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Quote of the Day

"A friend called me up the other day and talked about investing in a dot-com that sells lobsters. Internet lobsters. Where will this end? The next day he sent me a huge package of lobsters on ice. How low can you stoop?"

Donald Trump







 




 
Featured Holidays Articles

Cosas que debe saber antes de ir de viajes durante los dias de fiestas (Holidays)
Primero que nada antes de planificar o pensar en ir de viajes durante los días de fiestas, hay varias cosas las cual usted debe planificar. Una de las cosas que usted debe tener en mente es cuando comprar el boleto (pasaje) de avión porque si usted no ...

Saving Money On Travel These Holidays
Holiday travel is expensive! Gas prices are unpredictable, hotel rates can be high for the peak travel season, and rental cars are always more pricey than you'd like them to be. Thanks to online coupons you may find a great deal of savings on the trips ...

Travel Industry Trends and Predictions 2004
This article collects our thoughts about new trends in the travel industry and tourism markets, especially with regard to sustainable tourism. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and is quite general. These trends are included as an overview, a ...




Aaa Expects 1.7 Percent Increase In Holiday Travel
 
Americans will travel in potentially record-high numbers this Christmas-New Year's holiday, despite travel costs that are up nearly across the board. AAA estimates that 63.50 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 1.7 percent increase from last year's 62.42 million travelers. "Double-digit increases from last year in hotel rates, air fares, and gas prices won't keep people from traveling in record numbers over the holidays," said Wendy Weigel, vice president, AAA Minneapolis Travel. "Even with two great Christmas getaway spots -- Cancun and New Orleans -- still recovering from hurricanes, more than 63 million of us will hit the skies, seas, and highways for the holiday." Travel by motor vehicle has also risen 1.7%. Holiday auto travelers will find gas prices nationwide currently averaging $2.20 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline -- down approximately 90 cents from the records set over Labor Day weekend, but still 38 cents higher than a year ago. 14% of travelers plan to travel by airplane, up 1.6 percent from last year. A projected 3.21 million travelers (5 percent) will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation, up slightly from 3.13 million a year ago. "Airports will stay busy across Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's as Americans visit family, escape to tropical islands, head for cruise ships, hit the ski slopes, and more for the holidays," said Connie Patava, travel services regional manager, AAA Minnesota/Iowa. "Unlike the traditional 'obligatory trips' to visit relatives at Thanksgiving, December offers a chance for people to take get-away vacations." Travelers


will also face much higher prices for hotels and airfares, according to AAA's Leisure Travel Index. Holiday hotel rates are up 14 percent for AAA-rated Three Diamond hotels, as strong demand allows hoteliers to raise rates to near their Christmas 2001 peak. Airfares are up 11 percent from last year, but remain below their peak levels during the 2000 holidays. Rental car rates are down on average about 2 percent from their top prices last Christmas. "Travelers waiting to make Christmas plans until the last minute are finding much higher rates and fewer options," added Weigel. "Hotel, airline, and car rental reservations made at aaa.com for this holiday period were booked an average of 53 days in advance -- nearly double last year's 29-day lead time." Where are travelers headed? The top 10 destinations for hotel bookings at aaa.com for the last two weeks of December are: 1. Orlando; 2. Las Vegas; 3. Los Angeles/Anaheim; 4. New York City; 5. San Francisco; 6. San Diego; 7. Chicago; 8. Ft. Lauderdale; 9. Boston; and 10. Nashville. The greatest number of Christmas-New Year's auto travelers will originate in the Southeast with 13.34 million, followed by the West, 13.11 million; Midwest, 10.35 million; the Great Lakes, 8.19 million; and the Northeast, 6.54 million. Small towns and rural areas are the expected destination for 37 percent of holiday travelers, followed closely by cities, 35 percent. Oceans and beaches should see 11 percent of travelers, followed by mountain areas, 8 percent; 2 percent for lake areas, 2 percent for state/national parks and 2 percent for theme/amusement parks. Another 3 percent responded with other and 1 percent didn't know.

Source: AAA

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Holidays News

Third week of merry-making: Educationists, parents resent public ... - Daily Times
PESHAWAR: Government employees and students of educational institutions are enjoying the third week of merry-making during the past 40 days, thanks to the official policy of announcing public holidays frequently. The first week of public holidays was ...

Edina athletes have quite productive holidays - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Art Downey, Edina's legendary boys' swimming and diving coach, was contacted by a reporter from this newspaper last week who was wondering if there was a swimmer from his team who was worthy of being mentioned among the Athletes of the Week. "I'd ...

Steinberg says Democrats could vote to eliminate state holidays - Sacramento Bee
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said this morning that Democrats are willing to make the permanent reductions to state employee benefits in law Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking as long as the administration and unions negotiate "in ...

Top Hobey candidates get back on track after holidays - ESPN.com
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award is presented to a deserving recipient on the day before the last college hockey game of the season. But that doesn't mean that college hockey fans, players and media members don't think about it all season. Inside ...

Knight Riders bake, decorate and give back during the holidays - Bothell Reporter
The Knight Riders horse 4-H club recently baked up some delicious pumpkin pies for the Mobile Turkey Unit. Some club members stirred, beat and poured the pumpkin mix into the pie crusts while the rest of the club finished putting up the outdoor ...