Travel Calendar

China to develop tourism in Tibet

BEIJING — China will invest $63.5 million to develop tourism in southeastern Tibet by building 22 model villages, the official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday.

Xinhua said China plans to make Nyingchi county, 200 miles southeast of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, into an international tourist destination. It is nestled in a region known for its forests, snow-covered mountains, valleys and rivers.

Beijing has for decades tried to expand the Tibetan economy in hopes of winning over ethnic residents, but its heavy-handed rule has drawn criticism. Many Tibetans accuse the government of religious persecution and cultural assimilation — sometimes under the pretext of economic development.

Xinhua said authorities will spend $15.9 million over three years in Nyingchi to build 22 model villages where residents can make money by providing family hotel services.

Airlines to restore restroom oxygen

NEW YORK — Federal aviation officials will order airlines to put oxygen systems back in jet restrooms, reversing a decision last year to remove them because of fears that terrorists could use them to start a fire during flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that restoring the oxygen systems over the next three years will “eliminate a hazard that could jeopardize flight safety.” The new equipment is supposed to be harder to tamper with, although federal officials haven’t yet approved any designs.

The rule covers about 5,500 planes and will cost airlines $44.2 million to comply, the FAA estimates.

Supplemental oxygen systems on planes often use chemical reactions to produce oxygen for masks that passengers can use to breathe if the plane loses cabin pressure.

2012 National Folk Festival canceled

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The National Folk Festival is canceling its events this year after financial problems stemming from funding shortfalls at last year’s festival in Nashville.

According to a news release from the festival, the crowds were enthusiastic, but stifling heat followed by tropical downpours kept many people away.

Typically, the festival takes place in the same location three years in a row. A festival is still planned for next year in Nashville.

The National Council for Traditional Arts has produced the festival almost continuously since 1934.

The festival showcases traditional arts of many nations, races and cultural groups. The 2011 festival over Labor Day weekend included performances of bluegrass music, Hawaiian hula, Mexican mariachi and East African rumba.

Youth admission to be free at Newseum

WASHINGTON — The Newseum its waiving its admission fee for youth visitors ages 18 and under during the summer months.

The museum about journalism and the First Amendment announced Monday that it will offer free admission beginning for youth today through Labor Day on Sept. 3. That’s a savings of $12.95 per child.

WTOP Radio is sponsoring the summer deal to provide free admission for youth.

Vegas airport aims to increase traffic

LAS VEGAS — With the arrival of an overnight flight from London this week, Las Vegas will mark the opening of a $2.4 billion airport terminal that officials say could help lift the southern Nevada economy from the depths of the Great Recession.

Some are crediting McCarran International Airport planners with foresight for giving a go-ahead in 2008 for a project that airport chief Randall Walker now calls crucial to serving tourists from the U.S. and Britain, plus places like Panama, South Korea, the Philippines, Amsterdam and Berlin.

“What they’ve done is good, solid planning,” said Michael Boyd, an aviation analyst based in Evergreen, Colo. “When Air China wants to come in, AirIndia or Turkish Air, they’re going to want a gate right away. This is a good move for Las Vegas. It keeps them ahead of the curve.”

Group looks to bridge gap between trails

WEYBRIDGE, Vt. — The longest hiking trail in the United States stops 40 miles short of its most famous cousin, but a group is trying to bridge that gap.

The North Country National Scenic Trail runs 4,600 miles from North Dakota to New York’s eastern border. From there, it’s about 40 miles across Vermont fields and mountains to the Appalachian Trail, the famous 2,170-mile hiking trail that runs from Georgia to Maine.

Bringing them together now are a push from the organization that runs the North Country Trail; a changed attitude from officials in Vermont, where the connection was blocked decades ago; and a growing movement to connect the nation’s longest hiking trails.

“This 40-mile gap is a gap in the system,” said Bruce Matthews, executive director of the Michigan-based North Country Trail Association, which is working with the National Park Service, Vermont’s Green Mountain Club and others to build the new connecting trail. “There’s no logical reason for it.”

