Want to save gas? Keep down your speed ... and weight, too

This is the year that the price of gas flirted with  $4 a gallon nationwide.  As many prepare for summer driving vacations, they might heed these tips from the June issue of AARP Bulletin:

 *Lose weight. You can save 1 to 2 percent of your fuel by getting rid of an extra 100 pounds.  (You needn't go on a starvation diet. Just empty unneeded stuff out of the vehicle.)

* Keep your speed down. Every 10 miles an hour above 40 or 50 causes you to  lose about 4 miles a gallon. 

* Do all your errands in one trip.  It takes a lot of gas to start a cold engine and get it running at peak efficiency.

*Avoid idling. Drivers who cut idling to no more than one minute can typically make their gas last 19 percent longer.

*Carpool.  An environmental organization in your area might be willing to pay you to not drive alone. (Not that you plan to take strangers or casual acquaintances on vacation with you.)

*Accessorize carefully. Individually devices don’t use up all that much gas, but they all add up.

* Go easy on the air conditioning. In general the AC compressor is a huge drag on gasoline efficiency, so if you’re driving around at less than top speeds, lower the windows.  (Some might argue, however,  that open windows cause their own drag.)

* Check those gas-saving websites. Before you leave the house, check out websites such as GasBuddy.com and FuelMeUp.com that tell you what stations in your area have the cheapest gas.

 For complete details on these tips, click here.


And speaking of saving on gas 
Through Aug. 31,  guests who stay two or more consecutive nights at a Choice brand hotel in a participating area will receive a $25 gas card that can be redeemed at Shell stations. The markets are: Cleveland; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Milwaukee; Mobile, Ala.; and the state of New Hampshire. All Choice Hotels properties within a 50-mile radius of each participating city are also included.  Reservations must be made, by July 13 through ChoiceHotels.com. Participating hotels include Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn.

Trivial question
 Name two countries that border the Khyber Pass. (Answer somewhere below.)

Beijing, Shanghai, air, hotels and tours for $899
China Spree has put together an eight day Winter Special—A Tale of China’s Two Great Cities—that costs  $899 plus tax in November, January and February. The Beijing/Shanghai package includes round-trip non-stop air from San Francisco ($330 more from New York), fuel surcharge, first-class hotel accommodations, daily American breakfast, four lunches, one dinner, guided private tours and entrance fees. Prices quoted are the cash discount rate per person, double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include departure taxes. Visit www.chinaspree.com and click China Tours, then Winter Specials, or call 866-652-5656.

Fascinating fact
Thomas Cook, the original travel agency guy, led the first around-the-world tour in 1872-73. The trip took 222 days and covered more than 25,000 miles.

Big celebrities (sort of) to entertain in Waikiki

You can't, and shouldn't, spend all your time on the beach when you're in Hawaii. Accordingly, there's a lot of great entertainment on those magical isles, too. For instance, beginning Dec. 8, the noted tribute artist production Legends in Concert will debut an all-new show at  the Royal Hawaiian Center in the heart of Waikīkī,. Six nights a week,  year-round, artist will pay tribute to and portray the likes of   Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rod Stewart, Madonna and Prince, enhanced by a live band and dancers. In all, Legends in Concert features more than 80  superstar personas that are rotated through its many venues. Ticket information will be announced.

Worth quoting

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey." — Pat Conroy

Vrooom! Italy package includes racing events

ItalyVacations.com is celebrating the Superstars International Series and the World Superbike Championship with  three- and five-night packages for three race weekends in Italy: Maserati-Ferrari Superstars Mugello Race Weekend (Sept. 23-26), Ducati Superbike Imola Race Weekend (Sept. 23-26) and Ferrari Superstars Vallelunga Race Weekend (Oct. 7-10). Prices start at $2,299 per person, double and include luxury hotel accommodations, a Superstars Pack VIP Pass, private transfers, and other amenities. Click here. 

Trivial answer

Two countries bordering the Khyber Pass are Pakistan and Afghanistan, both of which are much in the news these days.

Old Faithful? No, that's the Beehive Geyser, also at Yellowstone National Park.

