As if you needed another reason to pack lightly: Spirit Airlines has announced that on August 1 it will begin charging for carry-on baggage stowed in the overhead space. With fares as low as a penny, the small airline has become known for it’s bargain-basement prices, often achieved by adding additional fees (such as surcharges for fuel and for booking online).

While bags stowed under the seat will still be free, bags that are placed in overhead bins will cost $45 (at the gate) or $35 (when purchased ahead of time). The idea is to make the boarding process quicker and to offer services on an à la carte basis, so that passengers who choose to pack light can still travel on the cheap.

For more information, check out the Spirit press release and the Associated Press article, which has run in a number of publications. Also, comment below and let us know: Is it worth the super cheap ticket price to pack lightly and stow your luggage under the seat?

Image: PhillipC/Flickr – Creative Commons License

—Victor Maze, art director

If you’re a runner, you probably already know that one of the best ways to explore a new place is on foot, at about a 10-minute per mile pace (give or take a few minutes, depending on your preferences). Running in a new city is fun and offers all sorts of opportunities to see things you might miss on a double-decker bus. But running in a new city is best when you have a friend who knows their way around.

That’s why I love the concept behind City Running Tours, a company that offers guided running tours of Austin, Charleston, Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. The runs are designed for the casual and hardcore runner alike, and accommodate business travelers and sight-seers.

The guides who lead the runs are serious athletes and experts on their cities. So you get a workout and a tour all in one unique experience. Forget the hotel gym, I’m booking an early morning Central Park run next time I’m in New York City, and then a massage in the afternoon!

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

If you were to work at a resort, what would you want to do? What is the coolest hotel job you can imagine? Whale spotter? Cocktail tester? If you’ve got a good idea, then you might just find yourself working that awesome job for four days and three nights at the Marquis Los Cabos Resort.

The Resort’s “World’s Most Awesome Hotel Job” contest challenges Facebook fans to come up with the hotel job of their dreams and then create a one-minute video describing it. The job should be creative and also beneficial to guests.

The winner will receive two four-day /three-night trips to Marquis Los Cabos—one to perform the job and one to relax and enjoy. Get more details on their Facebook fan page.

Hmmm … Infinity Pool Temperature Monitor anyone?

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

If you were to work at a resort, what would you want to do? What is the coolest hotel job you can imagine? Whale spotter? Cocktail tester? If you’ve got a good idea, then you might just find yourself working that awesome job for four days and three nights at the Marquis Los Cabos Resort.

The Resort’s “World’s Most Awesome Hotel Job” contest challenges Facebook fans to come up with the hotel job of their dreams and then create a one-minute video describing it. The job should be creative and also beneficial to guests.

The winner will receive two four-day /three-night trips to Marquis Los Cabos—one to perform the job and one to relax and enjoy. Get more details on their Facebook fan page.

Hmmm … Infinity Pool Temperature Monitor anyone?

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

We get a lot of interesting press releases here at Spa magazine. Recently, I got one about a company called Nannies4Hire.com. If the name isn’t self-explanatory enough: it’s an online service that helps families find nannies.

Well, the founder and CEO of Nannies4Hire.com, Candi Wingate, says that she is seeing an increase in families traveling with their babysitter. We thought that was fascinating and wanted to see what our readers think. Would you travel with a babysitter? Have you? Do you think it’s a good idea? A bad idea? Let us know!

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emrank/ / CC BY 2.0

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

Because I have a 45-minute commute to work (on public transportation), I spend a lot of time reading. I’ll freely admit that I have a paperback addiction and am currently on about a one-a-week schedule. So when I heard about Las Ventanas al Paraiso’s new “Hot Type” program, I was instantly interested. If you’re a bookworm, you’ll understand why.

Las Ventanas has worked out a deal with a number of American publishers so that visitors at the resort can read copies of new books before they’re commercially available to the public. The books are anywhere from six weeks to six months from being released for sale.

Las Ventanas even has a butler who will bring you your book of choice and a nice cold drink while you lounge in the sun at the infinity pool. Where do I sign up?

Here’s a taste of some of the books that are currently available:

• The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
• The Third Rail by Michael Harvey
• 29 by Adena Halpern
• Zoo Story by Thomas French
• The Ark by Boyd Morrison
• The Other Family by Joanna Trollope
• The Poet Prince by Kathleen McGowan
• Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos
• A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White
• The Life of Andrew Jackson by Robert Remini

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

March is Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness month, so we thought we’d pass along some of the useful information we just received from the Coalition to Prevent DVT. This is especially important for those of us who travel a lot and for anyone with any lengthy flights in the near future.

The Facts:

• Up to 2 million Americans are affected by DVT each year, and approximately 300,000 Americans die each year from PE.
• Complications from DVT claim the lives of more Americans than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

The good news: It is totally preventable, and the Coalition to Prevent DVT has created a downloadable video that will teach you a few simple moves you can do anywhere (even on a flight) that will reduce the risk of DVT by encouraging blood circulation.

Watch the video and use these simple exercises on your next flight.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/caribb/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

As you start making spring and summer travel plans, you might want to think about how your flights could affect the environment. Yes, traveling in and of itself can be taxing on the environment, but did you know that some airlines are actually better about recycling than others?

It’s true. According to a report by the website ResponsibleShopper.org, the airline industry could do a lot to improve its recycling habits. Right now, according to their report, US airlines create over 880 million tons of waste annually—75% of that waste could be recycled, and only 20% is being recycled.

So which airlines are doing the best job and which are doing the worst?

Delta, Virgin, and Southwest get the highest grades, while United and US Airways flunk.

See more of the recycling report at ResponsibleShopper.org, and see what you can do to make your airline of choice more responsible when it comes to recycling.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcwestbrook/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor

The Deal: Winter Escapes
The Details: complimentary breakfast for two as well as your choice of an added-value benefit (varies by hotel). Highlights include a complimentary room upgrade, limousine transfer, afternoon tea, spa credit or dining credit.
The Deadline: March 31, 2010
The Cost: Varies by hotel

Additionally, guests at any of the hotels (with the exception of The Peninsula Bangkok) can also enjoy a complimentary second night when booking a suite with The Suite Life promotion.

A lot of work goes into planning and executing our photo shoots, and this shoot for our January/February 2010 story on Terranea Resort was no exception. The location was beautiful and the crew was fabulous, but no amount of preparation could have prevented the “freak” mid-morning fog bank that rolled into the resort. Luckily, a lunch break and a couple of indoor shots later it had moved on, allowing us to get in some final afternoon shots.

Here’s a glimpse of our favorite behind-the-scenes moments (above), and you can check out the entire article in the newest issue, on newsstands (and online) now!

Clockwise, from top left: trying to work around the fog bank that rolled in; assorted necklaces to choose from; getting a close-up in the spa on a salt scrub; the crew watching at the spa pool; making good use of the dual balconies to get a great shot; Victor Maze (art director), Ericka McConnell (photographer), and Veronica Sooley (photo editor/stylist) going over images; Wendy Mink earrings.

See even more of our photos from the day here.

Photos by Veronica Sooley

—Veronica Sooley, photo editor