by Christopher Trout

Checking In: Packing Light
Checking Out: Paying Extra Fees to Check Luggage

It seems in travel, as in life, carrying extra baggage is bound to hold us back. As if air-wary travelers haven’t suffered enough from increased ticket prices, longer security lines and the recent cancellation plague, all of the major airlines, save American, have implemented a $25 fee for a second checked bag. Discount airlines, like Virgin America and Airtrans Airways, have also tacked on additional charges.

For those of us prone to over-packing, the time has come to own up to our penchant for excess. We should—nay, must—shed our baggage and move on with our lives, or in this case, flights.

Cost
To begin our transformation, let us consider the thing that hits closest to home—money. With most major carriers charging $25 for a second checked bag, passengers checking two bags can expect to pay $50 more roundtrip. That extra cash could be spent on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and while having your entire wardrobe at your disposal is nice, nothing starts a trip off better than a good bottle of bub.

Convenience
Speaking of convenience almost seems too obvious. Anyone who has checked even one bag in the last six years knows that getting to the gate isn’t as easy as it used to be. But the advent of the Internet has done wonders for the modern traveler. If you can stuff everything you need into one small bag, you can skip the commotion of at least one line by simply downloading and printing your boarding pass at home. Now it’s straight to security and then on to the gate. Thus, more time spent at the airport lounge downing liquid courage, or at any number of gift shops buying last minute souvenirs.

Keeping Up Appearances
A nice set of luggage is not only expensive, it’s restrictive, and, depending on your destination, it can also be a red flag for scam artists. Traveling light has multiple advantages for the aesthetically concerned. First, your luggage won’t obstruct the view of your fabulous outfit. Second, you’ll save time, not to mention money, on matching your Louis Vuitton travel set to your Brookes Brothers suit or Jimmy Choo heels. Finally, if you’re traveling alone in an unfamiliar country, fancy luggage is the travel equivalent of a “kick me” sign. It’s like screaming, “I have money, come take advantage of me!”

by Allison Weiss Entrekin

Ah, Austin. Where the music is live, the beer is cheap and the luxury hotel options are many. If you’re heading to Hill Country for a Texas-tinged retreat, here are some of your best accommodation options:

Money Is No Object: Lake Austin Spa Resort
Starting Rate: $1819.91 (includes three nights’ accommodations, three meals a day sans alcohol, taxes and gratuities)

If you’re ready for a mind-blowing (and wallet-thinning) spa experience, look no further than Lake Austin Spa Resort. Located on 19 lakefront acres just 35 minutes from downtown Austin, the resort recently snagged the No. 2 spot on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2007 reader’s poll on destination spas. The property has a mere 40 rooms, so you’ll never want for personalized attention, and since you’re prepared to splurge, ask for a room with its own private garden—you’ll swear God moved heaven to Texas.

Smart Luxury: Hotel San José
Starting Rate: $160 per night

With its ultra-hip vibe and even hipper location, it’s hard to imagine a cooler Austin property than Hotel San José. Created from the bones of a 1930s motor court, the hotel offers 40 rooms and suites that boast a chic, minimalist design. Help yourself to a jazz CD from the on-site music library, sip champagne and sample a cheese plate during happy hour in the courtyard, and take a short stroll to the Continental Club, a world-famous music venue located in the neighborhood.

Family Pick: Four Seasons Hotel Austin
Starting Rate: $320 per night

If the kids are coming along on your Austin trip, you’ll all want to hang your cowboy hats at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. The famed Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail is located just steps from the property, offering 10 miles of opportunities for your little ones to release their energy. Unlike many luxury hotels, the Four Seasons Hotel Austin does more than simply permit children—it welcomes them with their very own child-sized bathrobes, hypoallergenic toiletries and in-room dining menus. The concierge is also happy to arrange babysitting services so Mom and Dad can enjoy a night on the town.

by Nicholas Gill

The first flights between the U.S. and Europe under the new Open Skies agreement have already taken off. So far few have noticed. However, summer is right around the corner and the full brunt of the act will soon take shape. How much shape is the question?

The Open Skies agreement, which went into effect on March 30, has promised to literally open the skies so that airlines can fly directly between any point in Europe and North America and no longer need government authorization to begin a new route. The act is expected to improve service on both sides of the pond, increase traffic by a third, enable more airlines to fly, cut overall fares and increase foreign investment in the airline industry.

Over the course of the next few months there will be a flood of changes. New routes will be opening between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Paris, Denver and Heathrow, Portland and Amsterdam. Flights are going to be added to existing routes, such as a new Virgin Atlantic flight between Heathrow and O’Hare. A good portion of flights to Gatwick are getting diverted to Heathrow. Air France, Northwest/KLM and other carriers have announced that they will double or give bonus miles for anyone flying on the new routes. There are rumblings of small airports like Columbus, which lack direct transatlantic routes even though they have the market, adding their first flight.

Some airlines are going to take a direct hit, and British Airways is at the top of the list. Even though BA has a brand new terminal at Heathrow, the glitzy terminal 5, the airline’s domination of the New York-Heathrow route—the most profitable route on the planet which accounts for two-thirds of the airline’s total profits—has ended. New airlines want in. Even low-cost Ryanair is considering filling some of the slots. Now that would be interesting. What’s next? Skybus? A $10 seat to Europe would be the deal of the century.

Keep dreaming. If you’re hoping that you’ll be able to save with a cheap flight and have more money to spend on Avenue Montaigne, guess again. The rising cost of fuel is taking its toll on airfares worldwide and the new routes may help to simply keep prices from rising higher than what they are. New planes are being designed to reduce fuel costs by as much as 20 percent, but they are not going to be around this summer or even this year. When they do arrive, fuel costs will probably have risen so much that reduced fuel consumption still won’t have an effect on airfare. If you are on one of the new routes from a smaller airport that lacked trans-Atlantic service you might save a small amount, but any savings will probably be eaten away by the sinking value of the dollar against the Euro. Bon Voyage!

by Aaron Butzen

Want to check another major world city off your list? British Airways, the UK’s flagship airline, is currently offering discount travel packages to five must-see European destinations. The deals start at $644 for airfare to London and three nights at the Premier Inn Kensington, a three-star hotel within a few miles of Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and the Hammersmith Apollo. If three-star lodging isn’t rich enough for your tastes, upgrade to four at The Grosvenor (also superbly located) and pay only $731 a person instead.

If these rates sound tantalizing (which indeed they should) but you’d like to venture deeper into the continent, British Airways doesn’t mind if you skip their home country. Affordable package deals are also available to Paris, Rome, Athens and Prague, and all start at less than a grand a piece. (The highest-priced basic package gives you airfare and three nights at the four-star Fresh Hotel in Athens for only $1,069.)

Packages to Europe at US prices are rare, so hop on one of British Airway’s Union Flag-adorned flying machines and make your friends jealous of your worldliness.

While you’re at it, sign up for our Luxury Travel Alert to receive mind-blowing deals like this on a weekly basis. Every Thursday we’ll pick our top ten favorite deals and drop them straight in your inbox. How can you resist?