By Jennifer Brown

If only time travel were possible. I may be able to read about historical events, view old lithographs, or play aged records, but literally reliving the past is not something I expect the human race to achieve in my lifetime. However, this summer, Opera Saratoga offers its own alternative to the impossible, when they propel two operas — “Rigoletto” and “The Mighty Casey” — through decades, even centuries of time.

“The Mighty Casey” was composed by William Schuman in 1953 and based on the epic baseball poem “Casey at Bat,” written by Ernest L. Thayer in 1888. This summer’s performance will be set in an in-between time, the year 1917, when the U.S. was poised to enter World War I. This was a time for the making of heroes, both on the foreign field of war and at home on the baseball diamond.

From the original setting of the opera version, Opera Saratoga’s performance of “Casey” moves backward several decades in history, yet it should capture the attention of audiences of all ages and time periods as it is a lively piece about America’s national pastime: baseball.

The poem that inspired the opera describes a legendary player who disappointed himself, his team and thousands of fans in a critical moment on the field. With stunning music and scenery, the joy of play and the bitterness of failure are reenacted, while the hope that the next swing of the bat will usher in a brighter outcome remains. Audiences will be drawn into the intense emotional climate because no matter the time stamp, anger, grief and hope are ageless. This opera allows a single moment in literary sports history to embrace the fears and hopes of an entire nation.

In contrast to “The Mighty Casey,” the Italian “Rigoletto” is a tale of amorous intrigue and political maneuvering — themes that resonate with the current political climate while simultaneously invoking a sense of Shakespearean drama.

“Rigoletto” was written by Giuseppe Verdi in the 19th century, and had originally been set in 16th-century Mantua. For Opera Saratoga, director Chuck Hudson has chosen to produce “Rigoletto” in an updated setting of modern-day Italy. Despite the difference in time period, Hudson agrees that the themes of the opera are still very much relevant. “All over the news, there are stories of powerful political figures and the ways they scheme to circumvent the law,” he said in an interview. “The political intrigue happening in this opera is still happening today.”

The emotional relationships between the characters are also a major component of this production, and further contribute to its timelessness. “Rigoletto” reminds us that the ties between enemies can be as strong as the ties between families, and just as important. Says Hudson, “Opera characters are larger than life. That’s what opera was doing when it came out, and that’s what it still does.” These characters hold their own on stage no matter the date.

This July, come to the Spa Little Theater and enjoy Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” an opera that transcends its original time period by centuries to bring us the turbulent politics of the modern world, where passion and power collide on a classic opera stage. Or travel backward to a nostalgic time during the early 20th century and root for the home team in Schuman’s “The Mighty Casey.” Whatever your selection, Opera Saratoga has a time-traveling adventure for you.

This column is the last in a series of opera previews leading up to the beginning of the Opera Saratoga season, July 6-15. Students at Skidmore, under a unique collaboration with The Saratogian and Opera Saratoga, have filed columns each Sunday since May 27 to further advance appreciation of opera in the Saratoga Springs community. For tickets and more information, go to operasaratoga. org.

LONDON — UK travel agent Thomas Cook has halved the price of its Olympic ticket and hotel deals to boost sales a month before the games begin.

The travel agency, which has official permission to sell tickets to the games, launched a four-day sale Friday.

Stephen Vaughan, managing director of Thomas Cook’s London 2012 partnership, said, “It’s no secret that there are generally more tickets available” than people predicted a month ago.

The deals pair tickets for various events with budget accommodation during the games, which are taking place from July 27 to Aug. 12.

A ticket for a Britain versus Belgium hockey game with one-night accommodation had cost 399 pounds ($627). It now costs 149 pounds — with a night’s accommodation at Travelodge, a budget chain.

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Many travelers will kick off their vacations with that dreaded foray through airport security for screening and scanning. According to Airlines for America, an industry trade association, more than 200 million people will fly on US airlines this summer, 26.8 million of them on international flights. Like last year, travelers need to anticipate long security lines.

The Transportation Security Administration has been trying to ease the pain — at least for a subset of “trusted” travelers. But security procedures vary at different checkpoints (even within the same airport) and policies seem to change continually as the agency embraces a new risk-based, more efficient approach, focusing its resources on those who appear to pose the greatest threats.

