If your road trip takes you past Zillah, Wash., check out the 90-year-old Teapot Dome Service Station—erected as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that marred Warren G. Harding's presidency.

If you’re taking a road trip this holiday weekend and want to work in detours to a few presidential landmarks in honor of Presidents’ Day… There’s an app for that.

The Roadside Presidents app is now available in the iTunes store for $2.99 from RoadsideAmerica.com, a website with videos, news, maps and free tools to help travelers plan their own road trips. It allows travelers to find historical sites, from traditional ones like graves and birthplaces, to the more offbeat.

“We’ve discovered so many bizarre presidential sights out there,” says Ken Smith, senior editor of RoadsideAmerica.com. “By visiting conventional landmarks, but also the hidden treasures, you get the broader, nuttier picture of America’s history. You’ll never think of George Washington quite the same way after you’ve seen his whiskey-making still—or of Ronald Reagan after seeing a statue of him eating a potato pancake.”

Travelers can search for sites along their route, or search by president. In addition to driving directions, the app gives opening hours, phone numbers, photos and irreverent write-ups for each site. First ladies, vice presidents, first pets, assassination and scandal are all in the app.

The Roadside Presidents edition is the second app from Roadside America, following the original Roadside America app, introduced in 2010.

Photo: Public domain, National Park Service

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Fall travel surveys show a marked disconnect between the Labor Day holiday weekend and the rest of the fall travel season’s numbers. Compared to last year, anticipated Labor Day figures are down while expected fall travel is much more upbeat.

Klamath Lake - Fall travel

According to the AAA, 31.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend. This is a 2.4 percent decrease from 2010, and that’s without factoring in the impact of Hurricane Irene.

Travel providers in the Northeast are reporting significant cancellations for Labor Day from those affected and still dealing with flooding and cleanups in Irene’s wake.

According to a TripAdvisor survey published before Irene hit the East Coast, 28 percent of travelers intend to travel for Labor Day weekend this year, same as last year.

Sixty percent of those traveling expect to drive, and 34 percent plan to fly. Twenty-six percent will take outdoor trips, 24 percent will take city escapes and another 24 percent will take beach trips.

“AAA is projecting a decrease in the number of Labor Day travelers as some Americans react to recent economic uncertainty and increasing air fares,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel Services. “While automobile travel is expected to increase slightly, if recent declines in gasoline prices continue through Labor Day, we could see an increase in last-minute holiday weekend travel.”

The fall travel numbers are a lot more optimistic. According to the annual Travel Leaders fall travel trends survey, 55.3 percent of its 443 agents responded that fall bookings are higher compared to last year’s.

When asked for a personal outlook on business for the remainder of 2011, an overwhelming 71.1 percent of respondents say that they were optimistic, while 20.5 percent are neutral about it.

Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group, said, “We are encouraged that Americans—whether for business or leisure—are continuing to travel, and more frequently than a year ago despite the uncertainty we’ve seen recently in our country’s economic indicators.”

The TripAdvisor survey similarly shows a lot of pent-up optimism for fall travel, with 86 percent of travelers planning leisure trips this fall, compared to 74 percent that say they traveled for fun last autumn.

Thirty-seven percent of travelers in the TripAdvisor survey say they intend to spend more than they did last fall on leisure trips, while 46 percent plan to spend about the same amount. Nearly half (48 percent) feel the fall is the most economical season to travel.

The top fall destinations in the TripAdvisor survey are New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and San Francisco. Travel Leaders agents indicate their most booked fall destinations are Las Vegas, Orlando, Honolulu, New York City and Kahului (Maui), Hawaii.

Photo – Walter Siegmund

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Adding to the debate about just how much rising gas prices will impact summer travel, this week AAA forecast that 39 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend, a 2.5 percent decline from the 40 million people who traveled a year ago. The Fourth of July holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, June 30 to Monday, July 4.

“AAA is projecting a slight decline in the number of Independence Day travelers mainly due to fuel prices being approximately one dollar per gallon higher than last year,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel Services. “Increased fuel costs are also responsible for a shift in the demographics of the typical Independence Day traveler as higher prices impact lower income households more significantly.”

Looking at the holiday by travelers’ modes of transportation, 84 percent will travel by car, 8 percent by air, and 8 percent by other means. Findings also show that the number of travelers with a household income of $50,000 or less is expected to decrease by 8 percentage points, from 41 percent in 2010 to 33 percent. The number of travelers with a household income of more than $100,000 is expected to increase from 26 percent in 2010 to 35 percent this year.

It would be nice to think that the decrease in the percentage of travelers making $50,000 or less is due to people who were unemployed or underemployed last year finding new jobs and now making more than $50,000 this year. Given the still sputtering economy, however, that’s not likely.

Here are a few more findings from AAA’s 2011 Independence Day Forecast:

Automobile travel is down 3 percent, but five out of six travelers will drive to their destinations. Approximately 32.8 million people plan to travel by automobile, a decline of nearly one million auto travelers from the 33.7 million who drove last year.

Gas-price impact on travel plans is mixed. A survey of intended travelers found that 56 percent said rising gas prices would not impact their travel plans. For the remaining 44 percent, seven out of 10 will economize in other areas, and three out of 10 are planning to take a shorter trip or travel by a different mode of transportation.

Number of air travelers is expected to increase by 9 percent. A little more than three million leisure travelers (8 percent of holiday travelers) will fly during the holiday weekend, a 9 percent increase from last year’s 2.75 million air travelers.

Travelers will experience increases in airfares, hotel rates and car rental rates. According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, Independence Day holiday airfares are expected to be 11 percent more than last year, with an average lowest round-trip rate of $213 for the top 40 U.S. air routes.

Average travel distance down 7 percent; median spending up 25 percent from last year. According to a survey of traveler intentions, the average distance traveled by Americans during the Independence Day holiday weekend is expected to be 573 miles, 7 percent less than last year’s average travel distance of 617 miles. Median spending is expected to be $807, an increase of 25 percent from $644 last year.

AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by Boston-based IHS Global Insight. The complete AAA/IHS Global Insight 2011 Independence Day Holiday Travel Forecast can be found at www.aaa.com/news.

Photo credit: Patxi Izkue, Flickr CC2.0

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