How to beat airline baggage fees

It's getting tough out there to be a major airline. Fuel is expensive and it's hard for those fliers to make any money. As expected, the airlines are employing a time tested strategy for raising revenues, it's called, "take those customers for all they're worth."

However, there's an interesting little strategy that you can use to beat the airlines at their new "fee for everything" mode of operations. It takes a little effort on your part, but in the long run it might be worth it. At the very least, you'll be able to take things on your cross-continental trip which might otherwise be unacceptable. Here's how it works:

As you are planning your trip and getting things ready to go, make arrangements at your destination to have a FedEx package picked up. Then, when your luggage is all packed, have your suitcases boxed up and ship them by FedEx ground.