There are exceptions to every rule: TSA acknowledges on its website that security measures are “random and unpredictable” by design. Yet advance planning can minimize some of the hassles. Here are some ways to help expedite your passage.

■ Avoid traveling during peak times to peak destinations. Europe, Hawaii, and Canada are peak summer destinations.

Continue reading below

■ Before your trip, familiarize yourself with updated TSA procedures, including prohibited carry-on items, by visiting www.tsa.gov. Download the MyTSA smartphone app from iTunes or visit apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa for current information on what you can bring, airport delays, and real-time waiting times at specific checkpoints.

■ Some airlines offer first-class and elite passengers priority check-in, security, and boarding, so check with your carrier. For example, American Airlines has Flagship Check-In (now available only at Los Angeles International Airport) that offers expedited security access for eligible passengers. US Airways allows ordinary passengers to pay $10 per person, per direction, at certain gate locations for a PreferredAccess program that includes similar benefits.

■ If you or someone traveling with you is disabled, contact TSA Cares (toll-free at 855-787-2227) 72 hours before flying to know what to anticipate in terms of screening, and so that TSA can facilitate the process upon your arrival at the airport.

■ Familiarize yourself with special TSA procedures for traveling with children under age 12. They do not have to remove shoes, can make multiple passes through the metal detector if the alarm sounds, and will not be separated from their parents. If you are traveling with small children, collapse all equipment (strollers, car seats, etc.) before you go through security.

■ Fewer pat-downs for people over age 75. TSA announced a nationwide rollout (over this summer) of its pilot program allowing this group to pass through security with light jackets or outerwear.

■ TSA is piloting modified screening procedures for “known crewmember” pilots and providing TSA Prel™ screening benefits to active duty US military personnel traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Some critics argue that the agency is creating a two-tier system, with more affluent travelers, with more money and miles, moving to the front of the line. “The larger issue here is really whether the TSA can implement a way to shorten security lines for everyone, so as to make priority lanes at checkpoints unnecessary,” says Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of Fly.com.

When Ali Watters watched the events of September 11, 2001 unfold from his office in London, he realized how much every second counts. This led the 25-year-old techie to quit his job at Lehman Brothers and travel the world, blogging every step of the way.

“It changed my outlook so that I could see that you could only live once,” Watters said. “If I wanted to see or do something, I should grab the opportunity and have the adventure now.”

Ten years later, he is running a massive aggregate travel blog website, travelblog.org, which has more than 250,000 accounts from travel bloggers all over the world, with 100 new websites every day.

Only 30 percent of Americans hold current passports in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of State. Travel bloggers like Watters hope to increase that number by inspiring fellow voyagers and wannabes through travel blogs.

He said starting and keeping up with all the blogs is a challenge, but it has allowed him to travel the world while doing his favorite activity: scuba diving, especially in Southeast Asia. He advises to keep posts simple and to have a small quota such as one post a week or one post per location.

“I try not to get too perfectionist about it,” Watters said. “Everyone has their own style.”

He said that any people can start a traveling adventure regardless of the fears they might have. For Watters, he was nervous and confused about what to pack for his first trip through South America and said he got better with more experience.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Watters said. “It’s just so funny the mistakes I made. I went off with a backpack that weighed nearly 80 pounds. It was ludicrous. What was I thinking? I started shipping things back to my parents. Why did I bring a shortwave radio? You learn so much just by going out there and doing it.”

Watters isn’t the only one who loves to blog about his adventures. One couple realized they loved traveling so much together they quit their jobs and spent a year-long honeymoon touring the world.

“When we decided to sell our home and belongings to travel for an extended period of time, it just seemed appropriate to document it somehow,” said Alex and Mina Seville. “As opposed to a private journal, the blog gave our friends and family the opportunity to keep tabs on us.”

When they visited Paris for a friend’s wedding, they realized three weeks of travel a year wasn’t enough to satisfy their adventurous tastes. They started the widely-followed travelogue sending-postcards.com describing their adventures as a way for friends and family to keep tabs on them. The title of the blog alludes to lyrics from The Beatles’ song “Two of Us.”

For aspiring bloggers, Mina advises those wanting to make it in the blogging world to just have fun with it and find similar interests with those they want to read their blog.

