stuffed turkey. To transport an unstuffed one that's freshly cooked, take it out of the oven, immediately wrap in foil and put directly into an insulated cooler. Place in the warmest spot in the car and plan to get to your destination within an hour or less. If your travel time will be longer than two hours, consider carving and cooling your turkey ahead of time to be reheated on site.

GRAVY, NO! PIES, YES!

NO, you can't take gravy on an airplane. It's a liquid, or at least, it should be. You'll have to place it in your checked bag.

Pies ARE permitted, but they are subject to additional screening if TSA officers see anything abnormal. (Additional screening of pies does not include officers tasting the pie, no matter what they tell you…) Cakes, bread, donuts, turkeys, etc. are all permitted.

If it’s a live turkey, you might want to have a word with the airline. Here is a list of items that should be placed in your checked bags or shipped: cranberry sauce, creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.), gift baskets with food items (salsa, jams and salad dressings), gravy (mmm gravy), jams, jellies, maple syrup, oils and vinegars, sauces, soups, wine, liquor and beer.

TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) has a new App (Here's the link) for the iPhone and iPad (sorry Droiders), that answers some of the most basic questions while flying. Such as, can I bring a snow-globe onto the plane? Answer. NO! It contains more than the allowed amount of liquid and I'm sure could be used as a weapon if desperate enough. If you don't have a smartphone, you can still get the mobile version of the site by clicking here.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

The later you leave, the more likelihood you'll avoid the congestion. Travelers who can fly out leave on Thanksgiving Day and return the following Monday will be able to avoid most of the crowds. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after will be the busiest flying days of the year.

BABY ON BOARD

Babies are often easier to travel with than older children that get the "Are we there yet?" syndrome. Momsminivan.com offers some games to play with children in the car on those longer than normal trips. Everything from fun with aluminium foil, to the license plate game.

Now is the time to splurge on getting a few extra apps for the phone or tablet device to keep the kids busy. The "Whac A Turkey" app is a good one to download for FREE.

How about the "Turkey Plucker" game for iOS, Android

While we're on birds, why not get the "Angry Birds" game.

Hope at least one of these will help you out during the holiday travel season. Take your time, and be safe. Happy Holidays!