travel

Plan your next weekend trip at Rehoboth Beach Delaware. Just like a lot of people, you may be hesitant to take a vacation in this economy. The excuses I hear are, “I feel guilty taking time with the economy so bad”, “the gas prices are outrageous”, etc. I am here to tell you, it is possible. With Delaware being tax-free, you are already saving that money. Instead of taking several trips to the store or malls in your area, go out once and get it all done that day. Save the extra money to put in gas for a visit to the beach.

Delaware Seashore State Park offers a number of opportunities for visitors to explore and experience the wonders of the Inland Bays.

On each Thursday through Aug. 27, the park offers pontoon boat tours on Indian River Bay and Rehoboth Bay.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 29, visitors can tour marsh islands in Rehoboth Bay via kayak.

On Sundays, July 12, 16, Aug. 9 and 23, visitors can explore the Assawoman Wildlife Area via kayak, located at the west side of Little Assawoman Bay.

Your Type A sister-in-law might argue that it's only 150 miles to Ocean City from the Washington area, a short enough trip to drive in three hours without even a bathroom break. You know better.

For one thing, traffic on Friday afternoons on Route 50 between this weekend and Labor Day will be maddening enough to make anyone long for an ejector seat or pull over for an ice cream cone. And besides, seasoned travelers say, the stops along the way are as much a part of tradition as the saltwater taffy and boardwalk rides at the beach.

Mid-Atlantic resorts are hoping gas prices spiraling toward $4 a gallon and a cooling economy won't keep vacationers at home this summer -- but they're bracing for shorter stays and less spending on restaurants and entertainment while people holiday.

"People are staying less time,'' said innkeeper Vicki Barrett, who runs a six-room bed and breakfast in Ocean City. "They're not staying for five days or seven days -- they're staying for two days or three days.''

We have again planned bus trips this summer, and this year we have an expanded schedule. We have two trips scheduled to Washington, DC. Both of these trips are $20. We board the busses at 7:00 AM and leave the K-Mart parking lot at 7:30 AM. We go to the mall in Washington and leave there at 5:30 PM. The Washington trips are both on Saturdays. The first one is on July 21st, and the second one is on September 22nd. You may purchase tickets at the church (9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Friday, although on Fridays the office may close a little early). You may also purchase them at the coffeehouse on Thursday nights from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM at the Avenue Inn breakfast area (33 Wilmington Avenue in Rehoboth Beach).

Robert Rydz was startled last month when he went to a free dinner for foreign students who work in this beach resort. He encountered a line extending 20 yards beyond the front door of Holy Savior Church’s hall.

“It was beyond my expectations,” said Rydz, a graduate student from Poland who is working here for a third summer. “In 2002 it was just seven of us. Two years ago it was more, but it was never as crowded as it is today.”