Oh, those crazy Poles. Who knew that a recent exhibit showcasing women’s undergarments throughout history would gain the country more recognition than Washington’s recent decision to upgrade Poland’s military forces. But yes, it’s true. And we wish we could go, ’cause there’s something gratifying in knowing that women’s underwear did not simply begin to torture women with the thong’s invention in recent decades. This exhibit shows that it’s always been a bit tortuous! Phew. At least the universe is not tilting wildly out of balance.

But we digress. Poland’s Museum of Industry in Opatowek has garnered more attention than you could fit in the cups of a triple-E bra with its current exhibit From Pantaloons to G-Strings. Among the many items on display are knee-length cotton underpants of yore, corsets and the dumpy cotton underwears that became de rigueur for Polish women during the 1980’s communist regime. In fact, if there’s anything you take away from this exhibit, folks, take away the fact that communism is just plain bad for women’s underwear. Freedom, on the other hand, leads to thongs. Go figure.

Lastly, how hilarious is it that the AP photograph flying around the internets with this story features a little boy skulking through the shadows behind rows of women’s panties? Now that’s some subversive journalism.

Unmentionables on Display in Poland

Just as we suspected, US Airways has decided to raise checked baggage fees. Starting May 5, 2008, travelers flying US Airways flights will have to fork over $25 for the privilege of checking a second bag on any flight booked on or after Feb. 26, 2008. And just like United, which also raised its second bag fee earlier this year, certain passengers will be exempt:

* Dividend Miles Preferred members (all tiers)

* Active military personnel

* Unaccompanied minors

* First Class and Envoy passengers

* Star Alliance’s Silver and Gold status members

US Airways New Baggage Policy FAQs

Since opening during the spring of 2005, 9 Beaches resort in Sandys, Bermuda has been making a name for itself with it’s eco-friendly practices and flip-flop-friendly attitude. And being one of the closest resorts to the United States that boasts over-the-water cottages with viewing windows in the floor, it’s a no-brainer for romantic getaways, weddings and anniversaries.

Just how eco-positive is the resort? The staff tools around the property on battery-operated vehicles. Lighting and hot water are powered by the sun, and rainwater is caught and recycled for hotel use. Local produce is used in the kitchen, and bicycles are available for guest use around the property. There’s even a “waterless” garden (known to enviro-geeks as a xeriscape).

We caught up with 9 Beaches General Manager Robin Gilbert, a native Bermudan and fount of local knowledge. Here, he gives us his picks for what to see and do during a visit to his island home.

9 Beaches has made a commitment to environmental stewardship. What unique environmental challenges does Bermuda face?

We get the majority of our water on the island by roof catch systems. There are centralized reverse osmosis facilities on the island, and we’ve all grown up knowing that water is very precious.

Things that other parts of the world are just coming around to, we’ve grown up with that thought process.

With transport, we’re limited to one car per household, and we’ve only had cars since 1968. From the get-go there was only one car per household. Most people have mopeds.

Tell us about the resort’s “waterless” garden.

Everything we have growing on the property is basically from Bermuda originally and doesn’t require a human being to be watering it. We have cedar trees, palm trees, cacti, succulents, aloe. Because nobody lives more than a half-mile from the sea, everything is covered in salt spray. We have to remember that when it comes to what we plant.

Your resort describes its dress code as “flip-flops required.” How many days a year do you wear ‘em?

Only on my day off.

On your ideal day off, where on the island would we find you?

Either on the beach or on the boat.

Most of the beaches are on the south coast. Horseshoe Bay is the largest beach on the island, and there are small coves on the east of Horseshoe Bay where it’s very quiet and there’s room for plenty of people.

Where would you send us to score postcard-worthy views?

For picture taking right on the property, there’s the sunset and the views of the Bay.

There’s the lighthouse, one of the high points on the island. It’s 15 minutes away.

The Dockyards is an amazing visitor attraction. It was built back in the 1800’s, and it’s been brought back to life. There’s a museum, restaurants, a small movie houses.

We want to watch the perfect sunset. Where would you send us?

The sunsets off the edge of the property are just absolutely spectacular. The sky lights up, and it’s just fantastic.

One morning, we’re feeling especially lazy. But we still want to see something of the island. What activity would you recommend?

If you want a lazy day, find yourself a beach. We have two 70-yard ones and also little ones.

For about $10-$15, one can rent a kayak and paddle around the point. There’s a shipwreck in a protected area, and we’re lucky it’s 100 yards off our property.

The next morning, we’re full of energy and ready to exert ourselves. What can’t-miss excursion would you recommend for active, outdoorsy travelers?

One option is to go to the Dockyards. It’s the most popular sightseeing attraction on the island. Get the Fast Ferry to St. George’s. It’s a great trip. You see the north side of the island. Look around St. George’s. There’s Fort St. Catherine, where the first settlers were shipwrecked. In folklore, this is what Shakespeare based his play The Tempest on.

The public transportation on the island is very good. For $4, you can get a bus all the way back to 9 Beaches. You can get back here in time for Happy Hour, or as we call it, Attitude Adjustment Hour.

As a blogger, staying connected is important (okay, an obsession), even when I’m on vacation. How wired is the resort?

