It's shaping up to be one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record. 

AAA estimates more than 122 million Americans will travel between now and New Year's Day, with tens of millions flying. 

At BWI, that means busy terminals, long lines — and a little extra stress.   

"Once I get on the plane and get there, I'll be fine, " said a traveler at BWI. "Right now, leading up to it has been a little stressful – delays. And then I've got people coming from other places, and they've got delays – so yeah, once we get there, I'll be fine."   

Yet, there's also plenty of holiday cheer.

Aviation officials say patience is key for smooth holiday travel.     

"First is pack your patience, because when you come into the airport, everyone has the same anticipation — they want to get through TSA fast, they want to get to their gate and relax — everyone has that same desire, so really packing your patience is number one," said   Shannetta Griffin, CEO of the Maryland Aviation Admin.

TSA also has a reminder if you're traveling with gifts — keep them in your bags so officers don't have to unwrap them at security.   

"My tip is pack light, carry everything you can… and have a good attitude!" said Susan O'Hara, another traveler. 

"The roads weren't too bad on the way here, so that's good… little bit of a backup in a different direction, but it didn't seem to be going toward the airport," said Matthew Lindsay. "The airport itself doesn't seem especially busy for a Friday night, so… so far so good!"   

As of 11 PM on Friday, FlightAware said BWI was experiencing arrival delays of about 35 minutes.

BWI reports that their busiest day of travel will be on Monday, December 23.