Travel-sized Bare Minerals promo from Ulta

Posted by on

If you’ve stayed up late at night to watch infomercials, you’ve probably seen shows touting the Bare Minerals line of talc-free mineral make-up. The products are pretty good; I use them mostly because I don’t care for liquid foundation at all, and prefer them for traveling with since I don’t have to count it in my 3-1-1 liquid bag.

Well, I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for travel-sized toiletries and cosmetics, and what do I get in my inbox the other day but an email from cosmetic store Ulta, advertising a special promotion for a “10-Day Trial of bareMinerals Foundation w/Mini Kabuki.”

It was hard to tell from the Web site, but the samples definitely looked small. Best of all, the trial sized products were free! In addition, if you spent at least $10.00 at the site, you got $3.50 off. I wound up getting a pair of travel tweezers from Tweezerman (they are the best in my opinion), and got myself a nice little package of travel goodies in the mail in less than a week!

It looks like Ulta’s offer is still valid. Hop over to their promotion page and choose the color that best fits your skin tone—”fairly light,” “light,” “medium beige” or “medium tan.” Of you aren’t sure, you can hop over to the Bare Minerals Web site and check out their skin tone color chart and detailed descriptions.


Regular Bare Minerals brushes on the left with a regular container of Mineral Veil, and the sample container of Mineral Veil and Mini Kabuki brush on the right.

The 10-day container of foundation is the same size as the eye shadow containers from Bare Minerals, but it looks like it’s not filled to the brim. If you already use foundation from them, however the inner separater is removable, so you can add more powder to the container.


The Mini Kabuki brush is not only small, but also short.

What’s unique about the offer is their Mini Kabuki brush. Most blush and foundation brushes are too long for traveling with, but the smaller travel ones tend to still have a longer stick or be too wide. This one is truly tiny. It might take a bit of coordination and some getting used to, but you can still use this tiny brush to put your foundation on. And unlike little tiny brushes that come in your blush compact, the Mini Kabuki is round and still has some heft, and uses the same type of brush material as their full-sized Buki brush.

One more thing. If you live in a city with an Ulta retail store, it looks like they will have a four-piece introductory kit available in their stores from Sunday, September 28 through Saturday, October 11. For $15, you get the baby brush, a tiny container of regular Mineral Veil, and two small containers of foundation powder. According to the mailer I got, it looks like this kit will be available online from Ulta.com as well; just type in TRYBELIEVE as your promo code.

…and if you want to travel light with your suit

Posted by on

Besides selling a basic travelpack for a low $29.99, Campmor also sells another travel bag you might be interested in if you have to travel with suits.


The garment bag folds up and looks a lot like a regular travel pack. Photo from Campmor.

The High Sierra brand Tri Fold Garment Bag is like most garment bags except that it folds in threes instead of in half, and once folded, can be carried like a backpack with its backpack straps. If it means you don’t have to carry two rolling uprights (one for your clothes and another for your laptop), all the better.

Folded, the size is 22″ x 16″ x 3.5″. A little tall but if you don’t stuff it like a Thanksgiving turkey I suspect most domestic carriers won’t give you any hassles; especially considering how much taller most garment bags are. Not quite as cheap as their regular travelpack, but at $39.95 it’s not a bad deal at all.

Product review: Tom Bihn Convertible Packing Cube

Posted by on

Back when I was younger, my mom shared with me a story of how a guest at a dinner honoring Christopher Columbus questioned whether Columbus should be considered great for discovering America. After all, the guest questioned, anyone could’ve set sail and eventually discovered land. In response, Columbus challenged this guest to try to stand an egg on its end without any supports. Try as he might, the guest could not. When he finally gave up and dared Columbus to try it himself, Columbus lightly cracked the egg on one end so that it would stand by itself—and at that moment, everyone understood: it takes someone special to figure out how to do something, after which anyone can do the same thing.

Let me share with you one of those, “Well why didn’t anyone else think of that before?” items: the Tom Bihn Convertible Packing Cube.

First, take a look at their regular Packing Cube:


A pair of Tom Bihn Packing Cubes.

Notice their ordinariness, their simplicity. The Seattle-based manufacturer (and there really is a guy named Tom who designs all this stuff) uses a Japanese nylon called Dyneema for its packing cubes, which come in various shapes and sizes and are designed to snugly fit in Tom Bihn bags.

