World Travel News

More people will hit the highways and airways this Memorial Day weekend despite the fact that gas prices rate among the highest ever recorded for this holiday, according to AAA. Roughly, 37.2 million Americans say they will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend. That’s 2.2 percent higher compared to last year. Moreover, about 84 percent of travelers, or 31.1 million people, will go by car despite the national average of $2.12 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, which is down in recent months but still some six cents higher than a year ago.

“Memorial day is a very popular time to travel because it represents the unofficial start of summer,” says Kris Lathan, AAA Chicago spokesperson. “It’s a known fact that Americans drive more during summer. This increases demand for gasoline so historically gas prices inch slightly higher during this time of year. However, gas prices are among the highest ever during a Memorial Day weekend. But the fact of the matter is that Americans want to travel and the high cost of gasoline is no deterrent.”

Although prices may fluctuate by the weekend, currently in Illinois, the price of regular unleaded is $2.11 per gallon, the price as Memorial Day weekend 2004. In Indiana, a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline costs $2.01 per gallon compared to $2.05 per gallon during last year’s holiday weekend.

The Great Lakes region, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, will be the starting point for roughly 4.6 million auto travelers. Surprisingly, less than 1 percent of the region’s 46 million people will fly, which is a decrease of 1.9 percent compared to Memorial Day 2004. As a whole, air travel is up nationally as 4.2 million Americans will travel by plane, representing a 3.2 percent increase over last year. About 5 percent, or 1.9 million, of all holiday vacationers will travel by train, bus or other mode of transportation.

Big cities top the list of preferred destinations with 25 percent of national travelers. Small towns and rural areas rank as the second-most popular destination with some 23 percent of travelers. Memorial Day travel research is based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults by the Travel Industry Association of American, which conducts special research for AAA.

More: mysan.de

First-class one-way tickets on the high-speed Thalys train connecting Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam-Cologne are now on sale at 30% off the full fare price for summertime travel from Rail Europe. Tickets must be booked before August 15 and travel must take place between June 14-August 31.

This special offer is for 1st class tickets between any pair of cities on all Thalys international routes. The normal 1st class price of a one-way ticket between Paris and Brussels is $137 US/$188 CAD, compared to the summer promotion fare of $96 US/$132 CAD. Between Paris and Amsterdam the usual 1st class fare of a one-way ticket is $184 US/$253 CAD; with the promotion, the price is $129 US/$177 CAD. These specially priced tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

Thalys carries 34% more North Americans in first quarter

The number of North Americans buying tickets on Thalys is up 34% for the first quarter of 2004 compared to the same period last year, reports Rail Europe. The sleek red Thalys train has given the airlines so much competition since it began operation in 1996 that almost all flights between Paris and Brussels were discontinued, and the airlines instead book their passengers on the train. Thalys takes just 1 hour 25 minutes to go from downtown Paris to Brussels, much of the journey made at 186 mph. Up to 27 trains travel between Paris and Brussels in each direction daily, making the service convenient as well as fast.