'Tis the season when a whiff of vacation time is in the air and every segment of the travel industry is vying for its share of the economic pie.
Seems every travel marketer out there has an agenda. My desk is papered with surveys claiming we're traveling less than before, more than before, closer to home, farther from home and every contradictory place in between.
With airlines charging extra for everything but the seat belt and gasoline prices sky-high, predictions this year are especially difficult to make. But you can't blame the marketing people for trying – or for using some unconventional tactics to get their names in the news.
Some highlights from the summer survey-and-promotion slush pile:
Leave the driving to them
Greyhound, the bus company, sponsored a "hit the road" survey asking 1,000 Americans how often they travel, where they go and how they get there. It found that 37 percent of us have been to fewer than 10 states in our lifetimes, and 62 percent would love to go somewhere new.
How to do it economically? Go Greyhound (www.greyhound.com), of course.
Manners for moochers
IgoUgo.com, a travel review site, surveyed its 350,000 members about "travel mooching" – the practice of visiting friends or family solely for a free place to stay.
The research found that 55 percent of respondents had taken unfair advantage of a friend's hospitality. A selfish 25 percent said they just wanted a place to crash and didn't enjoy their hosts' company at all.
The site's "Ten Commandments of Couch Crashing" are posted online at www.igougo.com/travel_blog.
Gas it up
Kelley Blue Book, the bible of used-car values, gets into the summer travel scene by naming its "top 10 best new road trip vehicles."
The winners: Audi S5, Bugatti Veyron, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Flex, Infiniti EX35, Mini Cooper Clubman, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Eos.
You can read about the choices at www.kbb.com/roadtrip08.
Whip up some fun
Expedia.com, tying into the new "Indiana Jones" summer action movie, has launched a series of tours inspired by the fedora-wearing, whip-cracking hero. They range from a 12-day "Palaces, Temples & Wildlife of India" tour to an itinerary in Jordan that includes sleeping in a Bedouin camp and exploring the ruins of Petra by horseback. Check it out at www.expedia.com/ indianajones.
While you're there, might as well enter a sweepstakes (www.expedia.com/sweepstakes) in which one of the trips will be given away. Weekly prizes include a "family movie adventure" to Southern California with visits to Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Etiquette tips
And let's not forget our manners. Vayama.com, an international travel site, launched its summer awareness campaign with a survey of common etiquette faux pas.
The results are "bleak," said Tony Hanseder, Vayama's general manager.
Americans, the survey found, are not very knowledgeable about the places they visit, and nowhere is their ignorance more apparent than when it comes to meeting people or sitting down at the dinner table in a foreign land.
Two in five travelers surveyed say they automatically shake hands with someone they meet outside the United States, even if it's not that country's custom to do so, while 17 percent incorrectly think it's a generally accepted practice to gesture to someone with a "thumb's up" or "OK" sign.
Meanwhile, half think it's appropriate to tip regardless of local custom, while 25 percent think that forks and knives are available around the world.
In response to the survey, Vayama created a country-specific etiquette guide so travelers can brush up on protocol before making fools of themselves. Find it at www.vayama.com/ etiquette.
Gas pains
Is the thought of $4-a-gallon gas enough to make you cry? San Diego hotels are among many in the nation offering to ease the pain with special packages that include gas rebates, hotel credits and gas cards. Among the promotions:
• The Paradise Point Resort & Spa on Mission Bay is offering free parking and a $100 gas card on checkout with a qualified four-night stay. Rates start at $250; Reserve at www.paradisepoint.com with the promotion code FREGAS.
• The Hilton San Diego-Del Mar's "gas and go" package includes a $25 gas card (issued at check-in), free parking and complimentary breakfast for two. The cost is $30 more than the best available rate at time of reservation; (www.sandiegodelmarhilton.com).
• The Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Downtown has a package that includes a $25 gas card for each night of a midweek stay; a two-night minimum is required. Rates start at $204. Reserve at www.residenceinn.com/sanph using promotion code ZZI.
• The San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter's "summer sizzler" package includes a $25 gas card, valet parking, breakfast and discounts to area attractions. Rates start at $279; book it at www.marriott.com/sangl with promotion code EB5.
• Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa has a "money for miles" package that includes a gas credit of up to $50 off the hotel bill. Rates start at $289; go to www.loewshotels.com.
To your health
My favorite research comes from the Travel Industry of America, which recently issued a news release summarizing "decades of research" on how people benefit from travel in the areas of health, education, career success, relationship building and creativity. Among the findings:
• An annual vacation can cut a person's risk of heart attack by 50 percent.
• Women who take more vacations are more satisfied with their marriages.
• Travelers 45 and older show a 50 percent increase in performance on vigilance tests after returning from vacation.
• Two out of three executives believe vacations improve their creativity.
• Overwork costs employers $150 billion a year in stress-related absences.
The obvious conclusion: Don't just hang around the house this summer. Get traveling!
Call Bee travel editor Janet Fullwood, (916) 321-1148. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/fullwood. For more travel and outdoor news, check out the blog sacbee.com/goingplaces.
