India, March 13 -- More than 100 million passengers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) every year, officially making it the busiest airport in the world. On any given day, nearly 286,000 people move through its terminals. Since it's within a two-hour flight of 80 percent of the U.S. population, it's buzzing with travelers 24 hours a day. It also happens to be less than 10 miles from my house.

ATL has been my home airport for over a decade, so I've experienced weather-related delays, cramped Plane Train rides, hour-long security lines, and last-minute gate changes that have me sprinting across concourses. Navigating the world's busiest airport on the regular has taught me that you need to come with a strat...