Whether youre a frequent flier or only fly around the holidays, its safe to say everyone wants a smooth and hassle-free experience.

According to a NerdWallet survey conducted by The Harris Poll, 40% of Americans plan to travel for the December holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Because of the high volume of people, airports might be a bit busier than usual but there are some ways you can make your travels go more smoothly.

No one has flying down to a science like airline employees. We spoke with flight attendants about what they would personally never do when traveling at the holidays based on their own experiences. Heres what they said:

Flight attendants avoid short layovers.

In many instances, airlines dont fly directly to your destination so you have to hop on a connecting flight. If thats the case, you want to make sure you have a layover with ample time.

Always give yourself extra connection time as your incoming flight can potentially be delayed due to weather, especially in the winter, said McKenna Ford Henrichs, flight attendant for a major U.S. airline. Even if there isnt bad weather in your specific destinations, the place your plane is coming from could have bad weather ... its always so important to give yourself two to four hours of wiggle room between connecting flights.

They arent rude to flight attendants.

Although you might be excited to go see your family, remember that the flight attendants are spending their holidays with you instead of their loved ones. With that in mind, Henrichs stressed that you should treat flight staff with kindness even when youre frustrated.

Most of the time the problem is completely out of their control and getting attacked by passengers all day will literally only make everyones day worse and get you nowhere, Henrichs said.

They dont leave the day before they need to be somewhere.

Flight attendant Valerie Fraser said shed never take a flight the day before she has to be somewhere, especially around the holidays.

Travel schedules are never guanteed and winter weather can throw things astray sometimes, so Id always give at least a one- or two-day buffer, Fraser said.

They dont put something important in a checked bag.

While your checked bag will usually make it to your destination without a problem, sometimes they do get lost or delayed in transit. Make sure you keep your important items on you in your carry-on or personal item. (This applies to gifts, too!)

Id never put something I cant live without in a checked bag, Henrichs said. If there is something you absolutely need like makeup, inhaler, medication, phone charger always take it in a personal bag with you. Never check it.