Are you traveling for the winter holidays? Follow these six tips for a stress-free trip

• Go to dubaiairports.ae.
• Click on ‘flights’ and then on ‘flight status’.
• Enter your flight number to find out if it is on schedule or if there are delays that you should take into account.

• Visit https://www.zayedinternationalairport.ae/en/
• Enter your flight number in the ‘Find your flight’ section on the home page. If you do not have your flight number, click on ‘See all flights’.
• You can select the flight according to the time period in which it will fly, today or tomorrow. For example, if you fly out later today, select ‘today’ from the drop-down menu and then select from the time slots provided.

• Visit sharjahairport.ae
• Under ‘flight information’ click on ‘departures’ and you will get the schedule of all flight departures from Sharjah.

• Visit rakairport.com
• On the website you can see flight information about upcoming departures and arrivals from the airport.
• For flights not yet listed, click the arrow next to ‘for full details’.

The website will give you the exact status of the flight schedule.

Always check your ticket for boarding time and when you should ideally reach the airport. Closer to the winter holidays, you may also need to check to see if the airport you are traveling from has issued notices about how early you need to reach the airport.

It’s also important to double-check which terminal your flight will take off from to avoid any last-minute confusion.

In the run-up to the winter travel season, Emirates airlines has already issued a notice asking people to take advantage of the many check-in options available to their passengers, from home check-in to early baggage drop.

But regardless of which airline you are traveling from, there are options to drop off your bags up to 24 hours before your flight.

If you are driving to Dubai International Airport and plan to leave your car there for the duration of your trip, you can book a parking space in the parking area by following these steps:

• First visit this link: https://www.mawgif.com/dxbbooking
• Then select your terminal, date and time of departure and arrival.
• You will then receive an offer for the parking price, which will show you the available parking space for the day in question, duration and price. The prices for parking are not fixed and fluctuate depending on the day and time.

From the Dubai Metro (which stops right at Terminals 1 and 3, with a bus line to Terminal 2) to a shuttle bus, there are several public transport options that can take the stress out of taking a taxi or a ride from a friend to get to the airport.

Even if you are going from Dubai to Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, you can book your seat on a shuttle bus to save money and time.

Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah airports all have smart gates in place which allow you to use your Emirates ID to quickly clear immigration checks.

\, your passport, ID, tickets and boarding passes all have sensitive data that can be used by cybercriminals to access your emails or bank account.

Constantly posting photos or selfies can also be problematic as you may inadvertently share details about your location and name, which can also be used to access confidential information.

If you want to share travel photos, Dubai Police recommends that you do so after a few days.

It is also advisable not to carry luxury items when traveling to different countries as you may be targeted by pickpockets.

If you live in an apartment, let your neighbors, friends or family members know and ask them to check in on you while you’re away. Automated smart home systems, with motion sensors, are also extremely helpful in keeping your home safe while you travel, according to Dubai Police.

If you live in a villa, Dubai Police also has a ‘home security’ service which allows residents to sign up and have patrol cars keep an eye on their home as they patrol the neighbourhood. Read more about it here.