“I think blogging has been something that has allowed me to share my experiences and allowed me to meet people with similar interests,” Mina said. “So, if I had any advice, I suppose it would be to have fun with it. I’m trying not to take it too seriously.”

While Mina said she needs a camera to capture the memories from their travels, Alex’s must-pack item is practical: “A comfortable pair of shoes,” he said. “We do a lot of walking.”

They said the site has enabled them to meet many positive and creative people all around the world. Mina said their next destination will hopefully be Japan, according to flight deals.

“We both agree that Tokyo has been our favorite place,” Mina said. “We were there for about two weeks in 2008 and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, which is why we want to go back. The people, the food, the culture — everything was amazing.”

They’re not the only travel bloggers who have gotten their names out there.

When Frugal Travel Guy Rick Ingersoll travels, he helps out his followers with tips on how to get the most bang for their buck. Ingersoll has been to six continents and trekked around the world twice, paying little to nothing to stay in some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and fly business or first-class.

He started his hobby by reading travel forums with suggestions for certain deals and became somewhat of an expert on cheap travel in his circle of friends.

“On October 27, 2007, there was an article on USA Today about a lady who started a blog about cooking or recipes, and started monetizing with online ads,” Ingersoll said. “I decided that’s the way I’m going to spread the word. I had been helping my neighbors and friends, and I started the blog on that same day, October 27, 2007.”

However, his blog can help only those with good credit scores. For those financially savvy folks, the blog can make travel not only cheap, but sometimes free. He recommends taking advantage of credit card application deals and using credit cards for everyday items to earn frequent flier miles.

“If you know what you’re doing, and you can spend a little time, there’s tons of promotions that go on that allow people to garnish frequent flier points, and wholesale points you can use at retail value,” Ingersoll said.

He plans to travel to New Zealand as much as possible because of its “scenery that is literally out of this world” and a non-crowded vacation in a warm and beautiful place.

He said with a little planning, anyone can go on a fabulous trip for an affordable price.

“People can see the places they want at prices they can afford,” Ingersoll said. “You can’t always buy travel with cash. Think of frequent flier miles as other currency to reduce your travel costs. The results can be truly significant.”

Sgambles@desnews.com

• Print
• E-mail

By Gracie Bonds Staples

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In just a few days, Chris Dibling-West and eight of her 10 grandchildren will
load up the car and head west for Lake Martin in Alabama.

Tom Wilson, Special

Letting kids help with the planning of family vacations makes the trip more fun for everyone.

It’ll be a quick trip — no more than three days — but no less fun. Traveling
with the grandkids and, in this case, a few of their friends, the
58-year-old Woodstock grandmother said, is a chance to tune in and
rediscover that awesome feeling she and, hopefully, her grandchildren get
from just spending time with each other.

“It’s not so much about the destination as it is the joy of the journey
and being together,” Dibling-West said.

It’s become a family ritual that both she and her grandchildren look forward
to each year. But for others, summer traveling with children can prove to be
a dreadful experience. Are we there yet?

And so the question for Dibling-West: How does she do it?

“Proper planning is key,” she said. “I always assign each of
them a task”

For example, Dibling-West, a spokeswoman for Atlanta’s Goddard School, said
when she took them on a visit to Charleston last year, she asked one
granddaughter to research the food for which the city is famous. Another was
charged with finding out what part it played in the Civil War. And another
was asked to research plants indigenous to the area. Each of them had to
share what they learned with their siblings and cousins.

“No matter how old you are, there are always things you can learn along
the way,” she said.

They also help plan their itinerary — where they will stop alone the way, what
they want to see the most — and keep a journal.

To keep the costs down, they cook.

To raise the fun quotient, they sing at the top of their lungs.

“They can sing everything from the Mills Brothers to James Taylor and
Taylor Swift,” she said. “Getting to know your grandchildren this
way, for the people they are becoming, what makes each of them tick is
awesome.”

– Keep damp wash cloths available in a Ziplock bag should someone get motion sickness.

– Plan for an active stretch at a rest stop or a playground. Let them walk or toddle
for twenty minutes or so before climbing back in the car.

