Free Krispy Kreme donuts on Election Day

It pays to carry a Chase debit or credit card, apparently. Continental announced today that it is waiving its onerous $15 charge for checking a first bag on flights—but only for people who have a Continental Airlines Chase credit or debit card. Passengers traveling with a cardholder will also be eligible for the waiver if they are listed on the same reservation. The fee will still apply to all other passengers. This is great news for people who have the cards, but this privilege comes at a cost: the annual fee that Chase charges to sign up for an account. Here's the breakdown of fees: Continental Airlines Presidential Plus World MasterCard: $375 annual fee Continental Airlines World MasterCard: $85 annual fee Continental Airlines TravelBank World MasterCard: $29 annual fee (waived the first year) Chase Continental Airlines Debit Card: $65 annual fee Waiving the fee doesn't seem to make much of a difference if you're paying more than $60 a year for the card membership fee—unless you make more than two trips per year on Continental. On the other hand, it's at least a step in the right direction.

Now open at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H.: Andy Warhol: Pop Politics. The exhibit showcases more than 60 of the Pop Art phenom's political works—some highlights are images of the Kennedys (including Jackie), Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Mao Zedong, and Richard Nixon, in Warhol's signature cartoon-y color palette. To add some context to the artist's pop culture references, there are archival materials from Warhol's "time capsules". Turns out he was quite a packrat—by the time of his death, he had collected more than 600 boxes of papers, photos, records, and correspondence. The significant materials have been displayed in relation to the exhibit—for example, there's a letter from President-Elect Nixon for administration recommendations. As we approach Election Day (finally), this exhibit presents a timely, relevant way to look back on how we got here. What would Warhol make of politics today? Who knows. But if you get a chance to stroll through his political works, it might be fun to imagine the possibilities. The Currier also has European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs, and sculpture, including works by Picasso, Monet, O'Keeffe, Wyeth, and LeWitt. Manchester is about an hour's drive north of Boston. 150 Ash Street, Manchester, N.H., 603-669-6144, ext. 108, currier.org. Closed Tuesdays, adults $10, kids 18 and under free, admission is free for all ages between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturdays. Exhibition through Jan. 4, 2009. Read about Andy Warhol on pbs.org. MORE TO DO IN MANCHESTER Take a walking tour of downtown. And here's a handy map. MORE TRAVEL BLOGS Visit travel.alltop.com

Finally some good news for travelers with regard to fuel surcharges. Or is it? Carnival and Royal Caribbean announced recently that they are rolling back fuel surcharges in response to falling oil prices. Starting this fall, both cruise lines said they would eliminate the surcharge for all new bookings for 2010. The companies also said they would refund guests the fee for sailings in 2009 if the price of oil remained under a certain amount. For Carnival, that price is $70 per barrel; for Royal Caribbean, it's $65. On Monday, the price of oil fell to a 17-month low of $62 per barrel. This is good news, right? It depends how you look at it. Carnival said on the same day it made the fuel surcharge announcement that it would also be increasing overall cruising prices in 2010, which means guests may end up paying more in the end. Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean also said the rollbacks are not permanent—they said they could reinstate the fuel surcharges at any time if oil prices go back up. Cruise lines began adding fuel surcharges last November as oil prices starting approaching $100 per barrel. Five of the six Carnival-owned brands (such as Princess and Holland America) currently charge $9 per person per day for the fuel surcharge. Seabourn, also owned by Carnival, has a higher $15 fee. Royal Caribbean's three brands each charge $10 per person per day. EARLIER Disney Cruise Lines adds a fuel surcharge