Now, take a look at their Convertible Packing Cube:


The Tom Bihn Convertible Packing Cube.

Same fabric, same general shape, but with one difference: The Convertible Packing Cube has D-rings on each side of the bag. Snap a luggage/bag strap to both ends, and all of a sudden, you have a shoulder bag!

Because of its simple but sturdy construction, you can really stuff a lot of things in the bag.


The Convertible Packing Cube can easily hold all the items you want to carry for your day’s touring, including a folding umbrella, facial tissue, first aid kit, travel book, wallet, and other handy items.

The dimensions are pretty large; at 13.5″ x 8″ x 3.25″ (34.5cm x 20cm x 8.5cm), you can easily smoosh a bath towel, afghan, or travel blanket in it and turn it into a little pillow. You can also carry things like socks, and underwear, or various items you want easy access to on your flight (and just toss the Convertible Packing Cube on the floor by your feet). Depending on the type of shoulder strap you use for your main travel bag, you can even use that as your carrying strap when you reach your destination and want to head out for the day.


Morgan wears a Convertible Packing Cube like a shoulder bag.

The Convertible Packing Cube is larger than a woman’s purse, but smaller than a bicycle messenger bag. And even though it only weighs around 3 ounces (100 grams), the fabric is remarkably sturdy. The tight nylon weave means it’s somewhat water resistant, in case you spill something on it. It’s not waterproof, though.

The cube has a diagonal zipper on one side and it’s a good place to stash your cell phone or boarding pass. Both the main zipper and pocket zipper are YKK zippers, which are very well made. As with all Tom Bihn bags, the zipper is solid, and you won’t have to worry about the fabric getting caught in your zipper pull.

If every item you take on your trip has to serve multiple purposes, this Convertible Packing Cube is your answer. Use it to store things in your main travel bag, then use it to carry stuff around once you’re touristing around.

Just a couple of things to be aware of:

First, although the Dyeema nylon is very sturdy, it’s also very thin. While this is great for keeping the weight of your bag light, it also means that the fabric itself provides almost no protection against anything fragile you put in the bag. Any electronics like iPods or cell phones—especially if you think the bag will get jostled around a bit—are probably best off having their own little protective cases. And while the bag has plenty of room for a larger SLR camera, unless the camera is in its own cushioned camera holder, you are just asking to have your camera dinged up if you just leave it naked in this bag.

Second, the dimensions of the bag are very rectangular, and the D-rings are only a tad bit above the center of gravity. And because the fabric is so thin, the bag lacks a structural frame—which means you want to take a little care when opening the bag while it’s slung over your shoulder. If you’re not careful, the bag (or one of the sides when you unzip the main pocket) has the potential to do a quick flip-over. Think of it like a quick stick-out of the tongue. If what you have in your bag happens to be a bit top-heavy, the item can spill out of the bag in a flash.

I think the second issue is something they could easily fix, if they move the zipper area up a little and place the D-rings higher on the bag. My preference would also be to have it actually be closer in shape to their very popular Cafe Bags. By having it taller than it is wider, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything accidentally spilling out of your bag.

Although you have the option to order the Tom Bihn Simple Shoulder Strap at the same time for $10 (and it functions perfectly well with the bag), I have another tip for you: Buy a 1.5-inch Quick Release Shoulder Strap from Timbuk2 for $5.00. It’s not just that the Timbuk2 strap is half as expensive; it’s that the shoulder strap has a quick release handle that lets you easily adjust the strap’s length with one hand. With the Convertible Packing Cube, I find myself adjusting the strap length all the time—wearing it as a shoulder bag when I’m just meandering, and loosening the strap and wearing it cross-wise when I want to huff it down the street.


The Timbuk2 1.5-inch Quick Release Shoulder Strap.

The Timbuk2 strap does not come with an extra shoulder padding, but chances are, you won’t be weighing your Convertible Packing Cube down so much that the Timbuk2 strap will dig into your shoulder.

The verdict? I think this is a fantastic little bag, and I love it! It’s so simple, yet serves multiple functions! It barely weighs anything, and it’s so sturdy. Best of all, it’s completely unisex. It doesn’t look or feel like a lady’s purse, so guys can feel just as comfortable using this as their day bag. I hope it’s popular enough that they keep selling it, and eventually expand the color line to include travel colors like black and olive, or fashionable colors like red (and I’d be ecstatic if they made it more vertical than horizontal, or addressed the location of the D-rings to provide a more stable center of gravity).

