Belize: Answers to your vacation FAQs

Travel CBS newsman Peter Greenberg has a saying. "There are only two kinds of airline bags—carry-on and lost." Peter always ships his bags to his domestic destinations, instead of checking them in on flights. It's convenient, of course. Both UPS and FedEx will pick up your luggage at your home and deliver it direct to your hotel. But it is too expensive, right? Often, yes. Especially at the last-minute. But given that the airlines just hiked their fees, shipping is more appealing than ever. Even Arthur Frommer, a man who needs no introduction, thinks that shipping is no longer a frivolous thing."Some travelers are giving serious thought to shipping their luggage ahead by Federal Express or UPS. It isn't that these shipping fees will be less than $50 or $70. But the greater convenience of traveling with just a small carry-on may support that decision; travelers with no heavy luggage are more disposed to using public transportation for the trip from airport into town (or vice versa) in place of expensive taxis." So when does it pay to ship instead of check your bags? Airfarewatchdog did the math, comparing the cost of shipping—under a variety of circumstances—with the cost of checking a bag. The key lesson: If your bag (or baggage collectively) weighs more than 55 pounds, it is generally just as cheap to ship your bag as it is to check it in. It's more convenient, too. Says Airfarewatchdog founder George Hobica: "As long as you avoid overnight service and ship by ground, we found that the worst case in many scenarios, that of checking or shipping a single average sized bag, is that shipping cost about the same as paying most airlines to check the bag. But shipping has advantages nonetheless: better tracking, better accountability if something is lost, less loss incidence, and less schlepping. But when you get into heavier or oversized bags, shipping wins hands down over checking, cost-wise. And when you ship, you often don't need to send your belongings in a suitcase at all. If you're staying in one place, a box will do just fine." Here's an example: One 25 lb. suitcase plus one 35 lb. suitcase for one passenger. Chicago to Orlando. Delta would charge you $55 to check the bags.* FedEx and UPS would charge you $41 and $45, respectively. Cheaper and easier. *(We're assuming you paid the checked bag fees online when you bought your ticket, $23 plus $32). How about a single, smaller bag? Surprisingly yes on many routes, if you're willing to ship your bag at least two business days in advance. Consider a New York to Chicago route. I just checked on my own and found that UPS Ground, 2-business-day service between New York and Chicago is $27 each way. FedEx Ground is about $20 each way. Delta charges $23 each way for your first checked bag, and $35 for your second. But in many other cases, it's still far cheaper to check your bag. See chart for full details. But keep in mind that, as of today, JetBlue doesn't charge for your first checked bag. And Southwest doesn't charge for your first or second checked bags. Thank goodness at least a couple of airlines aren't nickel-and-diming us to death. EARLIER Update on checked bag fees (10-plus comments)

Even with a plethora of transportation options in San Francisco, sometimes only a cab will do (like when you've overdone it at Union Square). But, I'm constantly appalled at how difficult it is to get a taxi in this city (particularly because I'm an ex-New Yorker). It's not unusual to wait half an hour as the dispatcher repeatedly says that the driver is "on his way." And on late nights and rainy days, cabs can seem like an endangered species. That's why I'm excited about Taxi Magic, a free iPhone app. Taxi Magic directly contacts the dispatcher of a nearby cab company (with no waiting on hold), and, using GPS, finds the closest driver to your location. Then, the cab is sent your way. The app also maps the cab on your phone, allowing you to see how far away it is—all with the touch of a button Right now, Taxi Magic has partnered with Luxor Cab, named in San Francisco magazine's Best of the Bay Area 2009, but there are plans to expand and use other companies. The app, praised the San Francisco Chronicle and named one of the top apps of the year by Wired magazine, even offers a fare estimate and lets you pay with your phone. The app is also available on the Blackberry. Just back from San Francisco? Headed there soon? Check our our San Francisco city page and leave your comments, suggestions, and questions.

Happy Birthday, SFMOMA: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's 75th Anniversary weekend starts this Saturday, with free admission all weekend. The museum's special "Best Of" anniversary show features works from big names like Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol, all from the permanent collection. Instead of just doing an audio tour for the show, museum curators have invited a group of 75 artists, writers, musicians, and staff members to give quick, 7.5-minute talks about an artist in the collection they are passionate about. Luminaries include designer Yves Behar, New Yorker writer Rebecca Solnit, and California artist Robert Bechtle. The talks will be spread out throughout the museum and among the collection, every hour on the hour. On Saturday night, there's an evening cash bar party with free performances by experimental musicians including cellist Zoe Keating, Loop! Station, and Matmos. Also be sure to check out artist Mike Shine's temporary installation set up in a truck parked outside, on Minna Street between Third and New Montgomery Streets. Shine is a Northern California artist who works with found objects like driftwood. Stay tuned for more of SF MOMA's anniversary events. It's going to be a jam-packed year. 151 Third Street, sfmoma.org, 415/357-4000. Cash-bar party is Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.; free admission and museum talks are from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Mike Shine's exhibit is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It's no fun to find out you've paid more for your ticket than the guy sitting next to you. But given the constant swings in travel pricing, it's practically impossible to know if a good deal is actually the best one—and when to take the plunge. But there's good news: More websites and online travel agencies are offering tools and guarantees to take the risk out of clicking BUY. • Vacation packages. On Wednesday, Travelocity began a new refund policy for most of its packages—specifically, its flights-plus-hotels packages. If you book a package with Travelocity and subsequently spot it for cheaper elsewhere online—any time prior to the day of departure—you can get a refund for the difference in price. Through March 22, the agency will also receive a $50 discount toward future travel. (For full rules, see travelocity.com/guarantee.) UPDATE 1/11: This price guarantee replaces Travelocity's rate-protection program for air/hotel and car/hotel packages. Called PriceGuardian, that service automatically refunded your credit card up to $500 if another Travelocity customer books your trip for less. Travelocity has discontinued this service. • Flights. Earlier this week, two helpful sites—which have earned raves from Budget Travel during the past couple of years—teamed up. Yapta, a price-tracking website, and TripIt, a free travel organizer, compliment each other as nicely as peanut butter and chocolate. These sites now let you put money back in your pocket if a fare drops after you've booked it. They also help you keep track of all of your e-mailed itineraries and maps, letting you easily access them via hotel lobby computer or your smartphone. Thankfully, their services are free. The joint effort means you can now forward your airline and hotel confirmation emails to TripIt (plans@tripit.com). Your purchase price is quickly verified. If the airfare drops after you purchase it, Yapta will alert you if you're eligible for a refund or credit based on the airline's policies. Most fliers don't know that major U.S. airlines have policies that qualify you for a refund if the fare goes down after you book. Of course, they don't tell you when your fare changes—and fares drop only happen about 15 percent of the time—so travelers rarely see the money (which averages about $300, says Yapta). Thankfully, TripIt and Yapta keep track of these things for you, when you use either one of them. Some airlines charge re-booking fees of up to $150, while others rebook you for free. So there may not always be a happy ending. • Hotels. "Users of our fare-tracking system begged us to track hotel rates," says Yapta CEO Tom Romary. So as of March, the site has done just that, monitoring rates at more than 110,000 hotels worldwide. Just pick a property and sign up to be alerted whenever it slashes its price for your travel dates. Yapta's system is most useful for properties that let you cancel for free—in which case you simply rebook at the lower rate. (Some hotels have change fees, so you'll have to do the math to know if it's worthwhile.) EARLIER Orbitz debuted a money-back guarantee in November. If someone else finds a better rate at Orbitz on a hotel stay you've booked, the company will automatically reimburse you for the difference and send you a $50 code good toward a future booking.