– For infants, pre-measure formula into bottles and carry a room temperature bottle
of water to mix on the go.

– If traveling by plane, a car seat can double as a feeding chair or nap location.
Call ahead for a crib to be sent added to your hotel room.

– Have some active playtime just before leaving. and plan for frequent stops.
In an airplane, let children walk down the aisle periodically.

– Airports can be a bustling place; check your luggage at the curb. This way, you
can focus on your little ones’ needs.

– Play window games to keep your child entertained — count the trucks,
cows or red lights.

– Buckle up a toy bin right next to the children so they can help themselves. Having
a variety of books, links, stuffed animals and puppets can help keep them
from getting bored.

– Use a laptop desk for drawing with paper and crayons.

Editor’s note: Keynote Systems’ Startup Shootout Index provides some insight into the three-screen challenge now facing anyone with a web presence. It’s the first website performance index to measure load times and completion percentages on desktops, smartphones, and tablets simultaneously. VentureBeat is Keynote’s exclusive media partner, so we’ll be bringing you a fresh set of data from Keynote every month. Check out previous Startup Shootout results.

As the summer travel season heats up, more travelers are searching for special deals and last-minute bargains. It seems that travel startup sites are responding with improved performance and availability. In June’s shootout, all but one travel site was faster than 4 seconds on the desktop, as shown in blue in the chart at the top of this post.

Mobissimo averaged 4.93 seconds, more than 25 percent slower than the other sites. The Mobissimo site is one of the heavier sites in the Travel shootout index, requiring over 100 new HTTP requests for the desktop-optimized version of the page to load. Also, nearly half of the requested elements are JavaScript files. Together, those are two clear reasons for the delay in speed. One consequence of the page design is that even the initial page render (when a site visitor first sees visual changes to the screen) typically takes more than 3 seconds.

Kayak, on the other hand, was the fastest site in the Travel shootout this month. Its desktop-optimized home page loads only 6 JavaScript files, and the time to initial render was faster than 1 second.

Kayak was also a standout for its mobile-optimized sites as well this month. Together with TripAdvisor, it was one of only 2 sites to serve the mobile-optimized home page in 6 seconds or less to smartphone users (the red bars in the above chart). The overall availability was lower on the mobile sites this month, but both TripAdvisor and Kayak maintained excellent availability.

Kayak’s smartphone-optimized site loads just ten elements, but could potentially be optimized even further. Four of the individual images used on the Kayak mobile home page are small PNG image files that could be combined into a single file using CSS sprites. Doing so would reduce the number of round trips between the phone and the web server and could lead to even faster page load times. Another opportunity for Kayak to improve its home page performance is in optimal use of redirections. Currently, if a site visitor types “kayak.com” into the mobile browser, the site will first send a redirection to “www.kayak.com” and then a second redirection from “www.kayak.com” to “m.kayak.com.” Eliminating this middle step could reduce overall page load times by 1 to 1.5 seconds on average.

In tablet-optimized offerings (the orange bars), the Travel industry also improved in June, on average loading page 1 second faster this month. Tablet users on 3G mobile data connections can expect very slow page load times, however. Only three of the seven sites in the Travel shootout were faster than 20 seconds on average.

Tripology and Kayak were the leaders in tablet website performance for this category. Tripology does well despite serving essentially the same content to tablet users as it serves to desktop users. Kayak does as well, but at the price of trimming off many of the links at the bottom of the page, for tablet users. By not optimizing content for the tablet user with the 3G mobile network in mind, pages that take less than 2 seconds on average to load over a high-speed desktop network connection can take 15 to 16 seconds to load over 3G mobile connections. Most sites in the startup shootout have yet to optimize their sites specifically for tablet users, and it really shows.

It is clear that the travel industry is quickly catching on the optimizing idea, especially for their peak season. However, travel sites overall have yet to catch on to the 3-screen optimization strategy to get the best from their desktop, smartphone and tablet users. That’s going to be important, as web access diversifies even further and users become increasingly mobile in the travel season.

See below for a summary of the June startup shootout across all categories, or click over to Keynote for the full Startup Shootout data set.

Ken Harker is a mobile performance specialist at Keynote Systems.