And $20 is a hard price to beat for something this handy. This product earns a solid A from me.

Just how light is “ultra-light luggage,” anyway?

Posted by on

I opened my inbox this morning and discovered email from travel supplier Magellan’s (one of my favorite) with the following subject:

“Ultra-Light Luggage! Check it in, or carry it on.”

Ooooooh, I thought. Just what me and Virgin Atlantic check-in crew were looking for! I excitedly went to read the mailer, and I see that the luggage they are promoting is from Eagle Creek. Hmmm…. a new item, perhaps?

I click the link in the email.


The $149.00 Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote from the Magellan’s travel supplies online store. Photo from Magellan’s.

Kachow! It takes me to a page describing the Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote. Basically a MiniMe version of the rolling upright. At 13.5″ by 13.5″ by 9.5″, it’s definitely within carry-on limits. But then I check its weight:

Five and a half pounds!

Let me tell you, even with a gnome-sized carry-on, the wheel and handlebar mechanism just adds so much weight. And I guess we all have different ideas of how light “ultra light” should be. Thanks to a reminder from Skip, we’ll probably travel with a couple of Outdoor Products Essential Carryon travelpacks. Well made enough, light as a feather (under two pounds), and only $29.99 from Campmor. How can you lose?


The “Essential Carryon” travelpack by Outdoor Products. One of the most plain travelpacks on the market, this one is also one of the lighest, at under two pounds. Photo from OutdoorProducts.com

My plan to pack my carry-on lightly enough to fit Virgin’s strict 13-pound limit (for our upcoming trip to Europe) is going well! Once I finalize my list, I plan on packing everything and putting it on a scale, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be OK. The challenge is in seeing if we can do the same for my husband, who is considerably taller and larger than I am. However, over the years he’s devised his own carry-on system; he already has the concept down pat, so he will just need to make a few adjustments in his wardrobe to lighten his bag. His biggest challenge will be his camera gear, since he wants to take his digital SLR with him. Depending on how much spare room I have, I may carry some of his clothes just for the Virgin Atlantic segments.

Edited to add:

I’ve gotten some requests to provide links for those retailers who carry this product:

Note: Although prices vary widely, check each site to see which is the best deal for you. Some sites, like LetMom, had a promotion (50 cents shipping for backpacks) that may be worth shopping around. Some sites carry a lot of other good merchandise you might want to buy, and in most cases you save on shipping if you shop for more goods from one place rather than a few items from a number of different vendors.

Thirteen pounds?!?

Posted by on

Thirteen pounds.

That’s the weight limit for your carry-on bag when you fly Virgin Atlantic.

Forget trying to smoosh everything into your compact carry-on bag, the weight restriction turns “traveling light” into a whole new ballgame.

We’ll be heading to Europe later this year and flying Premium Economy to London Heathrow, and our challenge will be in meeting this weight criteria.

Normally, I can pack light even in my sleep. But this will require me to be pretty consciencious; even for an old hack like me who has no trouble traveling with just one carry-on bag, that 13 pound restriction is a challenge I’ve never had to face.

Trust me, every single item I pack will be chosen carefully both for need and weight. Some things are already completely written out, like a spare pair of shoes.

What a challenge!

Can we do it? Stay tuned!

Reusable Handi Wipes

Posted by on

These days when you think of “handy wipes,” you think of moist pop-up sheets. In fact, you can get these moist towelettes in a variety of forms and prices. Baby wipes, cosmetic facial wipes, toilet wipes… scented, unscented, flushable, nonflushable… in plastic tubs, stackable plastic bricks, small pocket pouches… the list goes on.

They are all very convenient, and if you use them in your travels, I wouldn’t fault you one bit. And some travelers, like parents traveling with diapered babies, consider moist towelettes and handy wipes an absolute necessity.

All the different types of pre-moistened wipes out there share one thing in common: they are all disposable, each sheet designed to be used just once.

While many travelers swear by these moist wipes, there is one “handy wipe” product that has been on the market for decades and which you can still find online and in cleaning supply stores: The Clorox Handi Wipe.

Clorox Handi Wipe
The Clorox Handi Wipe.

