United Airlines and US Airways have joined American Airlines in charging customers for all checked baggage. Like American, the first bag will cost $15 and additional pieces will cost even more. United began imposing the fee last Friday and US Airways is scheduled to begin on July 9th. I really believe carry-on charges are next. Stay tuned!

If you live in the northeast, you no longer have to fly all the way to Vegas to visit the MGM Grand. A new branch of the casino/hotel opened up last month in Mashantucket, Connecticut at the Foxwoods Resort. The $700 million complex has a luxury hotel, gaming area, a variety of dining options and a theater where Jerry Seinfeld and Celine Dion are already scheduled to perform.

I visited the new MGM last week and found it classy and comfortable. The property is near Mystic, CT about 2 hours from New York City and 1 1/2 from Boston. Mystic Pizza II (remember the Julia Roberts movie?) is on the road there, so you may want to stop in for a world famous pie on your way in or out.

MGM Grand at Foxwoods

American Airlines announced they will begin charging for all checked baggage on June 15th. Customers will pay $15 for the first checked piece, $25 for the second, $100 each for the 3rd-5th, and $200 each for the 6th and higher.

Like most frequent travelers, I avoid checking bags because I hate wasting time at baggage claim, but this move by American concerns me just the same. How long before all airlines are charging for all bags, checked and carried on? It could be just a matter of time.

American Airlines New Checked Bag Policies

Every year, Bank of America runs a promotion called Museums on Us which grants their customers free admission to over 70 museums across the United States. The 2008 program runs on the first weekend of every month through December. Just show your Bank of America debit, credit or ATM card and you’re in. For more details and a list of participating museums, check out the official site below.

Bank of America Museums on Us 2008

It can be hard to save for a European vacation with the U.S. dollar constantly losing value. Now you can lock in a decent exchange rate by purchasing the Cash Passport, a prepaid Mastercard available in British pounds or euros. The card is PIN protected and can be used like a credit card for foreign purchases or at an ATM to withdraw cash. Cash Passports can be purchased at Travelex branches across the U.S. and reloaded in person or by phone.

Travelex

Source: Business Traveler

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes as I turned 29 over the weekend. I had a great birthday and visited some “cool places” I’ve blogged about previously.

Will and I went to the recently reopened Plaza Hotel in NYC, which you can read my post on here, for their famous afternoon tea. Though the Palm Court dining area is very beautiful, I think the tea service and food are better, not to mention infinitely cheaper, at Alice’s Tea Cup. See my post on Alice’s here.

We also stopped into the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see their impressive exhibit on Superhero fashion and Jeff Koons’ sculptures on the roof which I wrote about here. As always, The Met was excellent and I highly recommend checking it out.

This weekend I’ll leave you with some advice:

Start planning your holiday trips!

I know you are thinking that it’s really far away, but travel has gotten expensive and airlines are cutting flights. I suggest that you sit down and make a list of some possible Thanksgiving and/or Christmas trips. If you can book a hotel now that’s refundable, go ahead and do it. As far as airfares go, do some searches and start looking at routes and prices for places on your list. If your choices are limited to one flight on specific days, you should book as soon as possible. If you have a few options and the flights seem pretty empty, go to Kayak and sign up for their Buzz e-mails which will let you monitor the price of a route daily and notify you when it hits the price you are looking for. The minute you see a good price, go ahead and book!

Westin Hotels has installed Nintendo Wii consoles in fitness centers at 10 of its U.S. properties. The stations are loaded with exercise themed games including tennis, golf and boxing and also feature the Wii Balance Board which can be used for yoga and aerobics. If the program is successful, Westin will expand it to additional hotels.

You can read more about the program and learn what hotels are offering it by visiting Nintendo’s press release here.

Source: Business Traveler

This stylish wallet from Terrence Kelleman is made from a single piece of strategically folded, moisture resistant Tyvek. Available in three fun designs, it’s perfect for holding your foreign currency. It has three pockets plus a secret storage area and is made from 25% post consumer recycled materials.

$25.00 MoMA Store

I always get cold on long flights and although most airlines provide blankets, I admit I’m a germ freak and don’t trust their cleanliness. I like this fleece travel blanket from Eagle Creek. It’s large enough to completely cover you and it’s so warm and soft. It also has a zippered lap pocket that you can carry earplugs and eye shades in or keep valuables like your iPod in while you nap. It can supposedly fold into itself and double as a pillow but I haven’t been able to do this successfully. Still, it’s light, easy to carry and can be machine washed after use.

$20.00 Eagle Creek