One of the ‘dreams’ I hear from senior citizens all the time, is their excitement about traveling.  They can’t wait to visit all of those faraway places that have escaped them all of their working lives.  It is distressing that it seems traveling outside of your home city is more and more cumbersome: lines for checking if the luggage is safe; confinement on how many toiletries you can travel with; having strangers ‘pat’ you down for suspicious articles that could be unsafe for the flight.  It made me think are there some easier ways to get through the ‘process’ and to the location, location, location faster?

• An article in the NY Times reviewed a number of ‘Trusted Traveler’ programs, which provided some guidance for the various options available to travelers to make their travels ‘easier’, and to inform travelers of some changes.  For example, earlier this month, some green card holders were notified that their Global Entry Trusted Traveler Network status had been revoked. Source – New York Times

Below is a summary of various programs and benefits you acquire when you join a program.  For complete details see the article by clicking the source link.

T.S.A. (Trusted Security Administration)

• T.S.A. PreCheck – Cost $85 for 5 years. Suggested for domestic travelers. Perks: expedited security lines; shoes, belt and light jacket stay on. You can leave your laptop in your bag (children 12 years and younger can apply). You get a ‘known traveler number’ once approved, which takes about one-two weeks.
• Global Entry – Cost $100 for 5 years. Suggested for International travelers. Perks: fast track through US immigration and T.S.A. PreCheck. US Customs and Border Protection – preapproved travelers do not have to do the paperwork and processing lines when returning from international trips. Members automatically enrolled in T.S.A. PreCheck.
• Clear – Cost $179 for 1 year. Suggested for Baseball fans, frequent fliers who use Clear’s airport locations. Perks: automatically go to the front of the security line. Private traveler program, which is sanctioned by T.S.A. Officers do not check your ID and boarding pass. Identity is verified by fingerprints or iris scan. If you do not have T.S.A. PreCheck – shoes still come off, and laptop comes out of bag etc. Clear lanes are located in international hubs: San Francisco, Miami and Kennedy in New York.  Clear also used at baseball stadiums i.e. NY Citi Field, Yankee Stadium.   Not meant for the occasional traveler.
• Nexus – Cost $50 for 5 years. Suggested for Canadians and Americans who live near the northern border. Perks: Quick processing at airports and borders for US and Canada. Includes enrollment in Global Entry and T.S.A. PreCheck. Applicants must interview at Nexus enrollment center, which are solely in Canadian and American cities near northern border. Best for Nexus members to enjoy T.S.A. PreCheck and Global Entry benefits.  However, only works best for those who live near a Nexus enrollment center.

◊ Now you can really get started on those trips.  Enjoy!

Read Source:  NY Times Trusted Traveler Program