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MOST POPULAR SUMMER DESTINATIONS Travelers can't seem to get enough of Mickey
Mouse. They also love Hawaii's beaches, Las Vegas' casinos, the Big Apple,
the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon. AAA's list of top destinations
for 2011 was little changed from 2010 and 2009: No. 1: Orlando (Disney World) No. 2: Honolulu (Hawaii) No. 3: Anaheim (Disneyland) No. 4: Las Vegas No. 5: Kahului (Hawaii) No. 6: New York No. 7: Lihue (Hawaii) No. 8: San Francisco No. 9: Phoenix No. 10: Seattle PREPARATION The typical traveler books vacation packages about 70 days in advance. Hotel reservations are booked later, usually within a month of the trip, according to AAA. GETTING THERE The car or truck is still Americans preferred
way to travel, by a wide margin. Here's how we'll get to our vacation
destination this Memorial Day weekend: Automobiles: 88 percent Airplane: 7 percent Miscellaneous (bus, train, cruise ship): 5 percent. GAS PRICES The national average for gas is $3.727. At that price, a 400 mile trip in a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu would cost about $45.17 . The good news: Gas has gotten cheaper. U.S. drivers have seen gas prices decline almost every day since the first week of April, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. The decline since April 6 is nearly 21 cents. Prices will vary widely depending on where you go. A gallon of regular unleaded costs $3.56 in Orlando, $4.39 in Los Angeles, $4.55 in Hawaii, $3.90 in Las Vegas, $4.09 in New York City, $4.41 in San Francisco, $3.78 in Phoenix and $4.23 in Seattle. Gasoline was an average $3.795 during Memorial Day weekend last year. WEATHER Temperatures are expected to be higher than average throughout the much of the United States over the next few weeks. The National Weather Service says there's a 60 percent chance of hotter-than-normal weather in the Great Lakes region. The Upper Midwest, parts of the Gulf Coast and Florida are likely to see more rain than normal. Here's the Memorial Day forecast, according to Accuweather: Orlando: low-90s Los Angeles: mid-70s Hawaii: mid-80s Las Vegas: mid/high 80s New York: mid-80s San Francisco: mid-60s Phoenix: mid-90s Seattle: high-50s
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