Gas prices on the rise

With a busy summer travel season predicted, a new travelhorizons™ survey co-authored by the Travel Industry Association and Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell examined the impact of escalating gasoline prices on the travel intentions of Americans.

The results reveal that Americans remain upbeat about their travel plans even as the price at the pump continues to rise. They also reveal the “tipping point” for the majority of Americans is likely to be $3.50 per gallon, at which price the slight majority of travelers state they would reevaluate their summer travel plans.

“The good news is that we expect more travel this summer,” TIA president and CEO Roger J. Dow said. “But if prices rise above $3.50 per gallon, it appears that many Americans may change their travel plans.”

Here are highlights of the survey:

* Leisure travelers are planning to take slightly more trips this summer than last (1.8 versus 1.6);
* 9 out of 10 (87%) leisure travelers expect gasoline prices to rise this summer;
* The price per gallon at which the majority of American leisure travelers state they would “change their vacation plans” is $3.50. Fully 6 out of 10 (61%) leisure travelers say they would change their vacation plans if the price at the pump reaches $3.75 per gallon;
* When asked how their plans would change, the most frequently mentioned responses were “take fewer trips this summer” (35%) and “cancel my trip” (31%). One out of four (26%) leisure travelers said “drive a shorter distance” or “postpone my trip until the price of gas comes down;”
* Fully 16% of leisure travelers said they would not alter their summer vacation plans regardless of the price of gasoline.

The national survey of 1,546 leisure travelers was conducted in March 2007, and the estimated margin of error is +/-2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $700 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.

Small car spotted in Hamburg, Germany. Sue Frause photo.

Lunch to go in Vancouver

One of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver, BC now offers lunches to go. Located on Denman right across the street from English Bay, it's the perfect spot to pick up your picnic and head to the beach.

The Raincity Grill's take-out window is now open weekends only -- beginning June 1 it will dish out delicious food from 11 AM to 7PM daily.

Raincity Grill has also upped the green factor, using sugarcane fiber containers and aspen wood cutlery from Lumby, BC. Both are made from renewable resources.

For $9.95 you'll receive a sandwich, salad and a sweet treat. Among the tasty sandwich offerings are Oyama ham with gruyere cheese and roasted eggplant and onion with hummus and bell pepper. Select from Caesar, potato or coleslaw salads.

Raincity Grill is located at 1193 Denman Street in Vancouver's West End -- a great jumping off spot for visiting Stanley Park.

English Bay is a Fun picnic spot. Sue Frause photo.

Granville Island Farmers Market

The popular Granville Island Farmers Market in Vancouver opens May 17 for another season. The weekly event takes place every Thursday through October.

During spring and early summer, growers will descend on the market with bedding plants, hanging baskets and fresh flowers. By July, fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms will arrive within hours of being plucked and picked.

The Farmers Market is from 9AM-3PM every Thursday and is located in the parking lot east of the Public Market.

Granville Island Public Market and The Net Loft are open seven days a week 'til 7 PM.

Ferries cross False Creek to Granville Island. Sue Frause photo.

Tofino Food and Wine Festival

I love Tofino.

Next month the Vancouver Island community is celebrating the 5th annual Tofino Food & Wine Festival June 1-3, 2007.

Long Beach Lodge has a tasty package that includes two nights in a beach front room, daily continental breakfast, welcome gift of featured wines, tickets to Friday night's reception and tickets and shuttle to Saturday's event. Packages are priced from $388 CAD/$350 USD per person, based on double occupancy, plus taxes.

The food and wine festivities begin on Friday with a reception at Long Beach Lodge from 4-6 PM. Food and wine offerings from Long Beach Lodge Chef Jeffery Young, Hester Creek wine maker Robert Summers and Brent Petkau of Cortes Island (aka The Oyster Man) will be featured.

On Saturday afternoon, guests at Long Beach Lodge will be shuttled to the main festival event at Tofino Botanical Gardens.

The Tofino Food and Wine Festival is a fundraiser for Tofino's Lighthouse Trail and the Tofino Botanical Gardens.

The festival is dedicated exclusively to BC wines and promotes Vancouver Island food purveyors while showcasing the talents of locally celebrated chefs.

Beach walks are popular at Long Beach Lodge. Sue Frause photo.

Yuk it up in Montreal

Just For Laughs–The Montreal International Comedy Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary July 8-29, 2007 in the ooh-la-la province of Quebec.

The festival features a full line-up of comedy including star-studded galas, cutting-edge cabaret, hilarious one-person shows and concerts, theatre, films, sketch, music, viral video and a revamped club series.

The majority of English shows and outdoor events will be held from July 12-22, 2007.

This year’s headliners include Howie Mandel, John Pinette and George Lopez.

Some of the funniest television shows will be live on-stage including the cast of Family Guy: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and Mike Henry.

Re-united for the world premiere of a special Kids in the Hall show are the original cast of Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson.

The cast of the hit CBS show How I Met Your Mother will stage Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words. The cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor, Jason Segal and Cobie Smulders.

This year’s show also stars Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy, who is fast emerging as one of the biggest names on the international comedy scene.

Franco Dragone, one of the world’s foremost artistic directors who has worked with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, has developed an anniversary act featuring Italy's quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti. It combines spectacular visual performances along with unique cabaret routines.

Also on tap is a show in the style of Monty Python. Spymonkey’s Cooped is a deliciously demented pulp gothic romance written and performed by celebrated British comedy troupe Spymonkey.

The Hyatt Regency in Montreal is the official hotel and headquarters for the festival.

Zip a dee doo dah!

That's me, Ziptrekking in Whistler!

In June 2007, ZipWest Eco-Adventure Tours will open in Sooke, 45 minutes west of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

ZipWest is situated on 100 lush acres of ecologically diverse coastal temperate rain forest in the Sooke Hills. The site features two suspension bridges leading to eight zip line cables up to 70 ft. off the ground and up to 1,000 ft. long.

Guides provide narration about plants, wildlife and birds and interpretive signage is located throughout the course.

Each 1.5-hour tour involves hiking and climbing stairs. Minimum age is 12 years. Rates begin at $59.99 CDN/$52.00 US and transportation to the ZipWest site is available from downtown Victoria.

Log onto their website for reservations.