(NAPSA)—If all work and no play indeed makes Jack a dull boy, then you could say Americans as a whole are becoming dangerously dull. The sad truth is, we are working too much and not vacationing near enough. A recent study by Expedia.com shows Americans hand back an esti- mated 415 million vacation days per year and that 30 percent of employed adults in the United fn States forfeit earned vacation time More and more families are finding travel bargains to get away on vacations. in unusedvacation time. Part of what’s keeping millions Websites like FairfieldGetaways. com, Timeshares.com and Extra every year. In fact, in one recent year, workers handed back to their employers an estimated $21 billion of Americans from taking their well-deserved, annual vacations is the often hefty price to take the trip. Even a quick weekend getaway can pinch your pocketbook when you factor in still steep gas prices, as well as ever-increasing lodging and restaurantcosts. But if you’ve traveled recently, you may have noticed that many flights are full, popular resorts are booked solid and more and more people seem to be hitting the road to get away for a few days. So per- haps there is still hope for the vacation-starved American family. There are several reasons why but one of the major factors is the heightened awareness of travel bargains available through online booking. There are a few sites, in particular, which are among the best kept secrets in travel. By pur- chasing their vacations through holidays.com, savvy travelers are saving hundreds of dollars while visiting someof the top resort destinations in the country. Fairfield Getaways.com site, for example, offers travel deals at up to 70 percent off of the retail price in destinations such as Las Vegas and Orlando. Many of these packages include a variety of travel perks that will help you save even more—with benefits like dinner certificates, theme park tickets, gaming chips andotherextras. These Web sites can be a great way to research and find afford- able vacations, with big savings over retail prices. When you take that next vacation, leave the laptop at home and your work behind —so that yourtrip is all play and no work. Now that wouldn’t be dull, would it?