There’s nothing extraordinary about the Handi Wipe, but a couple of features make these a traveler’s friend:

  • Extremely cheap – usually less than $3 for a pack of 6 sheets
  • Very light – a single sheet barely registers on the scale
  • Dries by almost wringing alone (or drip dry for a few minutes)
  • Reusable – if you are trying to create less waste and carry less stuff
  • Durable – they are so durable that you can even run them through a washing machine
  • Disposable – when you get a big tear in your Handi Wipe or clean up after a particularly nasty mess and you don’t want to reuse it, you can toss it in the trash

These Handi Wipes do not replace thick bath towels. But they do just fine when you need a light washcloth for your face or you need a light towel to dry your hands. My skincare regimen includes wiping my face down with a neutral toner—and when I travel, I don’t bother traveling with cotton pads; I just use a Handi Wipe. The mesh-like fabric means it lathers up nicely, as well, and will do as a washcloth in the shower if you don’t have access to a scrub cloth or regular washcloth.

The sheets are very stiff until you get them wet, after which they collapse into a soft patch of “cloth.” Getting it wet will take the “starch” out of these so they will still feel soft once they’ve dried. You can carry one of these in your pocket or purse to use instead of a paper napkin or a handkerchief.

The one big disadvantage? They are relatively hard to find these days. After all, why sell a package of extremely durable, reusable wipes for $3 when you can sell boxes of single-use wet wipes for twice as much? I remember scouring my neighborhood supermarkets in vain last year. You might be able to find them in cleaning supply stores (although you may have to purchase a larger quantity). You can always purchase them online at places like Amazon. Just do a search for “Clorox Handi Wipes” or “Handi Wipes towels” for a list of retailers.

More on bottles (or eyedropper bottles, take 2)

Posted by on

Based on the blog comments and email I’m getting, there seems to be a lot of questions and concern about the use of bottles in carry-on luggage. Instead of having these hidden in email exchanges or buried in the blog comments I thought I’d revisit this topic again.

Kelle shared this experience:

One thing about using the empty bottles (as opposed to re-purposed ones) is that most of them do not have the volume actually printed on them, either via a sticker label on in the plastic mold. I once had several items well under the 100ml limit confiscated for this reason. The only empty bottles I have found that have the volume in the actual plastic are the Nalgene ones sold at outdoor stores like REI. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have an eyedropper…but maybe we can find an eyedropper lid to fit their bottles?

Nalgene water bottles are great, and even their smaller hard-plastic toiletry bottles can withstand a lot of abuse. I think they have a couple of features worth noting (both pro and con), including:

The hard plastic means you can’t squeeze them to press thick fluid out. So just like those old ketchup commercials that had you tapping the bottles repeatedly, expect a little frustration waiting for the thick conditioner to slowly travel its way down to the mouth.

They tend to have wide mouths, which makes transferring thicker fluids into them really easy. Be careful when you try to pour thinner liquids out, though, because you can easily glop out too much.

A small Nalgene bottle A smaller Nalgene bottle
A 2-ounce Nalgene bottle (left) and its smaller 1-ounce cousin on the right. [Photos from REI.com]

If you like regular Nalgene bottles for drinking water out of, you will really like the general look and feel of the small toiletry versions.

The Nalgene drop dispenser bottle, however, is a different matter altogether. Take a look:

Nalgene eye dropper
A Nalgene dropper bottle. [Photo from REI.com]

I’ve played with the dropper bottle, and unlike many others with a snap-top tip, this one actually snaps on pretty snug. That said, it’s still a snap-on, and I do not trust it one bit! I still say the screw-top dropper bottles with the separate dispenser tips are a much better bet. Kelle, for my buck I would still recommend the small eye dropper bottles I reviewed the other week.

Lynnette posted:

I’ve been told that items need to be in their original bottles. That, depending on the TSA, items in these generic bottles will be taken…even if the ounces is clearly marked on the bottle. Have you found this to be true?

This kind of goes with Kelle’s comments about her bottles having been confiscated. Now, it seems to me that there is one unwritten rule with the TSA, and that is:

Not all TSA agents are completely knowledgeable about the intricacies of the administration’s rules.

Some agents will take things literally, some agents will refuse to use common sense, some agents will try to come up with their own interpretation of the rules, and some will plain come up with their own application for the rules. Sucks, I know.