A phenomenon that happens about once every seven years takes place this week.

The Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday.

As a result, there won’t be the usual three- or four-day weekend for most people. Some manufacturing plants will close for the week, as they traditionally do for the Fourth, but most businesses will give employees only Wednesday off.

“Because it falls in the middle of the week, people are piggybacking two days before or after the Fourth,” Shawn Kaup, director of marketing and public relations for AAA Central Penn, said last week.

The mid-week Fourth means travel plans are scattered.

Instead of having one or two heavy traffic days, holiday departures will be spread out over six days, according to a survey

conducted by D.K. Shifflet Associates for AAA. This past Friday was expected to be the busiest day, with 25 percent of travelers heading out on vacations that day – followed, in order, by Tuesday (19 percent), Wednesday and Saturday (16 percent), today (13 percent) and Monday (11 percent).

A combination of lower gas prices and an improving economy mean that more people are expected to be traveling than in the past few years.

“The general climate for travel has increased,” Kaup said. “There were a higher amount of travel-oriented visitors in the spring and summer. The forecast for the rest of the summer is that this will be one of the highest numbers in the last 10 years. Airline travel has increased 9 percent this year after it was

anemic the last five years.”

AAA projects 42.3 million people will travel over the Fourth of July. If that happens, it would equal the 2007 total, which was the highest number of travelers during the past decade. Last year, 40.3 million people traveled during the early summer holiday.

Of the 42.3 million expected to travel this week, 35.5 million are expected to drive, with 3.2 million flying and the other 3.6 million taking other transportation, like trains or ships.

“If people are traveling, they’re spending money,” Kaup said. “It’s a good thing for the economy. Consumer confidence is creeping back up.”

Five months ago, gas prices were pushing $4 a gallon, with some doomsday forecasters anticipating $5 a gallon gas by Memorial Day.

Instead, gas prices have steadily fallen and are now between $3.15 and $3.19 a gallon at most area gas stations. The state average was $3.24 on Wednesday, Kaup noted.

According to The Associated Press, the national average was $3.40 per gallon on Tuesday, 18 cents cheaper than it was a year ago at this time. It is below $4 in every state in the continental United States.

With the holiday in mid-week, some local residents intend to take a day trip Wednesday, like Leigh Beamesderfer, a Lebanon County Conservation District forester who will head to Cecil County, Md., in search of crabs at Rising Sun or North East.

“Hopefully, it will be as nice as it is now,” she said while pumping gas at the Sheetz station in North Cornwall Township last week. “We’ll be watching fireworks on TV.”

Anyone driving south will like what they see at gas pumps.

John and Pam Raytick of Lebanon drove to Myrtle Beach, S.C., a week ago.

“Gas prices dropped along the way,” Pam wrote in a text message. “(Wednesday) in North Myrtle Beach we paid $2.99 per gallon.”

Anita Furyak of Cornwall won’t be traveling this week but plans to head to Bethany Beach, Del., with her daughter and 4-year-old grandson later this month.

“It’s time to take him to the beach,” Furyak said. “I like Bethany. It’s not crowded, and it’s a nice area.”

Like Furyak, Gary Gristick of North Cornwall Township does not plan to travel this week but will instead make a trip to the Jersey shore to visit Wildwood late this month.

Ken and Holly Brandt and their son, Kenny, will hit the road next week for some college visits and day trips. Kenny will graduate from Lebanon High School next year.

“We actually started planning the night before school ended,” Holly said.

The Brandts’ itinerary includes the University of Virginia on July 9; Gettysburg College on July 13; Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson, N.J., on July 14; Knoebels Amusement Park in Northumberland County on July 16; and West Chester University on July 17. Ken and Faye Brown, Holly’s parents, will be doing the driving on some of those days.

That’s about 1,160 miles, including the 490-mile round trip to Charlottesville, Va.

“Gas prices will not affect us since we have these already planned,” Holly said.

stevesnyder@ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 152

Wednesday may be an awkward time for a day off from work, but Californians are expected to hit the road for this Fourth of July holiday in numbers not seen in almost a decade.

The annual travel forecast from AAA Northern California predicts 4.8 million in the state will leave town from Friday to Wednesday, an increase of 5.2 percent from last year and the most since 2003.