Fascinating facts about America's wonderful West
Because America's West is fascinating,  Austin-Lehman Adventures has come up with fascinating factoids about the area. To wit:
 * There are fewer than 1,000 geysers in the world. yet more than 500 of them are within Yellowstone National Park, giving it the highest concentration of geysers on the planet. (Another factoid: Although the park is primarily in Wyoming, it extends into Montana and Idaho.)
* More than 2,400 miles of streams flow through Yellowstone, providing some of the best fly-fishing in the world.
* In the Black Hills of South Dakota, the work-in-progress Crazy Horse mountain carving will be the world’s largest sculpture  -- 563 feet high and 641 feet long.
* Mount Rushmore’s Thomas Jefferson sculpture was originally started on George Washington's right, but after 18 months Jefferson was dynamited off and carved on the other side.
* At the intersection of three separate ecosystems, Zion National Park has a more than 900 species of plants not found anywhere else in Utah.
*In most rural areas of the United States, 2500 stars can be seen on a clear night. But at Bryce Canyon in Southwestern Utah, 7,500 stars can be seen twinkling.

For more curious fun facts, click here. For information about Austin-Lehman trips to the above destinations and to places world wide, visit www.austinlehman.com.

   Search Amazon.com for National Parks

Trivial question

Where in the world can you find a pangolin? (Readers of Adam Mansbach's best-seller, "Go the F**k to Sleep" have a ready reference.)

Baby on the way? Take a break while you still have time

The Trump Collection's Babymoon Package caters to couples on their second trimester who want to savor what will soon be all too rare: lazy mornings, quiet time for two, and plenty of pampering. The package is available at at Trump International Hotel & Tower New York and Chicago,  Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and Waikiki Beach Walk®and Trump SoHo New York. Included in the two-night offer, which starts at $889, are a prenatal massage for her and Trump Classic Massage for her partner;  one in-room breakfast for two; a twice-daily selection from a menu of healthy mocktails, smoothies and teas; and prenatal pillows. Visit visit www.trumphotelcollection.com.


Worth quoting

"Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.." -- Paul Theroux

The circus is coming -- to Vermont's Okemo

In the winter, we associate Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt., with fine skiing. But in the summer, it's a variety of attractions. For instance,  on Fourth of July weekend, a circus  will feature aerial acts with trapeze and fabric elements, partner acrobatics, and comedy.  The three performers, each with credentials including Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey, Circus Smirkus, and Cirque du Soleil. You can save by pre-purchasing tickets online at Okemo.com. Cost is $12 for  13 and older and $9 for 12 and younger. Children 2 and younger will be admitted free. Tickets purchased at the door will be priced at $15 and $12 respectively. Okemo’s celebration of the Fourth of July weekend will also include concerts and fireworks

The resort's Fourth, Festival and Fireworks package includes a three-night stay at The Jackson Gore Inn or a mountainside condo and a three-ride coupon (for each person) for the new Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster, plus access to the Spring House Pool and Fitness Center. Rates start at $68.24 per person, per day, or $545.95 total for a family of four. Okemo’s Vermont Symphony Package includes a two-night stay, two tickets to the popular July 3 Vermont Symphony Orchestra performance at Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center, a  Vermont gift basket and access to Jackson Gore’s Spring House Pool and Fitness Center, plus additional amenities. Rates start at $479 for 2 adults.Call 802-228-1600 or visit www.okemo.com. 

Tour guide joke

When tourists who are about to explore a cave ask worriedly, "Are there any bats in the cave?", some guides can't resist answering, "No. There were but the snakes ate them all."

Polar bears are a bargain in Churchill, Manitoba

The most famous polar bears in the world  live on the Manitoba coast of Hudson Bay, and come into the little town of Churchill every fall on their annual trek  onto the sea ice. A new three-day, two-night short tour is available for  $1,695, including round trip air between Winnipeg and Churchill, accommodations in Churchill, breakfast and a full-day Tundra vehicle excursion to view the bears.  There are seven departures for the Bear Country Adventure between Oct. 11 and Nov. 14.Call The Great Canadian Travel Company at 800-661-3830 of visit www.greatcanadiantravel.com.  To go directly to the  Bear Country Adventure  page, click here.

Trivial answer
You can find a  pangolin, or scaly anteater, in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. But do you really want to?


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