Last December, my wife grudgingly agreed to take a 'mileage run' -- a cheap round-trip flight -- to push her frequent-flier account into the lowest elite level. She spent a day flying to Los Angeles and back, collecting a double-mile bonus promotion as well. Last weekend, the pain of needless hours in coach paid off: She avoided missing a flight in Phoenix only because 'gold' status let her breeze through priority bag-check and security lines at an airport teeming with spring-break travelers.

With travel, prior planning can save the day.

Frequent fliers have their favorite travel tips, some handed down generation to generation by friends and colleagues. Any strategies to lessen the hassle become cherished keepsakes. Here are some of the most-effective techniques I use to improve the travel experience.

The best perks go to the top elite tiers of a frequent-flier program, generally those who fly 100,000 miles and up. But even occasional fliers can reach entry-level elite status, at 25,000 miles per year, which can help avoid missing flights when non-elite lines are long at airports.

Buy a day pass at an airline club (about $50) and get comfortable seating, TV, workspace, quiet, drinks and snacks. It's particularly worth it when things go bad: The club's experienced, unrushed airline agents can solve problems and help rebook.

Buy a seat upgrade that also gets you access to priority security lines and early boarding.

Get a credit card that gives you a free checked bag and early boarding (American Express gold and silver; Delta SkyMiles cards; Chase United MileagePlus Explorer) or loungeaccess (American Express platinum). The Citi Executive AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard offers a free checked bag, early boarding, priority lines, some miles that count toward elite qualification and American lounge access.

Beware: Some cards can carry hefty annual fees, as much as $450 per year.

Customize your black rolling suitcase by tying a colorful ribbon on (but not so long that it gets caught in baggage machinery).

Put a business card inside your bag. If the name tag and bag tag get eaten by airline baggage machinery, and many do, the airline will open your bag to try to identify the owner.

Beware: Never put valuables in a checked bag. The airline's liability for loss and damage is quite limited, and airlines don't offer any reimbursement for many lost items, including jewelry, electronics and valuables. If forced to check your bag at the gate because overhead bins are full, pull out valuables and electronics.

Pack clothing with just two colors, suggests Henry Harteveldt, a longtime travel analyst and researcher. That way, everything matches and you save room in your bag.

Beware: Never check the suit you need for the next day, whether it is a bathing suit or a business suit. Bags get lost and delayed.

Have a travel bag with toiletries so you're not packing that every trip, and a bag with chargers and power cords so you don't have to round them up or risk leaving them behind.

Other items to consider carrying: An umbrella, a pair of flip-flops if you don't want to pad around a hotel room barefoot; an empty water bottle to fill once inside security so you can avoid paying $4 a bottle at the airport store.

Print boarding passes early as a bit of insurance against getting bumped from a flight. If you haven't claimed the seat, it is there for the taking by an agent, especially if you're running late. If you are flying on a cheap fare, you can be a big target for bumping, since compensation the airline owes you is based in part on the fare you paid. If you're away from home or the office, many hotels now have computers with printers available for boarding-pass printing.

Printing boarding passes in advance also saves you one stop at the airport,as long as you aren't checking bags. It can even save you money on Spirit Airlines. That ultra-discount carrier charges a $5 fee to have one of its agents print you a boarding pass at the airport.

If you have a smartphone, you can download your boarding pass on the fly at most airlines rather than printing it out on paper.

Airport security screening checkpoints are great places to lose important things: drivers' licenses that don't make it back to wallets, for example, or laptops that walk off with other 'travelers.' Here's my routine:

Cellphone, watch, keys and pens all go into my briefcase before I get in line. My ID goes back into my wallet immediately when I get it back from the agent at the TSA desk. Boarding pass goes in the same pocket every time.

Liquids and laptop are carried in the same place in my bags every time so when I get to disgorge, I know exactly where they are. Laptop goes into one TSA plastic tub. Liquids into a second tub, along with jacket, belt and pocket change.

Big bags go first on the belt so I have them first to refill on the other side.

Beware: Laptop goes on the belt last. If I get delayed at the metal detector, the laptop won't be sitting out in the open for a long time. And the bag to repack it in has already come out.

Dress the part. No jewelry that will set off the body scanner and lead to an aggressive pat-down. Wear shoes that are easy on and off. You may be tempted to layer up the clothing to avoid having to check a suitcase, but you'll pay for that frugality at the checkpoint if TSA makes you peel off extra sweaters, shirts, pants and jackets.

Seek alternative checkpoints. If the line is long, some airports have other checkpoints that may be faster, even after a walk to get there. In addition, if you want to avoid X-ray screening machines, check which lanes, if any, feed into metal detectors instead of full-body scanning machines.

Choosing a room. Some travelers always request upper floors at hotels to lessendisturbance from street noise. Others insist on lower floors so that they are within reach of fire-department ladders if there is a fire. In fact, some companies insist in contracts with hotels that their employees get rooms within four stories of the street.

Once you're checked in, spend a few minutes walking from your room to the nearest emergency stairwell -- not the elevator. If sirens were blaring or the hallway filled with smoke, you would know which way to go.

British Airways, which collected tips from its staff, suggests placing a shoe you plan to wear on flights in the room safe with your passport. That way, you'll remember to clean out the safe when putting on your shoes for the trip home.

Take your room number with you. Tear off the room number from the paper given to you at check-in and keep it in a pocket so that when you can't remember whether it is 625 or 629 -- or perhaps 629 was last night in another city -- you won't be lost.

Beware: Never call home happy. I learned this the hard way many years ago. Out of town covering a big news event, I called home giddy. I was enjoying a fine meal with a large contingent of reporters. My wife listened quietly while I recounted the excitement of the story and the fun we were having over wine. And then I heard all about the two kids who had been throwing up all day. Big mistake on my part.