Baggage Fee Pitfalls with United and ANA Long Layover Flights

If you're looking into booking a flight with a long or overnight layover and carrying more than 1 bag, think twice ...

First off, you should know that even for international flights, United Airlines and ANA (All Nippon Airways) now only allow one free check-in luggage (I'm used to 2 free luggage on Singapore Air or Cathay Pacific). The second bag is $100. So on my last trip home to Indonesia, I flew United/ANA home for the first time, because the flight was $300 cheaper than Singapore Air's. This itinerary included an 18-hour overnight layover in Tokyo on the way there and a 10-hour layover (again in Tokyo) on return flight. Usually I'm a light packer and only travel with carry-on, but my trips home are different, with my family and so many relatives wanting me to bring this and that (shoes, Disney toys, Flamin' Hot Cheetos ...) and I always end up with a check-in luggage.

So. The long layover was attractive at first, allowing me to see a bit of Tokyo, but beware before you book a flight like this next time.

Apparently when your layover is more than 12 hours, they cannot check you in for your next leg, so I had to take my luggage out and put them in storage at the airport before going to Tokyo for the night. Fast forward to the next morning when I checked in for my next leg of the itinerary to Jakarta .... guess what? They said I need to pay the extra baggage fee AGAIN. Never mind that it was on the same itinerary and that I had already paid $100 in Los Angeles, because I was only checked in to Narita before, my $100 was only valid for LA-Narita. So now they've tacked on $200 already for the flight that was only $300 than Singapore Air! Not to mention the service sucked and the food was not as good. With a 11+ hour flight from LA to Narita they managed not to have time to give me the arrival forms on the plane, despite having asked for them.

Knott's Scary Farm: Haunted Mazes for 2013

Have you started thinking about Halloween yet? Because Scary Farm has started at Knott's with their haunted mazes.

This year, they've added a secret room to each maze that you can unlock with a "skeleton key". With this you go in from a separate line in small groups (up to 6) for a short interactive experience. You can buy this as a combo with the Fright Pass (like a fast pass but only for the mazes), or book a dinner "boo-fet" that lets you into the park earlier.

Personally, though, if you have to choose where to splurge, I would opt for "Trapped", where the whole maze is interactive. The Trapped maze is $60 for up to 6 people (so if you can get a group of 6 together that's only $10 per person). I was lucky enough to be invited into this maze last year and it was quite fun (i.e. scary). You may have to do some scary things, though, like getting into a coffin ... the eating crickets part was easy.
Some of the new mazes this year is raven-filled Forevermore.