Now you can track your bag, even during your flight, with the mobile bag tracking feature in the free Delta App. Just enter the number on your bag receipt or scan the barcode and you can track your bag in real time on your iPhone, Android or Windows phone. It will be available to Blackberry users in early 2012.

Canada has announced that they will be phasing out paper money and replacing it with bills made out of plastic! The new currency, made from a polymer fiber, will cost twice as much as paper, but it will last 2 1/2 times as long and is nearly impossible to counterfeit. $100 notes entered circulation earlier this month and will be followed by $50 versions in 2012 and $20, $10 and $5 varieties in 2013. It will be interesting to see how well this works and if the U.S. will follow suit as we’ve had issues with counterfeits and rising production costs here as well.

It took 27 years but, on August 22nd, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened to the public in Washington D.C. Standing 27 feet tall, it’s carved into a slab of granite on the National Mall. Next to the statue there is a stone wall inscribed with quotes from King. The memorial has been met with a variety of accolades and criticisms, but that is not uncommon when a new museum or statue goes up. At the end of the day, it’s fitting that King is a permanent fixture on the Mall and hopefully he’ll inspire visitors for years to come. An official dedication ceremony is scheduled for October 16th on the 16th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

On our recent trip to Europe, Will and I were fortunate enough to travel in Continental’s BusinessFirst cabin which was complete with their new flat bed seats. This was the first time we experienced a fully flat bed seat and it is so much nicer than the typical angled flat seats. I always slip down the angled seats and they usually leave me with sore knees, but being fully flat actually allows you to sleep comfortably. Currently, all of Continental’s 777s and 757-200s are fitted with the new seats and they will roll them out on their 767-400ERs next year. In addition, all of their new 787s will be built with fully flat seats. I might have to fly Continental more often!

Continental Flat Bed Seats

Next time you stay at a Westin hotel, you may be able to rent workout clothes and New Balance shoes. The program is currently being tested in 10 properties and it’s been so successful that there are plans to roll it out to more locations over the next few months. I’m not sure the germaphobe in me could do this, but it’s an interesting offering. Of course, the clothes are washed after each use and the sneakers come with brand new socks and disposable insoles.

Westin Workout

Last year I added pages to a passport. I just mailed it in and got it back a few weeks later free of charge. Unfortunately, when Will added pages this month, we found out the state is now charging $82 for the service…as much as a brand new passport!! This is crazy to me!! There’s no new printing involved…all they do is tape the extra pages in. I could understand if they charged a small fee, but this seems excessive. If you are a frequent traveler, you can actually request extra pages when you get a new passport for no extra charge. I wish I had done that when I renewed my passport earlier this year, but I didn’t know they were going to start charging to add pages later. I guess the moral is, if there is any chance you might need extra pages, get the bigger passport.

Crowne Plaza began testing new “Snore Absorption Rooms” at select hotels in Europe. The rooms feature sound proof walls and headboards, anti-snoring pillows and white noise machines. Personally, I’ve never been kept awake by a snoring neighbor but I have been disturbed by noise countless times. I’m all for anything that helps travelers sleep better.

Now you can lock in a fare on Continental Airlines for a fee. Prices start at $5 and customers can choose to save their price for 3 or 7 days on select routes. If you only need one day, remember that Continental allows changes or cancellations for free within 24 hours.

Continental Farelock

On June 29th, several flights were delayed at New York’s JFK airport as more than 150 diamondback turtles were removed from runway 4. They were crossing the tarmac to get to a sandy area where they could lay eggs. Apparently this happens every year! Who knew there were turtles in Queens?

Ritz-Carlton just opened a new hotel in Hong Kong and it is high! Reaching over 1400 ft into the sky, it is the tallest hotel in the world. It also holds a spa, a rooftop bar and an infinity pool that will let you swim to the edge of the building.

Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong