Archeologists in Virginia made a timely announcement yesterday that they have located the remains of George Washington's boyhood home on a plot of land called Ferry Farm.

The evidence reveals an eight-room, one-and-a-half story clapboard house, upscale for its day, that stood along the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg. Two outbuildings were also recovered: the kitchen and the slave quarters. No telltale stumps or other evidence were found of the (almost certainly made-up) cherry tree that Washington chopped down and could not tell a lie about.

However, many mid-18th-century artifacts—including pieces of a Wedgwood tea set, wig curlers, and a pipe bowl with the Masonic crest—were found among the foundation, chimney, and cellars. Most of the house's wood was gone, apparently either used as fuel or reused for other buildings.

Washington's parents and their six children moved to the farm in 1738, when George was 6. Augustine, George's father, died five years later, but Mary, his mother, continued to live on the farm until 1772, when she moved into town.

Nearly a century later, the farm's land was used as a staging ground for the Union's troops during the Civil War—a trench of several hundred feet remains from those days, and the Union may have used the farmhouse as a temporary headquarters.

The house's remains are part of George Washington's Boyhood Home at Ferry Farm, 113-acre National Historic Site. A recreation of the house as it stood in the 1740s is in the works.

Are you traveling internationally with time-sensitive—or just sensitive—information? It’s a good idea to email or send a copy on ahead of you. For several years U.S. customs officials have been inspecting the contents of electronic devices such as computers, digital cameras, and phones at the border, in some cases keeping them for several weeks before returning them to their owner.

Journalist Bill Hogan, for instance, had an old laptop of his taken for two weeks when he landed in Washington, D.C., after a trip to Germany. "It's not an inspection. It's a seizure," he told the L.A. Times. "What do they do with it? I assume they just copy everything."

In 1979, the Supreme Court ruled that at border crossings, the government does not require a search warrant for random searches of luggage. There is more protection against a strip search, which requires "probable suspician," than there is for examining the contents of a laptop.

Federal hearings are underway that may result in changing the way Customs goes about its job, but in the meantime it's worth keeping in mind that anything electronic could conceivably be searched—and seized for a time—when re-entering the country.

PREVIOUSLY
Laptop bags that will pass the TSA test

You can expect fewer passengers in front of you at domestic airports come fall. USA Today estimates that about a third of the country's busiest airports will be losing 10 percent of flights.

Biggies include Honolulu (down 23.7 percent—this includes flights among the Hawaiian islands), Oakland (down 21.8 percent), and Kansas City (down 15.7 percent). A graphic illustrates the cuts state by state.

A dangerous wildfire near Big Sur, California, prompted authorities to evacuate the town on Wednesday. A previous, more limited evacuation order was expanded to include all of Big Sur—closing businesses and shuttering houses from Andrew Molera State Park to Limekiln State Park along Pacific Highway 1.

Anyone who has ever driven through Big Sur, or stopped to hike its trails, knows that it's a national treasure. I've been three times in the past few years, and I'm still not done with the incredible sunsets at Nepenthe restaurant, the cool redwood-shaded hikes of its parks, or the routinely breathtaking views as you round corner after corner on the drive to and from San Francisco.

We covered lodging in the town—and its environs—in our recent magazine cover story Big Sur: Into the Redwoods. Also check out our road trip up Pacific Highway 1, from 2006. Here's hoping incomparable Big Sur is back, and soon.

The car rental company just introduced a self-service express check-in program at 50 major airport locations that promises to get travelers to their cars within 10 minutes. Hertz is so confident in its streamlined process that it will fork over a $50 credit towards your rental if your wait runs longer.

To be eligible, you must check in at Hertz.com—be sure to print out a confirmation—and, once at the airport, use one of the new kiosks or express counters. Participating airport locations include Atlanta, Chicago (O’Hare), D.C. (Dulles and Reagan), L.A., Maui, New York (LaGuardia and Newark), and San Antonio.

It's the latest bit of evidence that Hertz may be paying more attention to what its customers want. The company recently dropped a complained-about refueling policy and will now charging market prices (plus a fee) to those who purchase fuel through Hertz, as we blogged about here.

But will the 10-minute guarantee actually ease the car-rental process? And what other improvements would you like to see?

MORE
How to save on car rentals (Tuttle's law)

This fall, it may become possible to pass through security without unpacking your laptop—if you have the right bag. The TSA's laptop initiative, begun earlier this year, called on manufacturers to make prototypes and then submit them for testing. Such "checkpoint friendly" bags should be on the market by early October, according to the New York Times.

The problem with current bags is that many don't allow the X-rays to get a good view. What's more, things like computer cords and other paraphernalia make it hard to separate the dense laptop from whatever else is in the case. The new bags meet TSA guidelines by either having a fold-down section that separates the laptop or a "stand-alone protective sleeve that contains no extra clutter and can be readily viewed through the scanner," as NYT columnist Joe Sharkey puts it.

Jaunted thinks the new laptop bag plan is "stupid" because the manufacturers won't be able to label their new bags with anything more explicit than "checkpoint friendly" (the agency won’t allow for a "TSA Approved" sticker).

Too harsh! I say the new bags may actually be useful. But only if the manufacturers, which include Targus as well as Pathfinder, manage to brand their bags in a way that makes it absolutely obvious that they've passed all of the TSA's little rules. Of course, the TSA will also have to make sure that its staff can easily recognize what's new about these bags and let them pass through the X-ray with their precious laptop cargo intact.

We're guessing you might have plans for the Fourth and that they involve fireworks, hot dogs, and American flags ... not necessarily in that order. But if you find yourself near Philadelphia, join the city’s Welcome America Festival.

Festivities began June 28 and continue through Sunday, but the high point is July 4. Expect an ice cream festival, a ceremonial ringing of the Liberty Bell, a parade, and a concert by John Legend—followed by fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The celebration concludes with the Taste of Philadelphia food festival, a chance to sample the best local cuisine.

Thinking of photographing some of those fireworks? See our five easy steps to spectacular photos.

PREVIOUSLY
Save the Date: Wacky Festivals
Philly: Tour guides will have to pass history tests

Last month, we blogged about the New York City waterfalls art installation by Olafur Eliasson. The four waterfalls, located in the East River, were turned on last week—and we took a tour on Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.

We weren't blown away by the falls, but the cruise itself was refreshing. The views from the boat are tremendous, and it's a great way to remind yourself of the size and vitality of the city, with its vast skyline and many connecting bridges.

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises has two-hour tours starting at $27 for adults or three-hour tours from $31 (on the latter, you'll go around the whole island—definitely worth the ticket price). You can also opt for Circle Line Downtown (the two cruise companies aren't affiliated), which has official waterfalls tours. Thirty-minute tours from Circle Line Downtown start at $10 for adults, or $25 for hour-long tours.

To see the waterfalls for free, focus on the best of them, at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn side (see photo, above). You can walk across the bridge and catch a glimpse, or relax in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a tranquil escape inside the city with clear views of three great East River bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg), and a close-up of the Brooklyn Bridge waterfall. Or, take the Staten Island Ferry, which runs daily with views of three of the four waterfalls, for free.

Eliasson's waterfalls installation is scheduled to run through mid-October.

PREVIOUSLY:
New York City: Four giant waterfalls arrive soon
Downtown NYC will gain new Whitney branch
Museums: Murakami buzz in Brooklyn

The little blue cartoon characters from Belgium that befuddled adults and charmed children the world over are celebrating their 50th anniversary—sorry, Smurfday—this year. To mark the occasion, the Smurfs are touring European cities in anticipation of their grand Smurfday festivities on October 23. The schedule of upcoming cities on the Smurfs' Euro Tour is a secret, but you can track where the Smurfs currently are and where they've been on the Smurfsite.

For each city visited, there's an online video documenting locals' reaction to the Smurfs' arrival. I personally can't tear myself away from this site, so let me be the one to tell you what it means to "Smurf" a city: In the middle of the night, the organizers drop off thousands of white vinyl Smurf figurines around city landmarks, say, subway escalators or a prominent fountain. The object is to decorate one of these Smurfs, take a picture of it, and upload it onto the site where others will vote on their favorite.

At the same time, the organizers set up a temporary Birthday Expo in the city and fill it with Smurf paraphernalia and a celebrity-designed Smurf that'll later be auctioned off for charity. The website also promises tantalizingly vague things like "50 Smurf games" that can be played while the Smurfs are in town.

Currently the Smurfs are in Warsaw and Budapest. If you’re roaming around Europe this summer, it's worth keeping your eyes open for white vinyl Smurf figurines—who knows where they'll pop up next? It's good (albeit baffling) cheap fun! And even if you aren't straying from your desk for the next little while, the Smurfsite, er, website is a trip in itself.

Here’s one way to deal with all the new baggage fees: Have your luggage shipped to your destination ahead of time, by companies that promise door-to-door service. Last week, the Wall Street Journal tested out five of the services by shipping 40-pound suitcases from South Florida up to the WSJ's offices in New York.

The main drawback? "Prices were so steep, from $122.19 to $198.23, that the services can't really be considered practical for frequent fliers or families with lots of luggage." That's an understatement. And who exactly is getting your bags from A to B? Four of the five companies farmed out the pick-up to UPS or Fed Ex, either of which would have charged much less if approached directly.

There are times when it’s relatively easy and affordable to ship bags or souvenirs directly through companies like FedEx. We outlined how to tackle various shipping scenarios in this 2007 magazine article, Quit Lugging Your Luggage.

Air France is discounting its fares from 14 U.S. gateways to 24 European destinations for travel between Sept. 1 and October 29—just book by July 8. A one-way flight from Philly to Madrid is as little as $276.

Of course, there are some conditions (a required Saturday night stay) and extras like taxes and fees of $80 to $150, and a $30 surcharge for Thursday through Sunday departures. But at least fuel surcharges are included!

RELATED
Real Deals

On a recent visit to the Briggs & Riley Travelware showroom, the Family Backpack caught my eye.

The backpack, which hits stores this week, is tailored to parents on the go. It has a front compartment for a portable DVD player, a separate organizer for a cell phone or iPod, an outer side strap for a sippy cup or water bottle, and a side pocket with waterproof lining. A band in the back allows you to slip the entire bag over the handle of any carry-on rolling suitcase.

The main compartment features a sleek insulated lunch bag that rests on a collapsible shelf and is held in place by Velcro. The shelf makes it easy to stuff diapers, books, and other items around the lunch bag, but you can also fold it up when you want to maximize the backpack’s interior.

At $199, the Family Backpack isn’t cheap, but it is cheaper—and can get more day-to-day use—than the company’s current bestseller, the 22-inch Baseline rolling carry-on.

Last year, I visited Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory in Petaluma, Calif., with my then 5-year-old niece. I remember trying to hold my niece’s hand while juggling our picnic lunch and her sweatshirt. A backpack like this would’ve helped to streamline the chaos.

If you have any gear recommendations, share them by posting a comment below.

The highly rated domestic carrier based out of Milwaukee, Wis., and Kansas City, Mo., announced last week that it was seeking to cut the number of its planes by as much as half—leaving it with just 20-25 Boeing 717 jets and none of the less fuel-efficient MD-80s.

The cuts don't end there: Midwest also wants to lay off hundreds of employees and get pay cuts of as much as 65% from the unionized pilots and flight attendants that will be staying on. If all the cuts go through, this will leave Midwest with about 200 pilots and about the same number of attendants. Service reductions, although not yet announced for the fall schedule, are also in the cards.

As Jaunted points out, no one want to fly on an airline that seems doomed or about to go through Chapter 11. It really does sound as if this restructuring is that one last-ditch attempt before declaring bankruptcy.

And what's likely to happen if Midwest doesn't recover? It might be an opening for the competitor AirTran to move in on Midwest's territory. And it might mean that Midwest gets swallowed up as part of a possible new Delta-Northwest airline. (Northwest owns a 47 percent share in Midwest, and Delta stands to inherit it if a planned merger goes through.) "It appears to me that the Midwest fleet is no longer needed," said one analyst from Airline Forecasts LLC, a Virginia-based consulting firm.

Are travel agents still worth using? As Christopher Elliott (the Travel Troubleshooter) pointed out in a recent column, it's definitely not a growth industry. The number of travel agents in the U.S. is down 30 percent since 2000.

Bucking the DIY trend in some respects, Elliot comes down firmly in favor of agents: They can be "your greatest asset when you're planning a trip." But that's only if they're competent and not fly-by-night. Among his four "secrets" for finding a good agent are looking for those certified by the American Society of Travel Agents, and opting for agents who work nearby and are easily accessible. Online agents, connected to you by little more than a web address and a phone line, may be hard to track down later, when and if there's a problem. (For simple flight and hotel bookings, of course, online agents such as Expedia and Travelocity work just fine.)

I agree with Elliott that meeting an agent face to face is still hard to beat when you have something complicated in mind...

Even a free ticket on Delta is going to cost you money starting on August 15. In an e-mail sent to its SkyMiles members, Delta announced that it would be adding a fuel surcharge to all Award Tickets originating from the U.S. and Canada. The fee is $25 for trips within the U.S. and Canada, and $50 for international travel. The move was made due to ever-increasing fuel costs, as explained in the e-mail:

This was a difficult but essential decision to ensure we are doing everything possible to offset the cost of fuel which has nearly doubled in the last year…. We hope this is temporary, and should fuel prices subside from current levels, we will reevaluate this surcharge.

The e-mail went on to note that any Award Tickets redeemed prior to August 15 would not be subject to the surcharge, regardless of the travel dates. So, if you plan on cashing in your reward miles, now would be a good time to do so.

MORE ON THE IMPACT OF HIGH FUEL COSTS
To save on fuel, airlines go slow

Is the great American road trip in danger?

Fuel surcharges: Disney Cruise Lines piles on