I’ve mentioned the benefits of packing as little as possible in past posts – you save time otherwise spent waiting in baggage claim and avoid the risk of lost luggage. A year ago the airlines added a $25 fee for a second checked-bag. Now the airlines are charging $15 for your first checked bag as well, so packing light is even more important.

Here’s a summary of the new airline baggage fees announced on May 5 (from Expedia.com):  Baggage Fee chart.

We flew to Amelia Island, Florida for a wedding on May 7 — just after the new fees went into effect — and extra baggage fees for two of us added another $110 to our trip cost. Ouch!

Curb-side Check-in
In addition to the new first-checked-bag fee, airlines including United, Delta, Northwest and Alaska Airlines charge $2-3/bag + tip for curb-side check-in fees.

So if you’re like me and want to avoid paying for baggage fees in the future, check out these tips for packing light for carry-on:

• Rolling Luggage
• Flying with a Carry-on? Here’s what Not to Bring
• Keeping it Light: Packing Tips

Southwest Airlines, of course, continues to be the shining exception and charges no additional fees for checked bags. That and their flexible travel date policy makes them a favorite with me.

We have a tradition in our family – despite living thousands of miles apart.  About 25 of our extended family gets together every year for Thanksgiving. The destination changes depending on the year - this year’s destination is 3,000 miles away, so I’ll be flying.

Thanksgiving is the busiest travel holiday of the year, so air travel can be a bit of a challenge.  To make your trip go more smoothly, here are a few travel tips:

Avoid traveling on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
Because this is the peak travel day of the year, airfares tend to be at their highest. You’ll save money on airfare and avoid the largest crowds by traveling a day or two before this or on Thanksgiving morning. (more…)

When booking a trip I often end up with various confirmation emails from the airline, the hotel and the car rental company.  Just before leaving I’m usually searching my Inbox for the right mail to print to take with me.  TripIt makes it easy to organize all your trip information into one simple itinerary. 

How does it work?  Just sign up for this free web service and then forward your trip confirmation emails to TripIt.  Within a couple of minutes a nice, concise personal itinerary of the trip is created for you which can be added to at anytime. 

I’m using TripIt for my upcoming trips to San Francisco and Atlanta.  I forwarded my airline and hotel confirmation emails to TripIt and it worked perfectly.  Showing the predicted weather for each day is a nice touch and definitely a good reminder for me when packing (I tend to pack like every destination will be sunny and 80 degrees).  It’s also easy to add directions, notes and maps to your itinerary.

If you’re traveling with girlfriends, you can also share itineraries within your group, so everyone knows which restaurant to meet at, and when and where to meet for the spa, shopping, etc.  A great tool for organizing a trip -  try TripIt for your next girlfriend getaway.

Via: PC Magazines 2008 Best Travel sites

I’ve mentioned before how I think the best way to really experience a city is on foot.  But when you’re new to a city, how do you know where the best walking districts are?  One very cool site makes this easy for you.  Walk Score helps you to quickly find the best walking neighborhoods within a city.  After ranking over 2,500 neighborhoods in the 40 largest cities in the U.S., they show you the top walking districts for each city along with detailed Google maps of walkable destinations.  

Created as a tool for home buyers, this is also a great resource when choosing a hotel and seeing how well located it is in the city.  I just entered the address of the Hotel Andra, where I stayed during my last visit to Seattle and here are the results from Walk Score (green = best districts).   

Wouldn’t it be nice if every neighborhood were ranked a “walker’s paradise”! Unfortunately it’s more of a rarity than the norm in many cities.  It’s good to know there are tools like this that make finding the best walking districts a breeze.

Ever wish your travel outfit could look as good when you disembark from the plane as when you boarded?  Well, here are some wrinkle resistant travel dresses which are versatile, comfortable and most importantly look good on!  You can wear the same outfit on the plane, at the beach and even out to dinner.   To dress up, just add jewelry or a scarf.

For one option, check out SkirtSports’ Footloose Dress.  This sporty dress has a built-in shelf bra, V-neck and flattering empire waistband.  SkirtSports was founded by Nicole DeBoom, who has won several triathlons across the country.  Wanting to look good even during her work outs, Nicole created a whole line a sporty tanks, skirts and swim suits that are both functional and stylish.

Another great travel outfit option is Patagonia’s Morning Glory dress.  This dress is made of jersey knit that feels great on and doesn’t wrinkle.  With a flattering cut and halter-style neck, this dress can be easily adjusted to different bust sizes.

For a couple of other options check out The Territory Ahead site.  Their Sojourner Dress and the Vintage Moderne Dress are also resistant to wrinkles.  The Vintage Moderne dress is made of Tencel – a fairly new natural fiber which feels and drapes like silk but is actually made of wood pulp cellulose.   Glad they’re putting that wood pulp to good use!

Links:  SkirtSports  |  Patagonia   |  The Territory Ahead

On Earth Day last year we were visiting Santa Barbara – a beautiful and eco-friendly destination.  In Santa Barbara hotels, restaurants and a variety of businesses offer discounts to travelers who take advantage of alternative forms of transportation like trolleys, kayaks, the train, bicycles and walking.  Wouldn’t it be great if other cities followed their example?

It’s nice when cities take the initiative, but you can do your part as a traveler as well.  Here are a few suggestions on how to be a green traveler:

1. Adjust the thermostat of your water heater and A/C before leaving on your trip. (more…)

Normally when I fly, I pack only one bag and try to carry-on my luggage.  I can avoid baggage claim and be on my way that much faster.  There are some trips – especially those with lots of varied activities - where it’s a challenge to fit all my outfits into one bag.  The shoes alone seem to take up half the space!

Checking a second bag when needed is currently free, but that changes May 5th.  Delta, United, Continental, US Airways and Northwest Airlines will be charging normal passengers an additional $25 for a second checked bag. 

Why the change?  Lighter airplanes mean less fuel is burned on the flight.  United expects the new baggage policy to generate $100 million in revenue and cost savings.

To avoid paying this surcharge, brush up on your packing skills and check-out our post on packing tips! 

To put it mildly, this has not been a good week for air travel.  Thousands of American Airline flights have been cancelled, along with cancellations by Alaska Airlines, Midwest Airlines and Delta. 

The reason?  Stricter guidelines by the FAA. The airplanes for these flights are MD-80s — and subject to FAA wiring guidelines that many of the airlines seem to have either ignored or just been confused by. 

We all know air safety is important, but I can’t help but wonder if the FAA and the airlines could have handled this in a better manner.  During the past week over 250,000 air travelers have been affected and the cost to airlines like American will be in the tens of millions of dollars. 

A word to the wise: check your flight departure status before heading to the airport.

Via: MSNBC