Did you know?

Did you know?

The open road is maintaining its allure for vacationing families. According to AAA Travel, which conducted a survey 1,005 adults living in the continental United States, 64 percent of families who planned to vacation in 2018 were intending to travel by car to reach their destinations.

While the open road beckons, familiar roads might not be as alluring to families as the roads less traveled. AAA found that 73 percent of families planning vacations in 2018 were hoping to visit a destination they had not previously visited.

Rest and relaxation also ranked high on the list of things families wanted out of their vacations. Among families planning getaways in 2018, 61 percent indicated they were choosing destinations with attractions such as beaches and mountains, while 56 percent admitted finding a destination that promoted relaxation was important to them.

Exhibit on 1969 opening at Vietnam Memorial Gallery

ALBANY, N.Y.

A new exhibit chronicling the end of one of the most turbulent decades in American history is opening to the public at the Empire State Plaza.

The exhibit titled “1969” opened this month at the Vietnam Memorial Gallery in the Robert Abrams Justice Building in downtown Albany.

Events such as the first moon landing and Woodstock music concert occurred 50 years ago this year, while the Vietnam War raged in Southeast Asia.

The exhibit includes photographs, archival footage and artifacts from the era, along with audio recordings of veterans from New York telling stories about their Vietnam experience in ‘69.

Another record for summer travel, predicts trade group

The airline industry’s U.S. trade group is predicting another record for summer travel.

Airlines for America forecast that 257.4 million people will fly on U.S. carriers between June 1 and Aug. 31.

That’s a 3.4 percent increase over last summer, and it works out to about 2.8 million travelers a day.

The trade group said airlines are adding 111,000 seats per day, more than the predicted 93,000 increase in daily passengers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average inflation-adjusted price for a domestic ticket has dropped for four-straight years to the lowest level since the agency began tracking the fare prices in 1995. But those numbers don’t include all the extra fees that airlines now charge.

Maid of the Mist tour boats to be battery-powered

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.

The Maid of the Mist boats that bring tourists to the base of Niagara Falls are going electric.

The company this month announced plans to launch two zero-emission passenger vessels during the coming tourist season. The boats will be powered by high-capacity battery packs.

The new vessels are expected to go into service in mid-September and replace the existing diesel-engine vessels that will operate on the lower Niagara River until then.

The Swiss technology company ABB is supplying the lithium-ion battery packs and an onshore charging system. The batteries will be recharged for seven minutes after each trip.

The Maid of the Mist first launched in 1846.

Staff/wire reports