So with Kelle, it sounds like a TSA agent decided that—because her toiletry bottles didn’t have original labels on them showing net weight—the bottles would not be allowed in her carry-on, even though, according to Kelle, it was obvious that the bottles were smaller than 100ml. In Kelle’s case, there isn’t a whole lot you can do, because the TSA agent decided arbitrarily on his own that the bottles must have been larger than 3 ounces. [Had the bottles been 100 milileters, technically, it would not be 3 ounces, but 3.38140 ounces, and there is a very grey area because some TSA agents will allow that slight discrepancy while others will not.]

Lynnette wasn’t sure if the TSA would confiscate bottles simply because they were generic.

I’ve scoured the TSA Web site, and here are the exact words they use:

All liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers. Larger containers that are half-full or toothpaste tubes rolled up are not allowed. Each container must be three ounces or smaller.

Notice how exacting and particular the wording is. And this is the phraseology they use across the board, uniformly. And nowhere in that phrase does it state that liquids must be in their original container.

The thing is, you might run into a TSA agent who has had a bad day, who has irritated hemorrhoids, is itching to pick on a hapless traveler, or otherwise wanting to just impose his authority. The trick here is to use as small a bottle as you can. That means that it’s far better to carry two 1-ounce bottles of the same shampoo, than to carry a single 2-ounce bottle. Using this strategy also lets you toss the first bottle away when you’re done, lightening your load. Even better? Just take one 1-ounce bottle. Don’t bother with the second. Better than that? Consider foregoing altogether and buying shampoo at your destination, or purchase a bar of shampoo from stores like Lush and avoid this altogether.

Personally, I’m now down to using nothing larger than a 1-ounce bottle. For a lot of things like toothpaste, I don’t even take that much with me, remembering that I can always buy more stuff when I get to my destination.

Checkpoint Friendly

Posted by on

[Updated December 2, 2008]

You will soon be able to keep your laptop in your case when you go through airport security checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration announced last week that they will begin allowing laptops to be screened through their X-ray machine while they are still in bags. The catch? The bags have to be “checkpoint friendly” and meet specific guidelines. The new rules take effect August 16, and you should be able to start purchasing these bags this month.

According to the TSA (link), the bags need to have a sleeve or flap that folds out, and encases the laptop separately.


Illustrated samples of the types of checkpoint friendly laptop bags that the TSA has approved for use.

Some of the requirements for checkpoint-friendly laptop bags are:

  • A designated laptop-only section
  • The laptop-only section completely unfolds to lay flat on the X-ray belt
  • No metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on top of the laptop-only section
  • No pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
  • Nothing packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself.

Although the TSA is not endorsing specific manufacturers or models, a few luggage and bag makers have are announcing their products now:

  • Incipio’s QuickCheck line of simple sleeve bags – designed for Macbook laptops of all current models.


Incipio’s QuickCheck laptop sleeve.

  • The Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler – looks like an archetypal leather laptop case, but zips fully open to split the bag down the middle to lay flat, with the laptop on one side. Retail priced at $99.00.

The Targus Zip-ThroughAn open view of the Targus Zip-Thru

The Targus Zip-Thru looks like a standard laptop briefcase, but you can zip it flat (right) and run the bag through airport X-ray with the laptop in its separate compartment.

  • Skooba Designs Checkthrough – known for some of their neoprene (wetsuit) bags, Skooba has not yet announced a price for their product. Availability is listed as end of summer, and they are not taking pre-orders. You can, however, sign up to be notified of any announcements.

Skooba Designs CheckthroughSkooba Designs Checkthrough bag

Skooba Designs Checkthrough bag, with the photo on the right showing the laptop portion with clear window.

  • Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer – Seattle-based bag manufacturer Tom Bihn now offers its own checkpoint-friendly, soft-sided briefcase. If you’re a fan of Tom Bihn or if you’re looking for a truly rugged, made-in-America bag, the Checkpoint Flyer is a great new addition to the roster of checkpoint friendly laptop bags. By the way, Tom Bihn is more than user-friendly; the product description is also reader-friendly. Visit the product page for an animated image of how to unfold the bag at the security terminal.

    By the way, the Checkpoint Flyer is much more than just a laptop bag. You can easily use this as your main carry-on if you can pack lightly; it has plenty of room for a weekend’s worth of clothes as well as all your laptop-related stuff.


The Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer briefcase.

What’s it all mean?

