This week in the BE YOUR OWN TRAVEL DETECTIVE contest, we asked you to share an airport travel tip. We had thousands of entries, but there were three common points:

1. Arrive Early
2. Smile & Be Polite…We’re All in It Together
3. Wear Slip-On Shoes (It makes clearing security much easier).

A few shoutouts to some notable entries before we announce our first winner.

• Courtney Quinn wins for most seasonally appropriate: “
Key tip in October. When traveling with Halloween decorations put them in checked luggage or your smallest carry-on. Just like skeletons they look amazing and weird in X-rays. Plan extra time for the TSA agents to look at how you are planning a Spooktacular evening.”

• Sean Green is our good Samaritan:  “Purchase a portable power strip with 2 USB ports and 2 outlets. You can make quick friends turning 1 outlet into 4 charging ports. The strip is no more 6 inches and weighs less than a pound and costs less than $20. This great for those long airport delays or layovers.”

• Gary Knowles wins most creative: “
This is a travel idea for airports to make the travel /wait/delays less stressful. Develop a program with the local humane society like they do for nursing homes and some hospitals…but for air travelers. Let the humane society set up a ”Make a New Friend” zone where people can spend a few minutes – or more – petting the (properly vetted, so to speak) dogs (maybe cats too) from the local animal shelter. Chances are good that some animals would be adopted – and everyone would be somewhat happier.
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• Sharon Fallon was most imaginative: “Pretend the people you observe at the gate are in a play and assign roles based on behavior, i.e. the bearded man to your left is really a CIA agent secretly spying on a co-traveler. It helps enrich your imagination and entertain you at the same time. Guess which traveler is having a secret relationship with the airline gate attendant.”

These were great tips, but BETSY SPROUSE
 has won The Travel Detective of the week with these two tips!

You’re booked on a full flight, and you get to the gate only to find that there’s not a seat in sight. Don’t stand around or sit on the floor — just head to the nearest empty gate area. It’s rare that anything will happen at your gate until 30 minutes before departure time, so grab a seat at an empty gate, spread out, and plug in in peace. You can check on your flight’s status online or through apps such as Flight Aware, or just get up occasionally to check a board or electronic signs back at your own gate.

Enroll in the government frequent traveler programs, even if you don’t travel much internationally. By enrolling in Global Entry (www.globalentry.gov), you’re also qualified for TSA’s Pre-Check program and eligible to use the security stations with shorter lines and easier screening processes. Well worth the $100 fee!

And shout out to @daviesq212 with our favorite tweet on #TravelDetective

Betsy is the honorary Travel Detective of the week. She’s now eligible to win a NCL cruise along with the following prizes.

• The Grand Prize is a 7-day, Caribbean cruise for two from Norwegian Cruise Line on Norwegian Getaway, Miami’s newest ship.
• First Prize will win a $150 American Express gift card from InsureMyTrip
• Second Prize will win a $50 American Express gift card from InsureMyTrip

Click here to answer the week 2 challenge and Tweet to Enter! In addition to answering our challenge questions, you can also enter to win by tweeting your travel tips using the hashtag #TravelDetective. Remember to follow @TravDetective on Twitter and on Facebook.