The uptick in travelers can be attributed to falling gas prices and the perception that the economy has finally started to stabilize, AAA spokeswoman Cynthia Harris said.

“There’s a sort of a conscious optimism about what’s happening with the economy,” Harris said. “A lot of people have postponed or canceled their travel plans in recent years and are ready to finally take off.”

Another reason for the record numbers is that instead of the usual long weekend for the Fourth of July, some are taking advantage of the midweek holiday to get off of work for the entire week.

“It’s spurring people to travel because they feel they can take a few extra days,” Harris said.

But just because more Californians now feel they can afford a vacation, that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to save a few bucks.

“People are economizing in more ways than they ever did, staying with family and friends instead of booking hotels and choosing places where they can camp,” Harris said. “People are definitely staying close to home.”

Air travel and other forms of transportation, such as rail, bus and watercraft, are predicted to see 10 percent more passengers statewide than last year, according to the AAA survey.

San Francisco International Airport anticipates about 44,000 more fliers than last year for the holiday week, with the busiest days being June 29 and July 6, according to spokesman Charles Schuler.

In Oakland, the airport has also seen about 5 percent more passengers take to the skies compared with last year, though spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said she did not have specific estimates for the upcoming week.

“Fuel prices are coming down, and we certainly hope that airline fares will follow that soon,” she said. “People just want to get away – you get tired of staying home or the trips.”

Driving around the Bay Area shouldn’t be as challenging as it was over Memorial Day weekend, when the Dumbarton Bridge was closed for seismic strengthening. No major road closures or new roadwork are expected for the next few days, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Diana McDermott.

Last year’s Fourth of July weekend was unusually deadly, McDermott said. Thirty-four people were killed in traffic collisions, up from 23 in 2010, and 80 percent of those killed last year may have survived if they were wearing seat belts, she said.

McDermott said the CHP arrested 1,562 for driving under the influence during last year’s holiday weekend. She also said that if drivers happen to find themselves on the Golden Gate Bridge when fireworks are shooting off from the Embarcadero, they need to remember to focus on the road.

“It’s not a good idea to slow down and start watching,” she said. “I’ve worked the San Francisco area on many July Fourths and that’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Neal J. Riley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: nriley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @realdealneal

People choosing to not travel and stay home this summer brings higher sales for party tents for a leading canopy supplier.

Palmdale, Ca (PRWEB) June 29, 2012

With rising gas prices and unemployment rates at an all-time high, it is not surprising that the fact that people are less likely to travel this summer puts party tents in higher demand. With less money to spend, more and more people are opting to make the most of the resources that they already have. Even though they will be staying at home during the traditional vacation months, these individuals know that they can still have a fantastic time.

Ace Canopy has seen a 20% increase in party tent sales for May and June of 2012 compared to May and June of 2011.

Steve Benson of Ace Canopy says, “We have had many more calls for party tents this year compared to last year. People are telling us they would rather stay home and entertain than travel.”

A party tent can be put to a number of very effective uses, especially on days when the sun is burning hot. People can use these to create a designated play space for small children. Creating an outdoor playground area helps to keep tots out of the way when a barbecue or other stay-at-home event is underway.

Parents can place sandboxes, sand and water tables or even small wading pools beneath these. They will allow you to create a veritable wonderland that will keep kids entertained for hours. More importantly, they dramatically reduce the likelihood for tykes with sensitive skin to get sunburned.

These are also great for setting up bars and food service areas for adults. They will help to keep food and drinks cool even when the temperature climbs quite high. Those that have mesh about their exterior will even help to keep the bugs out.

One of the most popular uses for these is for adult socializing. The interior area of the tents help keep people cool and well-shaded. People can eat, drink and converse with one another in optimal comfort. As with children, no adults need to worry about becoming sunburned either, whilst socializing in the shade.

Perhaps the foremost benefit of having an outdoor canopy for you home parties, however, is that they can make your yard area appear exceedingly stylish. This is a great way to create an utterly new environment right on your very own property. This is why the fact that people are less likely to travel this summer puts party tent in higher demand.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/6/prweb9659671.htm