With most schools closed or closing this week, the summer vacation season moves into full swing for many families. This year, job uncertainty and economic woes seem to have put a lot of travel plans in flux. Some destinations report that visitors are waiting until the last minute to make reservations and when they do, they're bargaining for - and often receiving - lower prices.
Good for them.
It may be too far a stretch to say the annual rite of summer travel is in danger, but HomeAway.com, an online vacation rental company, has launched a movement to "Save our Summer Vacation." The site is encouraging travelers to go online to sign a petition asking Congress to establish a "National Vacation Day" on Aug. 7. Visitors to the petition site, SaveOurSummerVacation.com, can also enter a contest to win a $10,000 getaway.
I'd prefer a national vacation week, but somehow I can't imagine everyone across the country taking even the same day off. The United States is one of the few developed nations where there is no number of required paid vacation days. So maybe even one day off would be an improvement.
If you're still undecided about your summer vacation, here are a few ideas:
Go for the crown. : The Statue of Liberty is reopening its crown to visitors beginning July 4. The monument's top hat has been off-limits to tourists since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. To get into the crown, you'll need to pay an extra $3 on top of the regular admission of $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. You'll also want to reserve your spot because the number of visitors to the crown will be limited to 240 each day. Statue Cruises, the park's concessionaire, begins taking reservations this weekend (877-523-9849 or statuecruises.com). You can reserve tickets up to a year in advance. And in case you don't remember, it takes 354 steps to get to the statue's crown. And then, of course, you have to climb down.
Visit a convention city. : According to Brian Ek, Priceline.com's "travel ekspert," cities like Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando and New York have been hard hit by cutbacks in business travel and are looking to leisure travelers to make up that lost revenue. For example, Ek says travelers using Priceline.com are successfully bidding as little as $50 a night for 3-star hotels in Orlando's Universal Studios/Sea World area, and $79 a night for 3-star hotels on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue.
