There is a downside to travel sometimes and that is the queues (or lines) depending on your country! An American friend and I were discussing the linguistic variations that refer to the action of lining up for something!
Some countries do lines very well. For example, the British. In some the queues look haphazard but in fact are very well organised.
In other places, queues are in fact non existent and the line consists of a mass of people shoving to be first. Lined up at Buenos Aires main airport, I was amazed at how many tricks were employed to get ahead. One woman calmly waited for the line to go around the corner. As it did, she calmly snuck in and then invited seven other people to join her! No one said a word to her!
As an Australian, queue dodging is both an unforgivable sin and a national sport. Pushing in is considered uncouth but finding ways to skip a line is a celebrated victory. Here are some legal ways of skipping lines:

1. Pick when you travel- time of day, day of week, season of year can make a huge difference. Take two days off before a big holiday and enjoy the difference instead of travelling the day before!
2. Pay more – business class and first class rail and air tickets will usually help you skip lines. Occasionally a first class ticket can cost less than a coach or economy ticket which is a nice bonus.
3. Being a high status frequent flyer or travelling with one. On Sunday I glanced at the line of 400 people checking in a Sydney airport for Qantas amd zapped around to the priority check in with 15 people and reminded me it is worth flyng those few more times to keep that status! It often can mean a wait at security is lessened
4. Reserving ahead. Buying tickets online for many attractions usually gives you a priority queue. It does mean you have to organize your day and sometimes it costs more but is worth it. Often when traveling by train or bus, booking a ticket online may actually cost you less. On one occasion on a bank Hoiday in the Uk, the ticket buyng line at Bristol station snaked around the concourse. I showed my printed ticket and hopped onto the train in minutes. On board, the carriage was crowded but my reserved seat was waiting for me. I also paid a mere eight pounds for a 70 pound journey.
5. Buying a tourist pass. For example the Paris museum pass skips you around the main Louvre entrance to a private entry. The Roma Pass does the same thing for many museums in Rome. At Disneyland parks, Fastpass is a must.
6. Position yourself – when flying into airports like LAX or Heahrow, sit near the front of the plane, dive off first, and walk quickly to the immigration hall. Being at the front of 400 people in those places is better than at the back
7. Fly or train with carry on luggage only -you avoid check in lines and baggage claim lines. I have timed myself at Los Angeles, JFK, Sydney and Auckland airports to deplaning in minutes

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