Gearing up to get on a plane and fly home for the holidays? Well watch out for those baggage fees—especially when you've got a lot to haul.

In case you didn't notice, almost every airline on the planet seems to be charging it's patrons to check bags (Check out this handy chart if you're not sure about your carrier).

It's really easy to stay away from extra fees when you're a light packer who can stick to their carry-on. But with holiday travel, we've all got an extra obstacle: Presents. You've got to bring them all home and leave extra room to bring some back.

But if you do your holiday shopping online, think ahead a bit and put down your parent's/sister-in-law's/hotel's address down as the "Ship To" address. Just make sure you call ahead and let your gracious hosts know to expect a package and keep their snoopy little noses out of them!

Just call this reason #896 why we love technology. How the heck did people get along without the internet?!

(Image: Flickr user Andrew Currie under license from Creative Commons.)