The other day I was driving around with our techie on the golf cart, and he was picking up a signal on his laptop in most places - I would say about 70 percent of the resort.

What should every Bermuda visitor take home (i.e. special local product, souvenir, etc.)?

Bermuda Honey. We also have fantastic rum cakes. Down at the Dockyards, there’s a glass foundry. You can take home sand in a little jar. We’ve got enough to spare.

A day at 9 Beaches wouldn’t be complete without _______.

A Dark ‘n Stormy or a Swizzle. A Dark & Stormy is the most popular local drink. It’s made of black rum and ginger beer. Have it very cold.

Ah, we love Amy Winehouse hotel updates. For some strange reason (cough…crack), wild things seem to happen whenever the British songstress enters a hotel room. While bunking in at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel last week, Winehouse reportedly caused over $6,000 damage to her executive suite. The damage was discovered only after Winehouse had refused housekeeping services for several days. When the hotel staff finally got into her room, they are said to have found ciggies everywhere, evidence of alcoholic bevs, dirty bedsheets, drains clogged with black hair, hair dye staining the bathroom and a mirror suspiciously laid out on the floor. And that’s a week after getting out of rehab.

Amy Winehouse, Showered With Pity, Lives Like Pig In Hotel

Downtown Boston’s Seaport District now has its very own Renaissance property. The 471-room Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel has adopted a maritime theme: an exterior designed to look reminiscent of a ship’s wind-filled sails, seagulls flocking above the front desk, blue hues in the rooms and wave-like structural features incorporated throughout.

While the hotel hopes to attract leisure travelers thanks to a location within walking distance of Fanueil Hall, the Boston Harbor Walk and the New England Aquarium, it is wooing business travelers with amenities like a DS-3 line Internet connection (28x faster than a T-1), rooms outfitted with flat panel televisions and connectivity panels that power multiple electronic devices at one time.

Travelers who stay at the hotel for two nights or more by Sept. 3, 2008 will receive a $100 Savvy Savings Certificate good toward a two-night stay at any Renaissance property in the U.S. or Canada. To score the savings, you’ll have to book through the site or call the hotel’s reservation number (1-800-834-7282) and use promo code PX3. Nightly rates at the hotel start at $169.

Everyone’s buzzing about Virgin Atlantic’s newsworthy flight yesterday - it was the first commercial plane to take to the skies with biofuel powering its engines. But as with anything related to the environment these days, the story is a wee bit more complicated than it may seem at first glance. For starters, the fuel used was only partially biofuel, and that biofuel is arguably more damaging to the environment to produce than conventional fuel. The video below does a good job of slicing and dicing the many viewpoints on this historic flight into a one-minute summary that even folks with raging Oscar party hangovers will be able to digest. Plus, you get to see Sir Richard Branson drinking fuel from a coconut. What a rockstar.

Here’s a new one: airlines giving back to passengers? Okay, they’re being forced to. But still. After being found guilty of fixing fuel surcharges associated with airline fares, the two airlines have been ordered to refund passengers who paid the illegal charges on long-haul flights over seven hours. If you flew on a British Airways or Virgin flight that departed from the UK between Aug. 11, 2004 and March 23, 2006, you are entitled to a refund of up to 20 GBP for each flight. You can read all the details at the story linked below.

BA and Virgin Launch Refund Site

And while we’re talking travel mags….Fancy yourself a travel writer, photographer or magazine editor? Budget Travel’s 10th anniversary issue will be written and photographed by readers. They’re in the home stretch, but are still looking for:

- Foodies in the Southwestern United States who can recommend great spots to refuel

- Pet travel photographs (you know you’re hoarding some cute ones)

- Someone traveling abroad in the next two weeks who’ll pick up some items from a foreign supermarket

- Your best family travel tips (e.g. how to usher get ankle-biters through airport security)

- Feedback on any trips you’ve taken after reading about them in the magazine’s 40 Best Deals section

Last Chance! Our All-Reader 10th Anniversary Issue Needs Your Help!

Behold, Travel + Leisure’s roundup of the best airport restaurants, bars, lounges and spas:

Best Airport Restaurants and Other Time Killers

Smoke a butt at the Swissotel Chicago, and you might as well hand the hotel management a cool $250 when you check out. Fines for smoking in non-smoking rooms are nothing new. But Swissotel’s approach is. Instead of letting smokers run wild with abandon, the 632-room property has begun paying its housekeeping staff to rat offenders out. If a housekeeper enters your room to do her daily clean up and suspects you’ve been sucking down cancer sticks, you get fined. She gets $10. It’s not a lot, but the hotel is betting it’s enough to inspire a keen sense of smell in its employees.

The hotel is currently renovating all of its rooms and going for a green certification, so we can understand their anal ‘tude. After all, unlike hotel guests, smoke never really leaves a room.

The semi-funny part? The hotel has let two former guests escape from fines. Why? As the Chicago Tribune’s story The Smoke Patrol puts it:

To date, 22 guests have gotten socked with fines — with two granted amnesty because it turned out that friends did the smoking, according to hotel officials.

Riiight. That’s what I used to tell my parents. Glad to know it still works.