For one, it means that there are some people at the TSA that actually come up with some good ideas. That’s good to know, because a lot of people have negative impressions of the TSA based on their experience at the airport security checkpoints. Honestly, it’s about time we started moving towards some common sense. Putting your laptop in a checkthrough-friendly bag means less risk for banging up your laptop, a little more security from people just grabbing your laptop as it comes out of the X-ray chute, and less scrambling at the checkpoint when you have to get everything loaded up onto the queue.

I think the initial crop of checkpoint-friendly bags will get picked up by business travelers who do a lot of air travel and who must carry their laptops on their trips. I also anticipate that a whole slew of bag manufacturers will come up with some sort of product that they can say is checkpoint-friendly.

Just remember that the TSA is not taking on the added work of actually certifying any of these bags. All they did was provide requirements that a product must meet in order to have it house a laptop through their X-ray machines.

Unless you already travel with a separate laptop bag, my suggestion is that you don’t replace your regular carry-on just yet. Wait until you can purchase a standalone sleeve-type case, with D-rings that let you carry on your shoulder. It should be compact enough to be snug for your particular laptop, and it should allow you to easily pull it out from your carry-on. It will provide a lot more versatility, as you will still be able to use the carry-on of your choice (to which you tuck the sleeve in).

Clear Pass data takes off

Posted by on

This is just a short post for anyone who paid their $100 to the TSA to get a Clear registered traveler card that lets you go through an express line at the airport security checkpoint.

A laptop containing uncrypted data for 33,000 customers (of 200,000 applicants) of the program was stolen from a locked office in San Francisco International Airport on July 26, 2008 (link to news article). Whoever took the laptop has a lot of the information you supplied in your application form, including your full name, address, phone number, passport number, and date of birth.

According to the program’s spokesman, the data did not include your credit card information or your social security number.

That’s a big consolation, I’m sure (NOT).

For now, the TSA has suspended new applications for the program (read the TSA press release). The TSA has not said whether it is notifying all of the 33,000 persons whose information was stolen, or whether they will pay to maintain a year-long credit check for affected individuals. That would be asking too much, although I think that’s also pretty fair, considering this sort of thing should have never happened.

What do you do, when you give $100 and all your personal information to a government agency so you can clear security… and then they turn around and let your information get stolen? Besides causing some people to have even less confidence in the TSA (even though the laptop and the program are handled by a contractor), what sort of security risks are these people in now? It’s not too extreme of a stretch to imagine the possibility of these names being used for fraudulent purposes, but what if it winds up causing some people to get on the security watch checklist?

Some things just make me shake my head.

Delta announces doubling of fees for second checked bag

Posted by on

The news isn’t particularly relevant for people who can travel without checking any bags, but Delta has just announced that those purchasing coach tickets for domestic flights on or after July 31 or traveling on or after August 5 (so buying your tickets a year in advance won’t help here) will have their fees doubled for their second checked bag, from $25 to $50 one way.

According to Delta, fewer than 20 percent of their passengers fit this bill. Delta is also increasing its handling fee for any special check-ins like surfboards or ski equipment.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I know airlines are scrambling, but come on—do airlines really want to so disenfranchise themselves from the traveling population? I mean, this just goes beyond offensive. I just cannot believe the gall of these companies.

I hope they are at least paying their public relations people well because I’m sure they have a really tough job trying to spin these obscene new policies. One really has to wonder what they think about the ordinary customer.

What if you’re a family with a couple of young ones who are too small to warrant their own seats and are also too small to carry their own bags? Talk about punishing the people who can least afford this—they have no plans to charge first class, business, or elite frequent flyers and are allowing them to check in up to three bags.

More than a few people have been telling me they now just fly Southwest, in part because they are so incensed with these shenanigans these larger carriers are pulling on consumers.

My husband and I are heading to Vegas this month to catch Star Trek: The Experience before it closes (geek alert: thanks go to Wil Wheaton for publicizing about this in his blog) and guess what? We’re flying Southwest.

Those guys didn’t pay me to embed this video but… when I first saw it I thought it was pretty funny. Now it kind of just makes me sad…

Watch the TV commercial from Southwest.

We’re also taking our vacation in Europe later this year, and guess what? We’re flying Virgin Atlantic.

I’m still sitting on more than 150,000 miles on United, and I have zero interest in flying with them, even though my Economy Plus seating option is still valid through the rest of the year.

I’ll tell you what. I’m about ready to just gather up all of my frequent flyer miles and donate them to Operation Hero Miles.